Colorado’s two U.S. senators and two members of the U.S. House from metro Denver have taken the unusual step of writing a joint letter to federal and local officials urging them to step up efforts to resolve problems on RTD’s commuter-rail lines ahead of a possible shutdown of the transit agency’s airport train.

The letter addresses technological problems on the transit agency’s A Line route between Denver Union Station and Denver International Airport that have kept crossing gates from functioning properly.

“… No substantial progress has been made to correct the problem permanently,” the letter says. “… We cannot afford any further delays or loss of service.”

The letter is addressed to Denver’s Regional Transportation District; Denver Transit Partners, RTD’s private-sector partner in building and operating the trains; and the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), which regulates the system.

It was signed by U.S. Sens. Michael Bennet, D-Colorado, and Cory Gardner, R-Colorado, as well as U.S. Reps. Diana DeGette, D-Denver, and Ed Perlmutter, R-Arvada.

FRA regulators have been saying for years that RTD’s A Line train to the airport and its crossing gates aren’t working as they should. In a Nov. 15 letter to the transit agency last month, FRA officials said they were willing to shut down service if necessary.

When the airport route opened, RTD stationed human flaggers at crossing gates while it and its contractor worked on solving issues involving the timing of when the gates open and close. The line has long operated under waivers of regulations granted by the FRA.

Federal officials have refused to allow RTD to open another commuter-rail route with similar crossing-gate problems: the G Line to Arvada and Wheat Ridge.

The FRA gave RTD until the end of this week to present a plan to resolve problems with the crossing gates before the end of 2019, Colorado Public Radio reports.

The letter refers to the Eagle P3 Project, which is RTD’s name for the construction initiative to built the A and G lines. It also refers to the Gold Line, an alternative name for the G Line.

Here’s is the full text, as provided by DeGette’s office.

December 12, 2018

The Honorable Ronald Batory, Administrator, Federal Railroad Administration, 1200 New Jersey Ave. SE, Suite 700, Washington, DC 20590

David A. Genova, General Manager and CEO, Regional Transportation District, 1560 Broadway, Suite 700, Denver, CO 80202

John F. Thompson, Executive Project Director, Denver Transit Partners, 5151 Fox Street, Denver, CO 80216

Dear Administrator Batory, Mr. Genova, and Mr. Thompson:

We write following the Federal Railroad Administration’s (FRA) November 15 letter to Denver Regional Transportation District (RTD) and Denver Transit Partners (DTP) regarding the ongoing issues with the grade crossings on the Eagle Project’s commuter rail lines. We urge all parties to work together to ensure the action plan called for in the letter is completed by December 15 in a manner that ensures safety and meets all federal requirements, while facilitating continued progress on the Eagle Project.

In the November 15 letter, FRA detailed a number of ways the current grade crossing warning signal timing is not in compliance with waivers previously issued by the Administration. It also noted in the two and half years since the initial waiver, no substantial progress has been made to correct the problem permanently.

FRA has been clear the Eagle Project must show compliance with waiver conditions before the Administration can approve quiet zones for any part of the system or allow the Gold Line to begin revenue service demonstrations. Additionally, continued noncompliance could jeopardize the waiver conditions allowing the existing service on the A Line. We cannot afford any further delays or loss of service.

The Eagle Project’s success is critical for our constituents. Many stakeholders came together to support the project based on the economic and quality of life benefits it promises. They are counting on all parties to live up to their obligations and provide the service agreed to.

We are encouraged all parties continue to cooperate, but efforts to resolve the grade crossing issues have so far proved insufficient. The action plan is a crucial step toward resolving these issues once and for all. We strongly urge all parties to fully commit to completing a satisfactory action plan by the December 15 deadline and work together to implement this action plan swiftly, and we stand ready to help facilitate this process in any way possible.

Sincerely,

Diana DeGette, Member of Congress

Michael F. Bennet, United States Senator

Cory Gardner, United States Senator

Ed Perlmutter, United States Senator