AnnouncementBusRailTransit Police

RTD prepares for expected weekend demonstrations; staff will monitor situation for service impacts 

DENVER (Oct. 16, 2025)–– The Regional Transportation District (RTD) is taking steps to prepare for an expected large presence of demonstrators on Saturday, Oct. 18, in downtown Denver and nearby cities across its service area. RTD maintains several contingency plans that can be readily implemented if an external event disrupts fixed-route bus and rail services.

The agency maintains a common operating plan across all service modes, and staff has been meeting for several days with external entities, including the Denver Police Department (DPD), to receive updates and risk assessments. These coordinated efforts ensure RTD can quickly incorporate information from its public safety partners and readily deploy agency resources as needed or warranted. RTD's Transit Police Department (RTD-PD) will also increase patrols and officer presence to support the personal safety and security of customers and employees.

Customers are encouraged to prepare in advance for travel to and from the downtown areas by using RTD’s Next Ride application to plan trips, view Service Alerts, and stay ahead of potential detours in the event of street closures. RTD’s trip planner tool shows all transit options from a customer’s current location, and it provides real-time updates about detours and disruptions.

While RTD is focused on being prepared for an expected large number of demonstrators that has a potential to disrupt services, it can be difficult to predict crowd actions in the moment. Agency staff will actively monitor events in real time to support public safety and, to the greatest extent possible, minimize service disruptions. RTD’s primary goal is to ensure its employees and customers are able to safely connect to their destinations before, during, and after all planned and unplanned events.

Rail Service

As long as it is safe to continue operations, light rail and commuter rail services to Denver Union Station will continue as scheduled. If Union Station is closed for safety reasons, connections will not be provided to that facility, and services will continue to operate along the remainder of each individual rail line. Light rail service into the Downtown Loop is currently suspended for the Downtown Rail Reconstruction Project. 

Bus Service

Bus service into downtown Denver will continue, as scheduled, unless streets are closed or it is deemed unsafe for operations. If it is feasible and safe, buses will be rerouted around street closures to continue service. As noted above, if Union Station is closed for safety reasons, bus service will not be provided at that facility.

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Written by RTD Staff