RTD's planning efforts for large-scale events begin several weeks in advance

When warmer weather arrives in Denver, so do large events. In recent months at Empower Field at Mile High Stadium alone, thousands of fans turned out to experience the Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship, Coldplay, Post Malone, The Weeknd and Metallica. The stadium will fill Aug. 2 for hometown favorites Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats and The Lumineers.

During the most recent major event, Metallica's M72 World Tour, more than 150,000 fans packed into Empower Field on June 27 and 29, setting a two-show attendance record at the Denver venue. Upwards of 50,000 of them used RTD’s bus and rail services during the two nights. For RTD, the massive turnout wasn't just a number – the busy weekend put service planning, coordination and operational capacity to the test. The two-day operations were not unique to Metallica’s concerts but also reflect the careful planning RTD undertakes to support dozens of large-scale major events across the metro area that attract massive crowds.

“We provided more than 23,000 people with connections to and from the stadium on Friday night alone,” said Lead Light Rail Controller/Supervisor Joshua Stone. “That’s more than we typically see, even for Broncos playoff games. It was a huge night for the agency.”

RTD regularly monitors several metro area event calendars and venue schedules, and scheduling staff starts by flagging all events that have a potential to generate high ridership. The team also notes each venue’s location and its proximity to fixed-route bus and rail services.

Coordination efforts across RTD’s different modes of transportation – bus, light rail and commuter rail – begin several weeks in advance. After an event is flagged, dispatchers work to plan service levels and identify where adjustments may be needed, especially when considering the fact that thousands of people will likely head to a rail station or bus stop at the same time. In the case of the Metallica concerts, dispatchers considered stops and stations located around the stadium such as Empower Field at Mile High Station, Decatur•Federal Station, as well as several nearby bus stops along the 15L, 16, 30 and 31 bus routes.

For light rail, increasing train length is a common way to account for large surges in ridership. Depending on the specific light rail line, each train will typically include one to four rail cars, and for large events, RTD will run the maximum number of cars allowed for that line. The number of connected train cars depends on the length of station platforms. For example, the E Line can be extended to four cars, and the W Line can have up to three. Additional trains are also held on standby and readily dispatched depending on crowd size and the time an event ends.

Light Rail Control also relies on live camera feeds to monitor station activity and make decisions during large events.

“We can see in real time where everybody is lining up at a station,” said Lead Light Rail Controller/Supervisor Chris Bennett. “The cameras allow us to know what type of trains to send and when to support our customers.” 

The live cameras at stops, stations and facilities also help staff anticipate when a concert is ending and identify crowd surges, allowing them to coordinate with field supervisors and security at the station and dispatch trains as needed.

“We try to hold our extras until the show is officially over,” Stone said. “Some people leave early, and we want to save those extra trains for the real rush of customers all coming at the same time.” 

For customers who leave early, they are most likely to use a normally scheduled train for what RTD calls “takeaway service.” As the takeaway service ramps up to meet crowd sizes, RTD will sometimes use special event trains, also known as extra trains. Following the Metallica concerts, special event trains were dispatched to supplement the regularly scheduled rail services.

Commuter rail faces different constraints, and a different kind of planning. The A, Band G lines are run by Denver Transit Operators (DTO) under a public-private partnership. With this agreement, any additional service beyond what is regularly scheduled results in additional costs, per the agreement. Because of that structure, RTD does not pre-schedule additional trips on the A, B and G lines in the same way as light rail.Instead, the agency monitors crowds in real time and deploys spare trains if needed.

“RTD doesn’t have flexibility to simply add trains without incurring a cost,” Senior Manager of Commuter Rail Mike Millage explained. “For the Metallica concerts specifically, we asked our partner, DTO, to keep an eye on crowd sizes and be prepared to dispatch extra trains if platforms started to back up. This helps accomplishes RTD’s strategic priorities of financial success and customer excellence, in which the agency works to be a good steward of taxpayer dollars and provide high-quality customer service.”

Following both concerts, commuter rail managers prepared for the surge by staging spare trains at Union Station, and crews were on standby. Rail dispatchers kept a close watch on the station cameras, and supervisors walked platforms to monitor crowd levels in real time.

“If we saw platforms getting overwhelmed with large crowds waiting, we were ready to respond quickly with extra trips,” Millage said. “The goal is to avoid stranding people and to safely connect customers with their final destination.”

Both light rail and commuter rail teams emphasized that one of the biggest challenges isn’t getting people to an event, it’s getting them home afterward.

“Clearing the platform after an event is the real pressure point,” said Phil Washington, Acting General Superintendent of Transportation, Commuter Rail. “Everyone typically leaves at the same time, and you want to move as many people as possible without overloading the system.”

There are also operational limits. Late night service isn't always possible due to meeting regular schedules, maintenance projects and vehicle inspections. Additionally, on the light rail side, extra service often depends on operator availability, because the special event shifts are filled by employees volunteering to work overnight.

RTD’s approach to events, like the Metallica concerts, reflects a broader planning model that the agency uses for major events, playoff games, festivals and other citywide celebrations. Rail operations, security and communications teams align plans, while real-time communication between field staff and dispatch helps teams respond as conditions change.

“No two events are exactly alike, but the process is similar,” Millage said. “We plan ahead, we monitor closely and we try to be ready for whatever happens.”

Ultimately, RTD has one goal: to get customers to and from their destinations safely and efficiently– all without missing a beat.