E Line (RTD)

E Line
Southbound E Line at I-25 & Broadway station
Overview
Other name	Southeast Line
Owner	Regional Transportation District
Locale	Denver metropolitan area
Termini	Union Station RidgeGate Parkway
Stations	21
Service
Type	Light rail
System	RTD Rail
Operator	Regional Transportation District
Ridership	3,233,000 (FY2023, annual)
History
Opened	November 17, 2006
Technical
Track gauge	4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Electrification	Overhead line, 750 V DC
Route map E Line highlighted in purple Show interactive map Legend Amtrak California Zephyr Union Station Ball Arena–Elitch Gardens Empower Field at Mile High Auraria West to JeffCo Gov't Cntr•Golden 10th & Osage US 6 6th Avenue Freeway Alameda I-25 I-25 & Broadway to Littleton–Mineral Louisiana–Pearl University of Denver Colorado Yale Southmoor Belleview Orchard Arapahoe at Village Center Dry Creek County Line SH 470 / E-470 Lincoln Sky Ridge I-25 Lone Tree City Center RidgeGate Parkway This diagram: view talk edit Show route diagram

The E Line is a Regional Transportation District (RTD) light rail line that serves stations in Denver, Greenwood Village, Centennial, and Lone Tree, Colorado. The line began service on November 17, 2006, with the completion of the Southeast Line as part of the T-REX Project. It is colored dark purple on system maps.

It is one of three routes that are part of the RTD's service plan for the corridor, alongside the H and R Lines.

Route

The E Line's northern terminus is at Union Station in downtown Denver, shared with the C and W Lines. South of Auraria West station, the W Line diverges toward Golden while the H Line joins from the downtown loop. The three lines travel together to I-25 & Broadway, where the E and H Lines diverge from the C Line onto a flyover. The E Line parallels Interstate 25 from this point to its southern terminus at RidgeGate Parkway station in Lone Tree. At I-25's interchange with Interstate 225, the H Line diverges toward Aurora while the R Line joins from Aurora. The R Line's southern terminus is at Lincoln station, leaving the E Line's southernmost three stations as the only ones exclusive to it.

The E Line is the busiest light rail route in RTD's network, with annual ridership exceeding 3 million as of 2023.

History

From its opening in 2006 until 2020, all E Line stations south of 10th & Osage station were shared with the F Line. The F Line was a fourth route serving the Southeast Corridor and was a direct link between Denver's southeast suburbs and the downtown loop, diverging toward it with the H Line. The F Line was extended to RidgeGate Parkway along with the E and R Lines in 2019; however, the line was suspended in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It never returned to service and was officially eliminated in 2023. The R Line's southern terminus was also cut back to Lincoln station due to the pandemic, where it remains as of 2026.

In June 2026, R Line service to RidgeGate Parkway was restored to due to the Downtown Rail Reconstruction Project. This project prompted the suspension of the H Line for construction, with increased service on the R Line and a temporary "T Line" replacing H Line capacity. This service change is temporary and the R Line's southern terminus will return to Lincoln when complete.

Stations

Station	Municipality	Opened	Connections & notes
Union Station	Denver	April 5, 2002	16th Street FreeRide, MetroRide, LYNX, 0, 9, 10, 15, 19, 20, 120X, LD1, LX2, FF1, FF2, FF3 California Zephyr
Ball Arena–Elitch Gardens
Empower Field at Mile High
Auraria West
10th & Osage		October 8, 1994
Alameda			3, 4, 52, ART
I-25 & Broadway			0, 0L, 11, 14 Park and ride: 988 spaces
Louisiana–Pearl		November 17, 2006	11, 12
University of Denver			24 Park and ride: 540 spaces
Colorado			21, 40, 46 Park and ride: 363 spaces
Yale			46 Park and ride: 129 spaces
Southmoor			35, 40, 46, 65, 105 Park and ride: 788 spaces
Belleview			73 Park and ride: 59 spaces
Orchard	Greenwood Village		Park and ride: 48 spaces
Arapahoe at Village Center			66, 153, 169, AT, ATA Park and ride: 817 spaces
Dry Creek	Centennial		Park and ride: 235 spaces
County Line	Lone Tree		402L Park and ride: 388 spaces
Lincoln			483 Park and ride: 1,734 spaces
Sky Ridge		May 17, 2019
Lone Tree City Center
RidgeGate Parkway			Park and ride: 1,300 spaces

FasTracks

The 2004 voter-approved FasTracks initiative included the Southeast Corridor extension for the E and F Line, which extended the lines by 2.3 mi (3.70 km) to southern Lone Tree. The extension cost $223 million to construct and was opened on May 17, 2019. It included three new stations, Sky Ridge, Lone Tree City Center, and RidgeGate Parkway, the latter with a 1,300-stall parking facility.

References

External links

• RTD E Line Schedule Archived 2017-05-04 at the Wayback Machine