Innovative Transportation: Steam Engines to FasTracks

How we get from our homes to places to work, play and everywhere in between has drastically evolved from a horse and buggy during the time of the Denver Metro Chamber’s establishment to the driverless cars that are on the horizon.

Since the Chamber’s founding in 1867 to bring the first train to Denver, we’ve been at the forefront of innovative transportation. In 2004 when an idea for mass transit was proposed to better connect people across the Denver metro area, the Chamber was the first at the table with funds to make this idea become a reality.

That idea was FasTracks, a multi-billion dollar public transportation expansion plan that includes 122 miles of new commuter rail and light rail, 18 miles of bus rapid transit and 21,000 new parking spaces.

The ballot measure for the new commuter system was approved by 58 percent of the region’s voters in November 2004, signaling new public investment in making the region more connected and accessible.

FasTracks has had an impact beyond the type of transportation commuters take to get from A to B. It has injected more than $5 billion in the Denver metro economy and created 13,000-plus full-time jobs. And, it has sparked development along the rail lines like Panasonic’s innovative CityNOW near Peña Station.

Laura James is the marketing and communications coordinator for the Denver Metro Chamber.

Photography provided courtesy of RTD.