Denver Train Problems Caused by Tall Buildings: RTD

Denver's crossing gates have caused a series of headaches for the city’s transit system. Now the Regional Transportation District (RTD) says the problem is tied to blocked GPS signals. “The document said Denver’s rising skyline around Union Station regularly blocks GPS signals the system relies on to keep the University of Colorado A-Line running smoothly and safely,” John Aguilar writes for the Denver Post. RTD says they have a software patch to fix this issue that they can put into place quickly if the plan is approved at the federal level. “RTD says it is ready to open the long-delayed G-Line to Denver’s western suburbs in the first quarter of 2019 if the Federal Railroad Administration accepts its action plan,” Aguilar reports.

The use of GPS also features in the federally mandated safety feature known as positive train control (PTC). While operators do not currently need to employ PTC, the due date is coming up. RTD officials say they will be ready. Some observers have pointed out that many of the transit systems around the world are in cities with more tall buildings than Denver, without experiencing similar issues.