The Denver Lakewood and Golden Railway started operations in the area in 1893, switching to electric traction by 1909. The route ran from the downtown Denver streetcar loop, through the Lakewood Dry Gulch near 13th Avenue and continued out to Golden. Interurban service continued until 1950, when all Denver area trolley and interurban service ceased. Plans to resurrect a railway line from Denver to Golden were advanced in the mid-1970s and in the 1980s RTD purchased the right-of-way to an unused rail corridor between the two cities. A Major Investment Study conducted in 1997 stated the need for a rapid transit corridor through the region, and settled on 13th Avenue as the locally preferred alternative. The Environmental Impact Statement was started in 2001 and finished with a Record of Decision or "ROD" in 2004. A "rail-pulling" ceremony was held on the 13th Avenue corridor on May 16, 2007 and construction started in earnest in early 2008. As project costs climbed above the initial estimates, cuts were made, including reducing the line from a double track to a single track operation from west of the Federal Center Station to the end of the line at the Jefferson County Government Center. The first full test run of the line happened Jan. 3, 2013 in anticipation of the official opening, April 26, 2013, eight months ahead of schedule.
Route
The W Line follows the Central Platte Valley Corridor from Union Station, stopping at Pepsi Center/Elitch Gardens, Sports Authority Field at Mile High and a relocated Auraria West Campus station. It then leaves the CPV corridor, following a new bridge over the UP/BNSF Consolidated Main Line, traveling under Interstate 25, over the South Platte River. The corridor then travels west along the Lakewood Dry Gulch and 13th Avenue until it reaches the Lakewood Industrial Park, where it turns south along the Remington spur to reach the Denver Federal Center. From the Federal Center the line narrows to a single track line and travels west along U.S. 6 and Colfax Avenue to the western terminus at Jefferson County Government Center in Golden. This section is single track with the exception of an intermediate stop at Red Rocks Community College, which is used as a passing siding. The W Line is the first light rail route in metro Denver to make extensive use of gated grade crossings within its right-of-way. Some of the route goes through residential areas and concerns about noise led to an innovative solution for the warning system at crossing gates. The warning bells will adjust their volume in response to the ambient noise resulting in 50-70 dB during the evening hours compared to the standard volume of 90-100 dB. Four stations along the route were in use previously, including the station which was relocated approximately to the north, and eleven new stations were built for the line. Three different fare zones exist along the W Line.
