If you can attend tonight’s meeting of the RTD Fastracks Monitoring Committee, please come out and join us in a show of support for EMU technology on Fastracks’ commuter-rail lines. Judy and her staff will be on hand passing out “Diesel Stinks” buttons. Although no public comment will be taken at the meeting, a strong turnout will speak volumes about how District 9 residents feel about the use of EMUs over DMUs.
For those of you who haven’t followed this issue, EMU (or electrical multiple unit) trains are cleaner and quieter than DMUs (or diesel multiple units), plus they are easier to service / maintain and have a better track record (no pun intended). For more than a year, Judy has been lobbying RTD to choose EMUs for all four of Fastracks’ commuter rail lines. There’s a good summary of the issue on page 5 of the July 2006 HUNI newsletter.
Judy and dozens of District 9 residents voiced their opinions at last month’s RTD Board meeting. We’ll have another opportunity to do that in two weeks (July 24), when the RTD Board will vote on which technologies will be used on which lines. Many of the RTD Board members have voiced concerns about the up-front construction costs of EMUs, and since Fastracks is already facing cost overruns some Board members may be tempted to cut corners by going with DMUs on some, if not all, of the lines. Since all four commuter-rail lines will run through District 9, the use of DMUs on any of them will have a negative impact.
Tonight’s meeting is at 5 pm at 1600 Blake Street, in the basement conference room. Hope to see you there.
