Here's your chance to check out RTD's new, bigger rail cars (Slideshow) (Video)

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Kathleen Lavine / Denver Business Journal

Phil Washington, RTD General Manager walks through the new rail cars.

Cathy Proctor

Reporter- Denver Business Journal

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The Regional Transportation District's four new rail cars — which are open to the public this week on the tracks behind Denver Union Station — have a new car smell.

The cars are bigger than the light-rail cars currently used on RTD's rail system.

And they're a symbol of the massive FasTracks construction project RTD has focused on in the 10 years since Denver-area voters approved the project — and the 0.4 percent sale tax to help pay for the project.

"This is a big deal," said Phil Washington, RTD's general manager on Tuesday afternoon before the car doors were opened to a small group of invitees that included RTD board members and other government and elected officials.

"This is a big, big deal. The train is here," he added.

You can check out the cars Wednesday through Saturday, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. They're parked on the commuter rail platform behind Union Station.

From that platform, the four cars — plus an additional 62 that will be built and delivered to RTD in coming months — will carry passengers on four commuter rail lines: the East line from the station to Denver International Airport, the Gold line to Arvada and Wheat Ridge, the Northwest Rail to Westminster, and the North Metro line to Thornton.

The first three lines will open in 2016; the North Metro line opens in 2018. All of them are currently under construction, with the East line to DIA about 75 percent complete.

Washington recalled that when RTD launched the FasTracks construction effort 10 years ago, the mass transit agency said 10,000 jobs would be created at the height of construction.

"Today, we're at 10,300 jobs," Washington said.

Cathy Proctor covers energy, the environment and transportation for the Denver Business Journal and edits the weekly "Energy Inc." newsletter. Phone: 303-803-9233. Subscribe to the Energy Inc. newsletter

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