GDT > RTD Rider’s Guide > Routes > L Line
Take a ride on Denver’s streetcar…
Opened in October 1994 as part of the original ‘Metro Area Connector’ (MAC) light rail project, the L Line runs along a short route between the 16th & Stout Station in Downtown Denver to the 30th & Downing Station in the Five Points neighborhood.
The L Line was introduced in 2018, when RTD split the original D Line into two segments. The L Line took over the northern portion from Downtown to 30th / Downing, while the D Line continued to serve the Downtown to Littleton – Mineral section. The change allowed the L Line to be operated with shorter trains to better match demand in Five Points.
It is said that the single car trains, on street running and frequent stops give the line a ‘streetcar’ feel.
Map & Schedule
The L Line operates from 6am to 10pm, 7 days a week. 15 minute frequency service is provided from 9am to 7pm, frequency is 30 minutes outside of those times.
As the trains used on the L Line come from the Elati Light Rail Maintenance Facility in Englewood, they are operated up to the city as revenue D Line services from Evans Station to 18th & California, where they become L Line services which continue on to 30th & Downing. This means that it is still possible to ride straight through the Downtown light rail loop on a single train. In the current schedule (Jan 2025) departures from Evans Station are at 5:47am, 6:29am and 8:44am.
Sadly there are no reciprocal workings in the evenings; trains go out of service at 30th & Downing Station and then proceed empty back to Elati.
Vehicles Used
Usually requiring no more than a single car consist, both Siemens SD-100 and Siemens SD-160 light rail vehicles can be found operating on the L Line. It requires three trains to operate the 15 minute frequency service and two trains to operate the 30 minute frequency service.
The line is electrified at 750V DC throughout, mostly with simple trolley wire.
Ridership
| Year | Total |
| 2018 | 841,000 |
| 2019 | 692,000 |
| 2020 | 366,000 |
| 2021 | 335,000 |
| 2022 | 354,000 |
| 2023 | 339,000 |
| 2024 | 170,000 |
29th / Welton Station
The L Line features a permanently closed, but fully intact ‘ghost station’ at 29th / Welton. The station closed on January 6th, 2013 due to its proximity to 30th / Downing Station and to aid train on-time reliability. In October 2013 RTD decided to not demolish the station in case their were significant changes in land use around the site necessitating the stations reinstatement. One development happening nearby is RTD’s 29th and Welton Project, which will transform a parking lot at 2907-2915 Welton Street into a 62-unit building where the condos will be sold off at below market prices to qualified buyers.
Extension to 38th & Blake station
As part of RTD FasTracks program, there are plans to extend the L Line north towards 38th & Blake Station where it would connect with the A Line that provides service to Central Park, Aurora and Denver Airport.