Renovated RTD Civic Center Station opening for full service next week

The Regional Transportation District’s newly renovated Civic Center Station will reopen for full service on Sunday, Dec. 17 after being closed for more than a year.

The public is invited to a grand opening celebration event on Friday, Dec. 15 from 3 to 6 p.m. The event will feature a commemoration ceremony, a preview of the facility, and light refreshments.

Eighteen bus routes — including the Free MallRide and Free MetroRide — will serve the station, which sits at the south end of the 16th Street Mall near the state Capitol. Temporary bus stops on Broadway, Colfax, and Lincoln will be discontinued.

Civic Center Station is one of RTD’s busiest transit hubs and served an average of 15,000 passengers daily before it closed for construction in July 2016. The completed $31 million renovation adds a third component to a multimodal regional transit network that includes Denver International Airport and Denver Union Station.

“The new Civic Center Station is a modern, streamlined transit hub that fits seamlessly into the evolution of downtown Denver and better reflects RTD’s commitment to the region,” said RTD General Manager and CEO Dave Genova. “It’s a thrill and an honor to see this project through to completion, and I’m proud of the work that RTD and our partners have done to bring this resource to the public.”

Providing a brighter, more welcoming environment while improving transit connections was a central component of the roughly 16-month-long renovation project. The station now features a glass-enclosed terminal building, nine bus bays, and a newly constructed bus concourse. The transit center’s design also provides an open view of the State Capitol building from the 16th Street Mall.