[SnyderBock]

you are right Busy Bee. I keep beating my head over why they even need FRA-compliant EMU's in the first place. The entire line will operate on separate tracks from freight rail and nearly all of it will operate in separate ROW from freight ROW. The small portion that will share freight ROW, will not share freight tracks.

As far as I can tell, there is no federal requirement they actually use FRA-compliant EMU's. The only thing I can find is Union Pacific not allowing RTD to build tracks in any of their freight ROW alongside their freight tracks, that will be operating non-FRA-compliant trains. So for the tiny few miles into downtown where the EMU tracks will be alongside freight tracks and in freight ROW owned by Union Pacific, the entire line has to be made FRA-compliant. Odd, comsidering Colorado legislator took all liability away from freight rail companies in the event of an accident between freight and passenger rail.

Maybe there is another reason, idk. But this is the only reason I can find for this airport line to be FRA-compliant. None of the proposed EMU lines will actually share freight rail, only freight ROW. FRA-compliance is not required for that.

The one DMU line will share freight rail, but operate at different times and they want the DMU trains to be same model as EMU trains for easier maintenance. A possible need for FRA-compliance, but again with full time separation, no FRA-compliance should be required. So I really am at a loss just why FRA-compliance is required for any/all of these lines. From what I can tell, the whole system could be non-FRA-compliant, if they wanted it to be.