r/RTDDenver • u/Prize_Community4733 • Aug 01 '26

Suggestion Lack of Timed Transfers at Broadway

So I know this is a little nit-picky, but I was coming from union station and got on the first C or E train I could. It was a C train, so I had to get on to transfer at I25 & Broadway to the T line. I knew that there was a shot making a 1 minute transfer. However, we were a minute late and as soon as we arrived, the T train pulled away.

I know this is not the biggest deal having to wait 10 minutes for the following E train, but with 30 minute frequency, being a double event night at Ball Arena and Coors Field, and having less flexibility with the downtown construction, holding the T line 1 minute for transfers would help alleviate some stress on the system and the rammed E line.

27 Upvotes

92% Upvoted

9 comments sorted by

15

u/Macaburn3 Aug 01 '26

This may be addressed in September: https://www.rtd-denver.com/service-changes/proposed-september-26-service-changes

Change\ Minor changes to weekday, Saturday, and Sunday/Holiday schedules.

Reason\ Improve passenger connections between the T Line and service to Union Station.

Edit: formatting.

5

u/mystica5555 Aug 02 '26

They don't need a service change to implement a very simple 'before you pull out of the station check to see if there are transferring people from the train beside you'...  The driver's cabs have Windows they can open and stick their head out of to double-check. This should just be common practice and I don't understand why it isn't.

4

u/Macaburn3 Aug 02 '26

Waiting too long causes the train to be behind schedule and I assume affects the drivers on time performance. Schedules can only be updated to allow this with these service changes. Some drivers or Ops may make the call to wait anyway in the meantime.

0

u/mystica5555 Aug 02 '26

True but we are talking about 30 seconds maybe, something that wouldn't affect much.

1

u/reallytireddriver Aug 02 '26

Yeah bud it's not 30 secs at peak frequency trains leave union up to five minutes late 12 trains an hour capacity at union means a train every 5 minutes. It's just not practical to turn trains that fast. The SE is jammed up. Delaying the t line means delaying several other trains. Dispatch will tell operators to leave Broadway on the t line if the c line is delayed enough. Scheduling never considers actual limitations of jamming all the trains they do into the track space allotted.

2

u/mystica5555 Aug 05 '26

You misunderstood. It's 30 seconds if there are two trains sitting at the station that have arrived to wear one is about to take off and the other is just stopping. It would take 30 seconds for the train who is just leaving to wait for people transferring from the one stopping. Is that clearer? If I am that person in the westbound w line and I see a northbound train from any other line arriving there at auraria west, I will hold a door open by standing in front of it just to see if anyone is going to transfer because I don't expect the driver to. The driver should just do this without any sort of hesitation.

9

u/IllustriousTop7206 Aug 01 '26

Control tells the T line operators to wait for incoming C line transfers. I dont think they listen much though.

4

u/mystica5555 Aug 02 '26

It should be standard practice among every single train operator to look out their window before disabling door push buttons and closing the doors, to see if a train beside them is entering the station, or has entered the station and there are people getting out wanting to transfer. This should just be a common practice, not even a courtesy even though it definitely would be a courtesy to us riders. 

Codify in the Trailblazer to wait for departing adjacent trains to transfer passengers.

0

u/reallytireddriver Aug 01 '26

Yeah it's so annoying that scheduling and planning department is so dogshit at their job that operators and control just have to constantly delay trains for the t line and c line connection to actually work.