Starting Sunday, the Regional Transportation District is pulling the D, H and L light rail lines off Denver's Downtown Loop as crews roll into the next phase of a multiyear rebuild of the city's oldest downtown tracks. The shake-up means trains will be rerouted, the C Line is coming back to Denver Union Station and a temporary T Line will serve the Southeast Corridor. On the street, buses, including a speedier 16th Street FreeRide, will carry more of the load. The work, which includes full-depth rail and railing replacement along Colfax and the downtown midblocks, is expected to run into the first quarter of 2027, so riders should get ready for altered schedules, new transfers and plenty of bus bridges in the months ahead.
According to RTD, crews will start full-depth reconstruction of the Colfax alignment and midblock sections in the Downtown Loop on June 7, tearing out and replacing the track and the 30-year-old railing system. RTD's project timeline lists the work window as June 2026 through the first quarter of 2027, with the final Welton Corridor phase set to begin in 2027. The agency says bus bridges and expanded surface service will run where trains will not, and customers are urged to use NextRide or sign up for Service Alerts before heading out.
Train changes to expect
As reported by CBS Colorado, the D, H and L lines are temporarily suspended while the C Line has been reinstated to serve Denver Union Station to keep downtown accessible by rail. A temporary T Line will operate from Lincoln Station to I-25/Broadway, running about every 15 minutes on weekdays during the day with reduced nighttime service. Other commuter lines will see adjusted frequencies to keep riders moving around the city. The R Line will run more often during daytime hours and is being extended south to serve Sky Ridge, Lone Tree and RidgeGate Parkway stations.
Bus improvements and funding
Per RTD, a roughly $9.25 million award from Colorado's Clean Transit Enterprise is helping pay for beefed-up service on a dozen bus routes and longer operating hours. The 16th Street FreeRide will come every three minutes, routes 0L and 43 get midday boosts to about every 7.5 minutes, and Route 104L gains an earlier weekend trip plus an additional daily run to tighten connections to the N Line. RTD says these bus tweaks are specifically designed to absorb riders while the Downtown Loop remains offline.
Who this affects
RTD has warned that changes to regular bus and rail routes may ripple into paratransit schedules and urged riders who depend on specialized services to watch for direct notices, according to CBS Colorado. The adjustments are built to cover both weekend and weekday travel, but downtown commuters, Auraria-area students and event-goers should brace for longer walks or extra transfers for at least the next several months. Anyone with tight connections is being told to build in more time and to look seriously at the 16th Street FreeRide, ART and other surface options while the heavy construction is underway.
A long-running rebuild
This phase is the latest chapter in RTD's Downtown Rail Reconstruction Project, which has already tackled five intersections and an 86-day rebuild of the Kalamath crossing, completed the first phase ahead of schedule in 2024, reopening key intersections and clearing the way for the deeper midblock and Colfax work now getting underway, as per Hoodline. Officials have cast the effort as a once-in-decades investment meant to keep downtown track in workable shape for the next 30 years.
Local outlets and transit planners are urging riders to check schedules before they roll into downtown and to lean on RTD's NextRide app or Service Alerts for real-time updates. The Denver Gazette notes that RTD has been adding extra rail cars for busy weekends and major events. Travelers should expect to swap trains for buses at certain stations and give themselves more time for connections while construction continues. For ongoing details, riders can sign up for service alerts and keep an eye on RTD's project pages and local coverage.
