DENVER -- The D Line is one of the trains that quietly travels through downtown Denver.
Michelle Zimmer travels downtown because it is such an easy ride on Denver's light rail system, known as FasTracks. Each car fits about 125 people.
“It's really convenient because there's a station by our house. We come to Rockies games, I work Broncos games, anytime we come downtown, we take it,” Zimmer said.
“It is the most ambitious rail project in the country. Since we began light rail in 1994, our ridership has continued to grow,” said FasTracks spokeswoman Pauletta Tonilas.
It has actually grown to the tune of 100 million passenger trips per year currently.
Orlando mayor Buddy Dyer hopped on a rail car for the Democratic National Convention. It was an informational trip because the Orlando area is gearing up for a commuter rail of its own. It is expected to be 61 miles with 19 stations.
“Think about it. You could be sitting here with your laptop, reading the newspaper. You're certainly not pumping gas into your tank, so there are those advantages. And as far as transportation, there's nothing more green than mass transit,” said Dyer.
Analysts say this form of mass transit would reduce about 20,000 tons of carbon dioxide from the environment.
“As a region, we have come together behind commuter rail. All four of our counties, plus the city of Orlando voted unanimously for our commuter rail system and the only thing left is at the legislative level,” said Dyer.
The Orlando area has years to go to catch up with Denver, but it does have local and state funding in place. The city is waiting on the federal government to chip in half of the roughly $1 billion price tag. Then, by 2010, Central Florida could be a mirror of Denver.
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