W Line (RTD)

The W Line, also called the West Rail Line, is a Light Rail line in Denver, Lakewood, and Golden, Colorado, United States. The W Line was the first part of FasTracks to break ground, on May 16, 2007. The line, the only line to traverse the West Corridor, opened for service on Friday, April 26, 2013.

History

The Denver Lakewood and Golden Railway started operations in the area in 1893, switching to electric traction by 1909. The route ran from the downtown Denver streetcar loop, through the Lakewood Dry Gulch near 13th Avenue and continued out to Golden. Interurban service continued until 1950, when all Denver area trolley and interurban service ceased.

Plans to resurrect a railway line from Denver to Golden were advanced in the mid-1970s and in the 1980s RTD purchased the right-of-way to an unused rail corridor between the two cities. A Major Investment Study conducted in 1997 stated the need for a rapid transit corridor through the region, and settled on 13th Avenue as the locally preferred alternative. The Environmental Impact Statement was started in 2001 and finished with a Finding of No Significant Impact or "FONSI" in 2003. A "rail-pulling" ceremony was held on the 13th Avenue corridor on May 16, 2007 and construction started in earnest in early 2008.

Lynx West Corridor

The West Corridor is a proposed streetcar line to serve as an extension for the LYNX network in Charlotte, North Carolina. It is slated for completion by 2034. It would connect Charlotte-Douglas International Airport in west Charlotte with the Charlotte Transportation Center in Uptown Charlotte.

It is proposed to follow a primarily east-west path along West Morehead Street and Wilkinson Boulevard, through west Charlotte. Currently, it is estimated to be 6.4 miles (10.3 km) with 10 stops and be complete between Uptown and Ashley Road by 2029 at a cost of $163 million. The second phase between Ashley Road and the Charlotte-Douglas International Airport is scheduled for completion by 2034 at a cost of $324 million.

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