This RTD rider worried she’d miss the bus to the airport by the time she took the parking receipt back to her car—but RTD says receipts do not need to be left in cars. Just enter your license plate number and keep the receipt.

With the announcement that the East Line (now renamed University of Colorado A Line) will open April 22, more and more transit riders are expected to use the new Central Park Blvd. (CPB) rail and bus station. With 1,500 parking spaces, it’s RTD’s highest-capacity lot. RTD Senior Architect/Urban Designer (and Stapleton resident) Ignacio Correa-Ortiz is optimistic about its future. “I think this is the next great TOD (transit-oriented development) spot in the region.” He calls it “a blank canvas” with its numerous development possibilities on the acres of empty land nearby.

Tips for first-time Central Park park-n-riders

Enter your license plate number at the parking ticket machine and then the number of days your car will be parked. A day is a 24-hour period. The ticket machine will calculate the amount due, with the first day free for Denver residents. Subsequent days are $2/day. The address of the CPB Park-n-Ride is 8200 Smith Rd.

The airport SkyRide route “AS” buses depart CPB station and DIA from approximately 3am until midnight every day. Find the exact schedule at RTD-denver.com. The ride is approximately 25 minutes, directly to the airport with no stops, and drops passengers on the west side of the terminal at United. The CU A Line trip from Central Park Blvd. will also take 25 minutes, but will run every 15 minutes rather than every half-hour during the day, and less frequently late at night. Bus service from CPB to the airport will stop when the CU A Line opens. The cost for an adult on the bus or train is $9 one way. Children 15 and younger ride free when accompanied by an adult. Seniors are half price. The cost for the train to the airport will be the same.

Riders can also download the Parkmobile app, sign in, and enter zone 7003 to purchase parking at the CPB station. A transaction fee of 25¢ to 35¢ is added to the parking fee.

Bike racks and lockers behind them at Central Park station

Cyclists, electric cars and solar panels

Bicyclists have the option of using outdoor bike racks, but the station also has several bike lockers. In the future, cyclists will be able to lock their bikes in a weatherproof bike corral, accessible by signing up for a free entry card.
RTD is pursuing a pilot program that will offer two charging spaces for electric vehicles. The station has the capacity to accommodate up to 10 charging stations in the future.

The bus canopies were built facing southward to accommodate future solar panels to power the station.