The Denver Post
November 11, 2008, Jeffrey Leib

RTD officials explored new scenarios Tuesday night for dealing with a $2 billion shortfall in FasTracks funding, but the new options especially hurt train lines planned for Thornton/Northglenn and Aurora's Interstate 225 corridor. The alternatives would allow the Regional Transportation District to go farther initially with the Northwest commuter train to Broomfield and Boulder counties, but the exercise highlighted the financial squeeze's grim aspect: For communities in one FasTracks corridor to benefit, others must suffer. "Based on each of these scenarios, there are winners and losers," RTD general manager Cal Marsella told agency board members. In August, RTD said the cost of building all FasTracks train lines and rail extensions by the target of 2017 had jumped to $7.9 billion, about $2 billion more than the agency expects to have available for the project. At that time, RTD said it could build FasTracks trains to Denver International Airport, Arvada/Wheat Ridge and Golden to their full length by 2017 because they are expected to get about $1.3 billion in federal money. But other lines, including the Northwest, North Metro and I-225 trains, would probably be truncated for the 2017 deadline and only be extended to their full lengths later when more money was found. ...

http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_10960490