N Line (RTD)

N Line
Skyway Bridge over Brighton Blvd during construction.
Overview
Type	Commuter Rail
System	Regional Transportation District
Status	Under Construction
Locale	Denver Metropolitan Area
Termini	Union Station Eastlake/124th
Stations	9 (proposed)
Website	Metro North Rail Line
Operation
Opened	2018
Owner	Regional Transportation District
Operator(s)	Regional Transportation District
Technical
Track gauge	4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)
Electrification	Overhead lines
Route diagram North Thornton / Hwy 7 (2042) York / 144th (2042) Eastlake / 124th (2018) Northglenn / 112th (2018) Thornton Crossroads / 104th (2018) Original Thornton / 88th (2018) South Platte River SH 224 (74th Avenue) I-76 Commerce City / 72nd (2018) I-270 48th & Brighton/ National Western Center (2018) I-70 South Platte River  A  Line  B  Line,  G  Line (2016) Amtrak California Zephyr Union Station  A ,  B , ( G  2016) ▼  C ,  E , &  W  Lines This diagram:

The N Line, also known as the North Metro Rail Line during construction, is a commuter rail line which is part of the commuter and light rail system operated by the Regional Transportation District (RTD) in the Denver Metropolitan Area in Colorado. The first 13 miles (21 km) from downtown Denver to 124th Avenue in Thornton is under construction as part of the FasTracks expansion plan. When fully built out the line will be 18.5 miles (29.8 km) long and pass through Denver, Commerce City, Northglenn, and Thornton. The N Line will have Colorado's longest bridge at 9,533 feet called the Skyway Bridge.

The possibilities and studies for a rail line in the North Metropolitan Denver have existed since the opening of the Light Rail Central Corridor in 1994. In the 2004 election year voters approved the North Metro Corridor as part of the RTD FasTracks expansion plan. In September 2006 the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) was started, with completion in late 2010, and gaining approval by the Federal Transit Administration in April 2011. A preexisting railroad right-of-way for the line was purchased in 2009. Contract to build the North Metro Rail line to 124th Avenue was awarded to Graham, Balfour Beatty, Hamon Constructors (GBBH) November 2013 with notice to proceed in December 2013. The GBBH contract included an option that when funding available RTD can exercise option to build the line to 162nd Avenue. Groundbreaking of the N Line's construction occurred March 20, 2014 with expected completion in 2018. The GBBH joint Venture is operating under the name: Regional Rail Partners (RRP).

The N Line's southern terminus is at Union Station in Denver. It runs mostly on a preexisting railroad right-of-way to its northern terminus at Eastlake / 124th Station. A notable exception to using the existing railroad right-of-way is the RTD designated "Skyway Bridge" whose path takes it over and past several obstacles: it will cross the BNSF Railway railroad tracks, Brighton Boulevard, a Union Pacific Railroad spur track, the Farmers Reservoir and Irrigation Company (FRICO) Ditch, the Metro Waste Water Plant and Suncor oil processing site, Sand Creek, and Interstate 270.