This is Denver, Colorado. Serving a population of 2.8 million people, a network of light
rail and commuter rail lines runs across this US city, servicing 77 stations across five
counties. Consisting of 113 miles of track and a one and a quarter mile transit mall,
the system travels across Denver, with trains radiating from downtown to the suburbs. But
how did the system grow from its original stations to the network it is today? My name’s
Zach, and this is the Evolution of the Network. The beginnings of Denver’s transit network
began to form in October 1982, with the opening of the initial section of the 16th Street
Transit Mall. Running across downtown Denver, the route travelled from Market Street Station
to Civic Center Station, stopping at each intersection along the route.
Twelve years later in October 1994, Denver’s first light rail line was launched, travelling
south from downtown, and intersecting with the transit mall. Fourteen new stations were
serviced along the route, running from 30th and Downing to Interstate 25 and Broadway.
An additional station was opened on the line in May 1996, with trains beginning to stop
at 27th & Welton. The light rail was extended further south in July 2000, adding five more
stations to Littleton/Mineral. The success of the 16th Street Transit Mall
was well realized by 2001, with the decision made to extend the mall further north to Wynkoop.
The following January, the MallRide bus was extended to Union Station, with dedicated
bus lanes running from the end of the transit mall to the station. In April, Denver’s
second light rail line began service, with a new route meeting the MallRide at Union
Station. The C line serviced four new stations to the existing stop at 10th & Osage, before
following the existing route to Littleton/Mineral. With this change, the existing line was also
renamed, now being referred to as the D line. Stop changes in downtown were made to the
D line in December 2004, with the two stations at 14th Street being closed. In their place,
a new station was opened nearby at Convention Center-Performing Arts, providing more convenient
access to the Colorado Convention Center and Denver Performing Arts Complex.
A major expansion to the light rail network took place in November 2006, with four new
light rail lines being introduced, and 13 new stations being opened. Two new lines branched
off south from I-25/Broadway station, servicing 11 new stops to Lincoln. The E line travelled
from Lincoln to Union Station, while the F line travelled from Lincoln to 18th Street.
The G and H lines branched off from this new route between Southmoor and Belleview, servicing
two stops west to Nine Mile. The G line followed the E and F lines south to Lincoln, while
the H line followed the F line to 18th Street. At the same time, the C and D line station
name at Oxford was expanded, now also referencing the City of Sheridan. The C and E line station
at Pepsi Center–Six Flags Elitch Gardens was also renamed, reflecting the recent sale
of Elitch Gardens. In May 2009, the G line was discontinued,
having seen very low ridership since opening three years prior. The downtown station at
Convention Center-Performing Arts was also renamed, now being referred to as Theatre
District-Convention Center. Two years later in September 2011, the C and E line station
at Invesco Field at Mile High was also renamed, after a change of sponsor for the facility.
Near the north end of the D line, the station at 29th & Welton was closed in January 2013,
helping to improve operations on this section of the network. Four months later in April,
a sixth light rail line was introduced, servicing 11 newly constructed stations. The W line
followed the C and E lines from Union Station to Auraria West, before branching off west
to Jefferson County Government Center – Golden station. On the 16th Street Transit Mall,
Market Street Station was closed in May 2014, allowing the downtown property to be redeveloped.
Nearby street level stops were implemented as a result, with MallRide buses continuing
to stop at all intersections along the transit mall.
Denver’s first commuter rail lines launched in 2016, three years after the last system
expansion. That April, the A line began operating east from Union Station, servicing 7 new stops
to Denver Airport. Three months later in July, trains began on the B line, running between
Union Station and Westminster. In February 2017, light rail service was extended on the
H line, with two new stations taking the line from Nine Mile to its present terminus at
Florida. At the same time, a new line was introduced, with seven new stops also being
opened. Trains on the R line followed the E and F lines from Lincoln to Belleview, before
following the H line to Florida. From there, trains continued north, meeting the A line
at Peoria. In downtown, trains on the D line were split in January 2018, with the spur
to 30th & Downing being renamed to the L line. L line trains ran between 30th & Downing and
16th Street, with D line trains now ending at 18th Street.
The G line was resurrected in April 2019, in the form of a new commuter rail line running
west from Union Station. Seven new stops were serviced to Wheat Ridge/Ward, including
two new shared stations with the B line. At the same time, the C, E, and W line station
at Sports Authority Field was renamed once again, now being referred to as Broncos Stadium
at Mile High. On the opposite end of the system, a three-stop extension of the E, F, and R
lines opened that May, taking the lines to RidgeGate Parkway. At the end of the year,
the station at Broncos Stadium was renamed once again, now being referred to as Empower
Field at Mile High. In September 2020, Denver’s fourth commuter
rail line was launched, with service beginning on the N line. Meeting the other routes at
Union Station, the line serviced six new stops, ending at Eastlake & 124th. Finally in early
2021, the C, E, and W line station at Pepsi Center Elitch Gardens was renamed to Ball
Arena Elitch Gardens, reflecting a change in sponsor for the venue. This brings us to
the Denver rail map that we know today.
That was the evolution of Denver’s light rail
and commuter rail network, giving us the twelve rail lines and one transit mall
that we know today. If you haven’t already, be sure to watch our Evolution of the Network
videos on other American cities, which you can access by clicking the button in the top
right corner. Don’t forget to leave a like if you enjoyed this video, and comment down
below to join in the discussion. My name’s Zach, and I’ll be Vanishing Underground,
until the next one.