The new train from the airport to the train station downtown is a Big Deal! The folks who made it happen threw a party and invited all of
Denver. To get us to come, they made every train free – and who doesn’t love a free party? It’s probably time to admit that I was wrong in initially resisting the idea of trains as part of Denver’s mass transit solution. I spoke to people from Lone Tree (south) and Golden (west) who were trying the new line and were excited about the possibility of not having to park at the airport for their next vacation. By linking DIA (Denver International Airport) and Union Station in downtown Denver, I feel that our cow town has announced its desire and intention to be a real city.
The New A Line
The new train line is called several names: the A Line, the University of Colorado A Line (for sponsorship reasons that I can’t quite get my head around) and my personal favorite, The A-Train. If you ride it from one end to the other, it should take you less than 40 minutes and cost you $9.00.
Back to the Party
We decided to drive to the Central Park station and ride the train from there to DIA. On the way we met a group of young people wearing blue T-shirts commemorating the day. They were a Denver Public Schools acapella vocal group performing at various stops along the line.
They helped give the car a sense of vitality that we couldn’t generate on our own. We also enjoyed a new-to-us view of the Westin Hotel as we approached the terminal.
At DIA
We rode from the Train Terminal level up a couple levels on a long steep escalator. We saw the selfie station next to the ice cream vendor and the Westin staff selling food and drink at what looked to be Happy Hour prices, but the most fun we had at the Airport was listening to the Irish band, Chancers Hooley. They were better at the fast rowdy numbers than the ballads, but it may have been the acoustics of the area they played in. We noticed the line to catch train away from the plane was getting longer so we got in it. We were able to listen to the band for quite a long time in line. After we descended by escalator back to the train terminal level we discovered that same high school acapella group singing for our listening pleasure. Forty five minutes after getting in line we were seated on the train.
DIA to Union Station
It probably took twice as long for us to reach Union Station as advertized. The best we were able to understand, some warning lights wouldn’t go out. We don’t know whether the warning lights were faulty or there were really things to be worried about. After sitting in one place while two trains went the other way, our train finally started moving again and crept along for a time. Either the warning lights went out or the train operator gained courage in ignoring them, because we seemed to speed up. I’m sure that is the sort of thing that can be expected in a new system and will be resolved in a very short time. And, it wasn’t all bad, we had a great view of the Front Range from our window as we waited for the train to move.
At Union Station
We arrived at Union Station and were amazed to see all the people patiently waiting for their chance to take the ‘Train to the Plane’. We wandered around the underground bus terminal. We stepped into Union Station itself and listened briefly to a very understated Jazz quartet. We walked around the west side of Union Station and
admired the father and children taking advantage of the climbing temperature to play in the water feature. We compared notes and agreed that we’d done a lot of walking for a train trip. Then, after one last look at the weight of humanity waiting between us and a train ride home, we called and begged a ride home in a car.
I don’t know much about Art, but . . .
Because we started at the Central Park Station, rode to DIA and then rode downtown before finding an alternate way home and because RTD made sure Art is presented at each stop, here are photographs of three Art Works to ponder. . .
