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SOUTHEAST LIGHT RAIL
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Southeast Light Rail Opens
T-REX Project Officially Complete
POSTED: 9:09 am MST November 16,
2006
UPDATED: 11:42 am MST November 17,
2006
DENVER -- At least 33,000 passengers are expected to ride the new southeast light rail line, which opens Friday at 10:30 a.m.The opening of the light rail and the completion of the Transportation Expansion Project, or T-REX, has not come a moment too soon for most commuters.The light rail links Douglas County with downtown, through 19 miles of line and 13 new stations.
Entertainment, food and activities will be available at 10 of the new stations until at least 1 p.m.Regional Transportation District will offer free service on the new portion of light rail from 11 a.m. to midnight. Riders will need to pay a regular fare to ride the rest of the line.The entire system is free Saturday, with southeast corridor trains ending at the Broadway station.A list of new bus and light rail schedules can be found at southeastlightrail.com or by calling 303-299-6000.The T-REX project spanned five years, cost $1.67 billion and provided Denver area commuters with countless hours of traffic tie-ups.On Thursday, the massive project was officially complete. About 1,500 people packed the Magness Arena at the University of Denver to celebrate the completion of the project. The nation's top transit officials, Gov. Bill Owens and Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper were among those in attendance.The T-REX project now offers more highway capacity, safety improvements and the light rail option."The construction was just ridiculous," said driver Janelle Leung. "It will be nice to have the light rail opening.""I have pretty much avoided it at all costs, taking side streets, learning new routes to get my son to school to work to home and wherever else I need to go," said driver John Egland. "Looking forward to the light rail, too."The official grand opening celebration of the light rail will take place at the Lincoln Avenue station at 10:30 a.m. Friday in Douglas County.Since RTD begins charging for rides on Sunday, Broncos fans who are going to the night game will need to pay.Officials have concerns about parking Monday morning, when light rail gets it first full rush-hour test.There are 7,500 parking spaces for the expected 33,000 passengers.
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Previous Stories:
- August 22, 2006: T-REX Project Comes Long Way Since 2001
- August 21, 2006: End In Sight To T-REX Project
- August 18, 2006: T-REX To Reopen All Ramps On Tuesday
- June 23, 2006: Three Months Until T-REX Completed
- January 5, 2006: T-REX Project Will Be Extinct This Year
- April 13, 2004: Late T-REX Trucks Tie Up Traffic Terribly
- March 30, 2004: T-REX Baby Celebrates First Birthday
- July 28, 2003: Broken Sign Ties Up I-25 Traffic For Miles
- May 16, 2003: I-25 To Shut Down During Day For T-REX Construction
- February 28, 2003: 7NEWS Investigates Alarming Number Of Crashes In 'T-Wrecks'
- November 25, 2002: T-REX: 1 Year Down, Four More To Go
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