RTD PLANS TO KEEP A, B-LINE GATE GUARDS

The University of Colorado A-Line and B-Line will rely on crossing guards at least a little while longer, Regional Transportation District officials said this week.

The Federal Railroad Administration last week granted RTD an additional 90-day extension on a federal waiver that has allowed the Denver transit system to operate the train line while it works toward a permanent fix for its faulty crossing gate software.

“We are super close,” RTD spokesman Nate Currey said. “We’ll ask for as many extensions as we need to to get it done through their process.”

The federal waiver — which had already been extended several times — was set to expire July 31, and at one point it looked as though another extension might not be needed. RTD in April said it had fixed the gate glitch, which was causing train crossing gates to open and close at the wrong time.

But as the July 31 deadline approached, federal regulators still hadn’t given final approval to the fix — and even if they had, Currey said, the flaggers wouldn’t disappear right away. The Colorado Public Utility Commission, too, would have to sign off.

The troubles have also delayed the G-Line. — Brian