I love the light rail and wish it would go more places. Right now, it's really only handy to go downtown. I wish it were more like Europe where you could truly get around the whole city on it - and it would be awesome if it went to the airport! (Yes, I know there are busses, but I'm anti-bus for some reason while I'm pro-train.) What there is of the light rail is clean, timely, and a pleasure to ride. It is a bit on the pricey side, but I'm willing to pay if it saves me the hassle of driving in rush hour and paying for downtown parking. read more

The Denver Light Rail: saving me money by avoiding parking downtown since 2006. I was lucky enough to go to DU and have the university station open the spring of my freshman year. That meant I got to take adventures downtown for free with my student pass, and I took good advantage of it. I've never seen a train run more than 1-2 minutes late. They're always clean and well maintained. Security isn't always on the train, but they are when it matters (e.g. wee hours of the morning) Thanks to this beaut I can be downtown in 20 minutes without having to worry about the hassle and cost of parking. The Light Rail is already great...imagine how awesome it's gonna be when it expands west all the way to Golden! read more

The Light Rail is sweet. Ya'll in Denver are lucky to have such reliable transportation that will get you just about anywhere. Seriously. read more

Glad that Denver has a rail transit system. Good public transit is definitely on the checklist of potential places to live. The Pros: - clean - on-time (at least it seemed to me since i'm not a frequent rider) - helps the environment - helps congestion The Cons: - kinda pricey (round trip between zone A and B is $4.50) - doesn't serve a lot of communities - no fast form of payment read more

Oh, how I miss this transportation device. Ever since moving, I wish that I had a decent train system. I wish I was riding out from Golden to downtown. It's on time. It has heat in the winter, cool air in the summer. You can get on and off at convenient places. Free parking for your car as you ride- seriously people, every other city would charge for this. I rode it for two solid years to work, up to Lincoln and back down to Union Station. Another bus dropped me right off in front of my door at work. Awesome. Drawbacks: I wish it would go more places. Like up to the ski hills. $4 one way for 4 zones. Yikers some days. But WAY better than driving in rush hour traffic! read more

Wanna get to downtown Denver easily without having to drive your own vehicle? Here's the answer. Easy to access, and low priced. Also, not full of weirdos like most mass transit. read more

What a disappointment. The trains are regularly late (or just completely miss their times), they use a horrible ticketing system (guards in instead of a simple turnstyle), and the ticket stations themselves often dont take cards because they're broken or are just flat out broken. It's an incredibly inefficient system ESPECIALLY when you consider how much a regional yearly pass is. This system is a joke, unreliable and over priced read more

Terrible service. Train is inexplicably shut down for a whole weekend. Replacement buses are slow, smelly, and packed. Drivers have the sense of urgency of a retiree driving a golf cart around a florida retirement community. Black eye for Denver. Its reputation as crowded, overpriced and inefficient isn't helped by a broke down (and only 10-year old) light rail. read more

For those visiting Denver or for residents looking to not spend a ton in parking fees, RTD can't be beat. Trains are on time and routes fairly easy to determine. If you have issues, RTD personnel are extremely knowledgable and friendly. Every once in a while, you will get a crazy passenger. However, a majority of passengers are courtesy and will help when needed. read more

Okay yes it is much better to have light rail than not. And yes I'm glad they're expanding it. But as usual, leave it up to me (I know) to find the issues. So great they've got it going, now get to work improving it as follows: 1. These little 1 1/2 person seats at the ends of the train. I have never seen a bigger source of attitude and bees in people's bonnets. The person who sits there first feels put-upon routinely by person B who wants to come and sit on them as though there is room for two people. GET A CLUE - there is NOT room. We even escalated this to RTD board and they nonhelpfully said it is not a 1- or 2- person seat, it is whatever both people make it, which basically invites fights, because we all know there are way too many people who feel entitled on either side of the issue. RTD should never have designed this way - it should have been made standing room / double functioning as wheelchair room. Problem solved. I treat them as 1 person seats and deny sitting to person B if they seem like an a-hole. That's my policy and I'm sticking to it. B - go stand in the middle or find a REAL two person seat. 2. Car design - these things were minimalist to be sure, they should have designed them with a luggage shelf. That was a styoopid oversight. (Yes I know how to spell, doing that for effect.) 3. Some drivers don't know how to drive. About 20% of the time you get someone who doesn't understand the gentle correct way to brake. UMMMM hello RTD can you please TRAIN and SCREEN these drivers first? Thank you. Because you've protected them from our feedback very well, you can't talk to any driver at all until they come out to help a handicapped person, and that's not really fair to the h-cap person. 4. Okay - this one is a BIG topic - the travesty that is Nine Mile Station. First of all, I had to crusade just to (successfully) get traffic management at this place. Before I did, there were no stop signs or lights, and I would DAILY see people trying to run pedestrians over or cut each other off. The signs have helped that about 70%, but I still see people who don't understand driving courtesy all the time in here - YES there is two-way traffic on the main thoroughfares, you DOLTS, so MOVE OVER! (ESPECIALLY you friggin a-hole Hummer Drivers) Second - CRIME! YES your car may be stolen there (mine was Christmas Eve.) And NO the security idiots there will not prevent it or do much to help you. The security idiot on duty the day it happened to me told me 1. The top floor where my vehicle was stolen from told me it was becuase the other idiot won't patrol up there "because it's cold". Then when I asked him about the video coverage, he said the cameras were a fake. That is a lie. They are NOT fake, they ARE recording, but it will take RTD a week to get any images to the police because they have to mail it in on a CD and don't remember to put postage on the package! After I rose a stink, the RTD board and security chief were concerned and accommodating, but be aware, 9 Mile is NOT connected with central security command downtown. Security images are recorded locally and it takes a week in their busy schedule to go get the VHS tape there, drive back to headquarters and look at it - unforgivable! Get it online guys! To be fair RTD lectured the two guards about this and promised me patrols would increase and include the 3rd floor, but be aware - my car was only one of 7 attacked that day on level 3 (I park on level 2 now). and the video showed the a-hole was laying in wait for me to leave my car. I find that scary and disconcerting. We need to be safe using light rail or why bother? Yes, I did get my car back, amazingly untouched inside parked at Aurora Mall and I feel EXTREMELY lucky. Most said it would have been chopped up. I got it back 8 days later. Okay now one positive note. The absolute mega-beeyotch Barbara Yamrick Aurora RTD board member over Nine Mile was unseated in the last election and I'm glad - she NEVER answered my emails except once by accident when she copied me on a note to congratulate her staff for stalling me and not answering my question. I am THRILLED she has now been replaced by Tom Tobiassen who has been responsive and is making change. Go Tom! Finally, watch your step in the winter! Last winter my friend Elaine was standing on the platform and slipped and fell, hurting her shoulder. They hadn't de iced the platform, and it's freezing up there in the winter, and RTD has basically dissed her since telling her it's her fault for not being careful. Not cool. All this hasn't deterred me from using Nine Mile regularly to save money, and for sure, getting on there is better than getting on on any other stop on weekdays from 6:30 to 9:00 am, because it is packed when leaving Nine Mile, but NM is a shrine to RTD's incompetence. I hope Tom can take over and change that in many areas. read more

I ride the light rail at least 5 days a week and am grateful of it everyday! These trains are reliable with minimal work ever done on the tracks and trains. The only complaint I have is the passengers on the train. People don't know how to ride trains here in Colorado, not their fault I guess but seriously, it just takes a little bit of common sense. People need to learn to walk into the train, not just huddle by the doors. Also, guys, give up your seats to the girls! I know it might be old fashioned but chivalry should not be that dead. Also, young, healthy, able women, give your seats to the older men and women and pregnant women. Again, some common sense and politeness. I can deal with the people for the most part but humanity never ceases to amaze me. read more

I'm giving an A-OK rating because we use it frequently, and I'm glad it's here. The trains are clean, safe, and run on time. But it's a long way from the Washington D.C. Metro, the NYC subway system, or the Boston MTA. We ride the light rail to get downtown to shop or attend the theater. The fare is a bit high, but compared to the cost of gas for a 40 mile round trip and parking, it's a wash. What we get is the convenience of not having to put up with traffic and weather in the winter. A few things wrong though: 1. Capacity of the suburban park and ride lots is inadequate. Monday through Friday they're completely full during the day. Commuters who live outside the RTD tax district are supposed to pay to park. On any given weekday you'll find that a significant number of the cars in the lots have out of district plates. But I see no evidence of parking fee enforcement. Those of us who live in the district and pay the taxes would like access to the facilities. 2. The stations are not staffed and very spartan. No restrooms, and very little shelter from the elements. They're basically over sized bus stops. 3. The fare machines take only cash. No cards. Seriously? It's 2012 - join the 21st century for gosh sakes! 4. Fare enforcement is not very good. They've stepped it up in recent months with rent-a-cops occasionally checking tickets. But on any given ride I see at least a few people standing next to the doors on nearly empty cars and bailing out when the fare checkers get on. Tell you anything? None of this will keep us from using it, but the RTD Light Rail has a way to go to be a top tier public transit system. read more

Consistently late up to 10 minutes on a daily basis. Posted schedules more of a guide than something to be relied upon. Clean enough in comparison to other systems. read more

Since my car broke down a year ago and I've been saving up, I've been at the mercy of friends and public transportation. I have my gripes about the RTD buses, which aren't bad overall, but the primary one is that no one with any degree of accuracy can tell you within 5 minutes when a bus is going to be somewhere: not RTD's website, not HopStop or RTD-Anystop apps on my smart phone. It's aggravating. I can't say that about the Light Rail lines. They're clean. They're efficient. And most of all, if that sign says the train will be there at 1:57am, I've never seen it be off by more than a minute. And that's something. Apparently, they "get it". *Good for them*. The windows are kept clean and are nice to have the sun shine through. The track and ride itself are very smooth. And it takes me a lot of places I might want to go at night with friends: the LoDo bar district, Coors Field, etc. Saves you a ton on parking in structures, or even worse, at meters with the bloodthirsty "Denver Parking Violations Bureau" and their incessant ticketing of people *who even have time left on the meter, aren't blocking any hydrants, are close to the curb and so on* -- utter bastards, one and all. Not lying, I've seen that happen FAR too often in the last 12 months. But this isn't about them. One thing that bothers me, all the way up here in 2012, is...why there aren't more security officers seen, and why there aren't more fare-taking checkers seen. Yes, I know, it'd raise fares. That would suck, just as every price increase everywhere sucks. But seriously -- and I know this sounds like "profiling" a bit, but *come on* -- you KNOW there are people who know your odds of getting caught hopping on light rail for free are very low. People who take advantage of the system. And that stinks, because in the end it ends up costing all of us -- if everyone paid fares, maybe we could *afford* more fare-checkers -- and more security officers on those potentially shady Thurs-Sun night rides home. Maybe RTD, if they are the ones responsible, could put up more lighting in the almost eerily-light deserted I-25&Broadway stop. You see what I'm getting at. I'm not saying you have to do it 24/7...but how about during rush hour 7-10am, 4-6pm, and then say 11-3am Thurs-Sun nights? Seems like it would patch up some of the few holes this system has. I'd hate to be convinced that, hey, I don't have to pay for "free transportation" as well, you know. (Because then we all lose.) read more

Usually on time and clean, but I think RTD should adhere to Amrak's policy (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/43078616/ns/technology_and_science-wireless/t/cops-kick-cellphone-blabbermouth-train/?GT1=43001) and kick off people who scream into their cellphone or just talk loudly in general. I'm talking to the 13 year old's that went on for half an hour about STD's. I don't want to hear about anyone's bout of the clap, let alone a middle schooler. Wrong in so many ways. read more

This is an awesome option to get to Invesco Field, price and convenience wise. This public transportation system is bright, clean and safe. Many large cities need take note. Our relatives take it daily for their commute into Downtown and love it. I highly recommend it. read more

I am mostly ok with light-rail. For the most part it is consistent with the posted schedule, though there are times when it comes a minute early and you have to run to catch it. For the most part it is clean, though there are times when there are spills or crap on the windows or trash left stuffed in the seats. For the most part the riders are alright, but you do get those inconsiderate people who think the whole train wants to hear their music, and you get those people who purposefully take up a whole seat when they could move closer to the window. Also, there are a lot of riders who get on just absolutely reeking of pot. If you hit lightrail at the right times, it can be pretty easy to find seats and not be packed. Miss those times however and it becomes packed like sardines. All in all, if you don't have company payed transportation (EcoPass/Parking Pass), it's much cheaper to use RTD (if local) than paying to park downtown. Get's a little more comparable if Regional, but I think it's still overall cheaper than any monthly parking passes I've seen recently. Now my biggest gripe with lightrail is on the W line. Far too many of the trains servicing this line use only 2 cars. Every now and then you get a 3-car one, but they are the exception. And at many points throughout the day this is ok. But it's not ok when it's between 3-7pm on a weekday and everybody and their mother is trying to go home from work. It's standing room only and packed like sardines where the BO and the legalized pot smell mix. I feel like this really is unacceptable considering every single C, and E line train I see at Union Station always has 3 cars, and I don't see the W having any fewer passengers then those lines. I really don't get the rationale here and it's just ruins my afternoon if I miss a 3-car W going home. read more

I love the lightrail. I dont have to sit in traffic, the trains are clean and on time. Sometimes the passengers can be rowdy and i usually dont mind unless im exhausted. Transit Security hops on and off at certain points and ive never had any problems on the light rail. read more

The Services are mostly on time, but a little over a week ago I was going to ride D line from the Convention center station to my bf's place for a overnight hiking trip, I got to the station around 12:45PM and bought my ticket, waited for 10 minutes and no train came. The sign shows the train was running on schedule so was the RTD mobile app. There was no employee at the location, or any posted signs indicating otherwise. There were at least 6 ppl on this side of the platform waiting for trains. Then a woman with a little girl walked by and telling everyone the train was not running because a repair work at the next station ran overtime. Then another man walked pass and saying there's a bus running and it is somewhere near the next station. At the time I was already running late and I had to go back home, get my car key and drive. By then the electronic sign at the station started saying expect delay for up to 45 minutes. I called RTD the next Monday, then a week later, someone called and left a voice-mail saying they were sorry for the delay but they had signs everywhere and announcements running so I should have been able to take the bus and still get to my destination. There was absolute no signs anywhere in the station and I was not the only one being misinformed. RTD is not doing what it should do, at least put an employee there to let people know the problem. Not only did they wasted my time but $4 ticket for not getting any service. Unacceptable!!! read more

More light rail, please! Unfortunately, at this time there are too few trains and too few routes to make the light rail practical for many people - including me. I enjoy that the trains are clean and have very present security staff. If I could take the train to work, I would. It's a trade-off that a trip by train takes longer than by car, but at least you don't have to deal with the stress of traffic and the danger to your car. read more

People joke that public transportation is for poor folks, but that can't be true since the light rail since its so goddamn expensive. $99/month...really, RTD? I don't spend that on gas every month. read more

Haters gonna hate. Light rail eases my road rage, gets me where I need to be on time, and is exactly what it should be. Good, reliable public transportation. I'm a fan! read more

I was torn whether to use the rail into downtown or not. Decided to give it a try with a group of people that were visiting from out of town. I found it quite expensive. The only plus that I got out of it was that we didn't have to worry about traffic. However, after you take into account all the stops that you have to make and after paying that much to use it you could easily have paid top dollar downtown to park and still would have saved money. read more

Love the light rail, don't mind paying a little extra to ride it. Saves on gas and keeps undesirable people off. Only complaint is it is quite filthy. Thinking they need to hire cleaning people for the hours when it's not running. read more

The construction companies are doing a good job with the Light Rail extension to the west. Things are coming along really well.

We have ridden public transit in more than 25 countries. As out-of-town visitors going from Aurora to 16th Street Mall and Union Station we boarded at Ninth Street. The huge parking structure was near capacity, impressive! A fellow traveler helped us with the parking ticket machine and the rider ticket machine. Good ride, nice system, fairly easy to navigate. Downside; Neither parking ticket machine nor ticket itself said to place on dash (as nearly all systems do), so we elected to avoid walking all the way back to our car parked at the far end of the top floor, and take a chance. Car was OK when we returned several hours later. Whew!! Need some clarity here. The horror came when we used the "Porta Potty" near the TVM's! It was indescribably filthy. No excuse for this, just bad service. Be sure you use the restroom before arriving at this station! And to the Transit District - why not find a few bucks in the budget to run pipes and be really user friendly by installing AND MAINTAINING a permanent restroom facility? Thanks for listening Tom n Jan read more

I'm amazed that some reviewers said RTD Light Rail cars are clean. The floors are filthy and feet on seats are tolerated. I've begun a regular practice of wiping down my seat with a wet wipe, which ends up from medium gray to black! Complain to RTD? Are you kidding? Try it- it's like complaining to a tree!. The only reason I ride RTD Light Rail is that I work downtown with a free ECO Pass. I still strongly consider joining more and more co-workers who have dumped light rail commuting. read more

Right about to get on the train and it decided to leave 3 minutes early so it pulled away 5 feet in front of me

A high price to pay but a good final product!

Aaron Fisher was the peanut butter to our jelly. He made the 37 min trip from the airport to union station better than a wet dream. This dude needs a raise!!! read more

I used the Light Rail while in Denver for a conference. I found that it was a great way to get around the city, allowing for great access to the burbs for an out-of-towner. I found that the trains that I took were clean and on time. Frustratingly so, as I just barely missed one! Ugh. Bonus that they let military personnel ride for free. read more

On Halloween last week, I took the light rail into Downtown Denver and I had the distinct pleasure of riding the train that (I think his name is Jerry dressed as a spy for the holiday) was driving. Instead of the typical unpersonalized computer information about stops, he gave fun personalized info and annecdotes about upcoming stops, weather, and even Casper the friendly ghost. He made the ride fun and just plain delightful. I hope that he gets the recognition and compensation he deserves because he goes above and beyond the expectation of driver to be a great ambassador for the City of Denver brightening up people's days during their morning commute. Thanks man! read more

Would be great if the kiosks didn't crash all of time and if it gave some sort of notice that depositing $3.50 in dimes won't be possible instead of just closing the coin slot at $3.00. read more

Horrible signage no assistance anywhere to be found. Transit employees sent us in the wrong direction multiple times. Missed three trains trying to find the right one. Worst new transit system much less transit system I've experienced. Get you act together Denver. You suck at this so far read more

Beats the bus. It is definitely the way to go to games or anything downtown.

A bit pricey compared to other cities but very nice. Was able to get from downtown to the airport without any issues. Very clean and felt comfortable riding solo. read more

Alright system. Pros: runs regularly, is quit, pretty fast, good locations for me. Cons: kinda hefty price of $4 for a one way trip downtown, signage is lacking read more

Slower and more expensive than the bus. Doesn't serve the vast majority of the people living in Jefferson county. Judging from the reviews, people who don't live in the metro area (or even Colorado) like it. Coloradans don't like it. read more

I've ridden the W-line twice. Neither time was a great experience so I wrote to RTD. I inquired about: 1. The price is high the tickets expire (6 hours to enjoy a day or night downtown is not long enough and it's certainly not long enough to work a day on a contract job). Parking for an entire is $12.00 - roundtrip tickets for two people for 6 hours cost $16.00. Gas may be $4.00 roundtrip but other factors to consider. 2. The train does not run late enough to be able to ride it downtown for drinks and dancing at a club that closes at 2:00 a.m. or later, and make it back to the rail in time to ride it home. Maybe the powers of government prefer the DUI revenue and the parking companies prefer the revenue?? 3. Both times, there was no request for our tickets until the second to the last stop on the return trip and we were among the last five people on the train... which meant that pretty much everyone else who rode the train (in both directions) did not have to show tickets... did they pay, and will the system support itself over time if they didn't? 4. The instructions/signage for which ticket I need to buy in order to ride from my desired Point A to Point B are very vague. So far, over a week later, I've received a response from one division of RTD. They indicated that they could only answer part of my questions and they are working to change the expiration of the tickets to 10 hours and possibly increase the hours that the train operates, but that it does operate later on the weekends which was not explained to me when I called and the customer service said "Ma'am there's no ridership at those hours." Another concern I have is that people have to walk across the lanes for the buses to get to the rail and then across the rail tracks. It doesn't seem very safe and I see opportunity for unfortunate and unnecessary hazards. The doors close too quickly and I watched as a tiny teenage girl stuck her knee in as the doors were closing on her and her little sister... fortunately she didn't get hurt. The emergency button is conveniently located above the door where a person entering would never see or be able to reach. The money spent on mosaic tile designs is disturbingly unnecessary to me and many of the surrounding buildings along the trip are covered in graffiti. Other than those issues, the ride was decent and quicker than I expected, but I won't be riding much until some of the other issues are resolved, especially the price and expiration of tickets. read more

$4 is too much. Otherwise, I really like taking it downtown for sports, bars, and restaurants.