The Regional Transportation District expects its R Line through Aurora will fully reopen the week of Nov. 28.
A 4-mile section of the light-rail line near the Town Center at Aurora Mall has been shut down since a train derailed at South Sable Boulevard and East Exposition Avenue on Sept. 21, the second such incident in the last four years.
The first resulted in a woman’s leg being severed. In the most recent derailment, video footage showed the driver speeding through a sharp 90-degree turn — one that a union steward and driver said was poorly designed.
Under a plan agreed to by RTD and the state Public Utilities Commission, train drivers will now be required to stop before proceeding through the intersection. And the speed limit on a section of track before the turn will be lowered to 25 mph from 35 mph.
In a press release, the agency said it has also proposed moving a radar-activated speed sign farther from the curve to give train drivers more warning and adding additional signage to the area. The utilities commission has asked for more information, which RTD says it will provide by Dec. 31.
RTD has not yet released a copy of its investigation into the derailment, citing state laws that keep it confidential. Its “corrective action plan” is also sealed.
