DENVER — After a two-month closure due to a derailment, the RTD R-Line in Aurora will resume service Tuesday, the transportation agency announced Monday.
The Regional Transportation District will restore full service on the affected four-mile stretch of the R-Line corridor from Aurora Metro Center to the 13th Avenue Station at 4 a.m. Tuesday.
The line was shut down Sept 21 after a train derailed as it navigated a curve at the intersection of South Sable Boulevard and East Exposition Avenue. Three people were injured.
The train operator was driving nearly four times the speed limit for the curve, going 38.8 mph into the 10-mph bend, according to documents declassifiedby the Colorado Public Utilities Commission.
It was the second derailmentin the area in the past four years. In January 2019, one person was injured when an R-Line train derailed on the same set of tracks.
RTD said reopening the line required systems redesign of the intersection at Sable Boulevard and Exposition Avenue, removal of a damaged support pole and adjustment of the overhead electrical system that provides power to the light rail vehicles.
They also said it has made the following improvements to the line:
- All work related to the train-traffic interface at the intersection of Sable Boulevard and Exposition Avenue, meaning that light rail trains must stop prior to proceeding through the intersection
- The speed on approach to the curve at Sable Boulevard and Exposition Avenue has been reduced from 35 mph to 25 mph, with the appropriate signage placed on the right-of-way
- The relocation of a radar sign of approximately 100 feet farther north to allow more advance warning and increased visibility
RTD said it will have additional signage in place no later than Dec. 31 to advise operators of the curve at Sable Boulevard and Exposition Avenue.