Light Rail Service
The 16-mile light rail system includes two lines, the C Line and the D line. The D line starts at 30th and Downing, runs through downtown along Stout and California Streets, continues to Santa Fe Drive, ending at Mineral Avenue in Littleton. The C Line runs from Union Station with connections to the Pepsi Center, Six Flags/Elitch Gardens, Invesco Field at Mile High and the Auraria Campus before joining the D Line where it continues to Mineral Avenue in Littleton. The light rail system includes 6 free park and ride stations, 24 rail stations, and 8 downtown stops. One light rail train can replace over 200 single occupant vehicles, and more than 38,000 passenger boardings occur daily on the system. This number represents a significant increase above the original ridership projections. During peak hours the trains run every 5 minutes, every 10-15 minutes during off-peak hours. Weekend ridership is also very strong, averaging 14,500 riders on Saturdays, and 10,000 on Sundays, depending on the number of downtown events. In 2002 12.8% of all transit ridership was on the light rail. For transit route maps, schedules and trip planning, visit www.rtd-denver.com.

T-Rex is a 19 mile extension of the current light rail along I-25 and is under construction. It will be open in the fall of 2006. Click here for more information on this light rail expansion project.

Additionally, the region will see a build-out of additional light rail and commuter services with the FasTracks plan. The FasTracks proposal addresses the growing need for reliable and safe transit systems in the cities and counties that surround Denver. For more details, visit the FasTracks website.

Bus Service
Downtown is the hub of the regional bus system with more than 65 bus trips per hour during peak hours (6 to 9 a.m. and 3 to 6 p.m.) traveling in and out of Market Street and Civic Center Stations. The transit stations are anchored by the FREE 16th Street Mall shuttle, which stretches one mile through the heart of Downtown. Serviced by a fleet of 26 shuttle vehicles with 75-second intervals during peak hours, the mall shuttles carry 61,000 passengers each day and over 15.4 million passengers annually.

Since it opened in 1982, the Mall Shuttle has provided service for over 234 million passengers. In 2002, 86.5% of all transit riders used the RTD buses. For transit route maps, schedules and trip planning, visit www.rtd-denver.com. Certain routes use GPS navigation to track their location, which is viewable on a website to determine when the next bus will arrive. Visit www.nextbus.com to see if your route is included.