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RTD’s Light Rail On-Time Performance Surpasses 90% in Less Than a Year

Agency’s focus on rail maintenance and operator hiring drives 30-point increase in reliability

DENVER (Sept. 29, 2025) – The Regional Transportation District (RTD) announced that its light rail system achieved more than 90% on-time performance in July 2025, a significant improvement from 59.9% in August 2024. This milestone follows the completion of major rail maintenance projects and strengthened hiring efforts that improved service reliability across the network.

“Having asked our customers for patience and understanding while these critical infrastructure projects were underway, it is incredibly gratifying to now see such a substantial improvement in on-time performance,” said RTD General Manager and CEO Debra A. Johnson. “RTD is committed to providing reliable service, and the schedule we keep amplifies that pledge to our customers.”

On-time performance measures the percentage of buses and trains that arrive at stops and stations within one minute early or five minutes late. Performance can be affected by maintenance, weather, infrastructure issues, accidents, and traffic. According to RTD’s 2025 Customer Excellence Survey, customer ratings for reliability have also improved year-over-year.

Service Availability Remains Strong

• Light rail availability averaged 96.8% through August 2025, with 21,160 of 21,848 scheduled trips delivered.
• Bus service availability stood at 99.5%.
• Commuter rail availability averaged nearly 99%.

Strengthening the Workforce

Since 2023, RTD has accelerated recruitment of frontline positions, particularly operators. Streamlined hiring has enabled more service hours, longer operating windows, and greater frequency. With 25 new light rail operators budgeted for 2025, RTD has reduced its operator vacancy rate to 14%, down from 18% in 2024.

Rail Reliability Improvements

RTD’s Back to Basics initiative continues to focus on preserving the long-term integrity of its rail network. Over the past 18 months, RTD has:

• Completed the largest overnight rail replacement effort in its history, removing and replacing more than two miles of track.
• Concluded the second and final phase of the Coping Panels Project in August 2024, restoring regular service.
• Mitigated copper wire theft impacts by launching a dedicated Transit Police detective bureau in January 2025.

During the Downtown Rail Reconstruction Project, RTD rerouted the D Line to Denver Union Station to enhance reliability and coordinated E and H line schedules to improve transfer times.

Ridership Growth

Between January and July 2025, RTD recorded 36.7 million total boardings, including 6.1 million light rail trips. Light rail ridership has already approached the full 2024 total of 7.1 million, with five months left in the year. Recent months have shown year-over-year increases in light rail boardings, underscoring customers’ renewed confidence in service.

About RTD

The Regional Transportation District (RTD) was created in 1969 by the Colorado General Assembly to develop, operate, and maintain a mass transportation system for the Denver metro area. Today, RTD serves more than 3.1 million residents across 2,345 square miles with 126 bus routes, six light rail lines, four commuter rail lines, and paratransit services. RTD is governed by a 15-member publicly elected Board of Directors.

For more information, visit rtd-denver.com/about-rtd or call 303.299.6000.

PHOTO CUTLINE:
RTD’s light rail on-time performance exceeded 90% in July 2025 following key infrastructure and hiring initiatives. High-resolution photos available in RTD’s online album.