Peoria Station (RTD)

Peoria Station (RTD)
Name	Peoria Station (RTD)
Type	RTD commuter rail station
Address	Peoria Street and Interstate 225
Borough	Aurora, Colorado
Country	United States
Owner	Regional Transportation District
Line	A Line
Platforms	1 island platform
Connections	RTD Bus, FasTracks, R Line
Structure	At-grade
Parking	Park-and-ride
Bicycle	Bike racks, lockers
Opened	2016

Peoria Station (RTD) is a commuter rail station on the Regional Transportation District A Line (RTD), serving the Aurora, Colorado and Denver metropolitan area corridor. Located near the interchange of Interstate 225 and Peoria Street (Aurora, Colorado), the station functions as an intermodal node linking light rail, commuter rail, and bus services. It contributes to the FasTracks (RTD) program objectives and regional transit-oriented development near Buckley Space Force Base and Denver International Airport.

Overview

Peoria Station is part of the A Line (RTD), which connects Union Station in Denver, Colorado to Denver International Airport; the station lies within Aurora municipal boundaries near Adams County, Colorado and Arapahoe County, Colorado. It is owned and operated by the Regional Transportation District and integrates with the RTD bus network including routes serving Colfax Avenue, Aurora Municipal Center, and surrounding Stapleton, Denver redevelopment areas. The site was conceived under the voter-approved FasTracks ballot measure and is situated along right-of-way historically associated with Union Pacific Railroad alignments and freight corridors that connect to the Front Range rail network.

History and Planning

Planning for the station emerged from the 2004 FasTracks initiative championed by transit advocates and elected officials in Denver, Aurora, and Adams County. The station's design and funding involved coordination among the Regional Transportation District, the City of Aurora, the Colorado Department of Transportation, and federal partners including the Federal Transit Administration. Environmental review referenced National Environmental Policy Act procedures and consultations with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Advisory Council on Historic Preservation when assessing impacts near historic Colfax Avenue corridors. Construction contracts were awarded to engineering and construction firms that had worked on Union Station (Denver) and the Northeast Corridor projects, with project timelines adjusted after community meetings in Downtown Aurora and stakeholder briefings for Buckley Air Force Base (later Buckley Space Force Base).

Station Layout and Facilities

The station features an island platform with two tracks operated by the Regional Transportation District, with canopies and tactile edges compliant with ADA standards. Passenger amenities include ticket vending machines interoperable with RTD's farecard systems, real-time arrival displays provided through partnerships with transit technology vendors used on Union Station (Denver) and Denver light rail lines, sheltered bicycle parking serving commuters to Sandy Creek Trail and nearby mixed-use developments. Park-and-ride lots connect to Peoria Street (Aurora, Colorado) and include Kiss-and-Ride bays, EV charging stations influenced by Colorado Energy Office incentives, and stormwater management features consistent with Aurora Water and regional sustainability guidelines.

Services and Connections

Peoria Station is served by the A Line with scheduled frequencies coordinated with RTD's system clocking used across Light rail in Denver and bus timetables linking to Colfax Avenue. Bus connections include RTD routes that provide cross-town links to Southlands and Federal Boulevard corridors, plus shuttles that have served University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus and Denver Tech Center during peak periods. Coordination with Denver International Airport ground transportation operations provides passenger information integrations similar to services at Union Station (Denver), and freight coordination continues with BNSF Railway and Union Pacific Railroad where rights-of-way converge.

Ridership and Impact

Ridership at Peoria Station reflects commuter flows between Denver International Airport and downtown Denver, with daily patronage influenced by employment centers including the Anschutz Medical Campus, Buckley Space Force Base, and the Denver Tech Center. The station has supported transit-oriented development proposals near Aurora Highlands and commercial revitalization along Peoria Street (Aurora, Colorado), aligning with planning frameworks used by the City of Aurora Planning Division and regional goals from the Denver Regional Council of Governments. Mode-shift analyses referenced regional travel demand models similar to those employed by Metropolitan Transit Authority studies in other regions, showing impacts on local roadway congestion and parking demand.

Future Developments

Planned enhancements involve integration with broader FasTracks expansions and potential service changes coordinated with RTD's capital program and the Colorado Department of Transportation multimodal strategies. Proposed projects discussed in public workshops include upgraded passenger facilities modeled after improvements at Union Station (Denver), expanded bike-transit amenities in line with Great Streets design principles, and transit-oriented development projects supported by Enterprise Community Partners and local developers. Long-term scenarios consider service integration with future corridors identified by the Denver Regional Council of Governments and potential federal funding opportunities through programs administered by the Federal Transit Administration and U.S. Department of Transportation.

Category:Regional Transportation District stations Category:Railway stations in Colorado Category:Transportation in Aurora, Colorado