Crossing attendants along the G-Line will be phased out starting as soon as next week, RTD announced Friday, after the transportation district received final approval from state and federal authorities that its wireless crossing-gate technology was working correctly.
A date to begin removing flaggers from the line, which travels from Denver’s Union Station through Adams County to Arvada and Wheat Ridge, will be determined once RTD receives formal written approval from the Federal Railroad Administration.
While flaggers will no longer be stationed at each of the 16 crossings along the line on a routine basis, RTD and Denver Transit Partners, which operates the rail line, may reinstate them as an added safety measure as conditions require, the news release said.
“This is another significant milestone for the G Line and the Eagle project,” RTD General Manager and CEO Dave Genova said in a statement. “Now that the flaggers will no longer be stationed at the grade crossings, we ask everyone to be our partners in safety.”
The 11-mile G-Line first began operation in April after RTD and Denver Transit spent months trying to adjust the software that controls the timing of its crossing gates.
The commuter rail line was originally scheduled to open in October 2016. It was delayed because of difficulties with the timing of the crossing gates — a problem that also held up the University of Colorado A-Line to Denver International Airport.
