Eagle P3 is a
public–private partnership
A public–private partnership (PPP, 3P, or P3) is a long-term arrangement between a government and private sectors, private sector institutions.Hodge, G. A and Greve, C. (2007), Public–Private Partnerships: An International Performance Revie ...
(P3) involving the
Regional Transportation District
The Regional Transportation District, more commonly referred to as RTD, is the regional agency operating public transit services in all or a portion of eight out of the twelve counties in the Denver–Aurora combined statistical area in the U.S. ...
(RTD) of
Denver
Denver ( ) is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Consolidated city and county, consolidated city and county, the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Colorado, most populous city of the U.S. state of ...
, Colorado and Denver Transit Partners, a partnership of several private companies. Under the Eagle P3 signed in 2010, Denver Transit Partners holds a 34-year contract (until 2044) to design, build, finance, operate and maintain RTD
commuter rail
Commuter rail or suburban rail is a Passenger train, passenger rail service that primarily operates within a metropolitan area, connecting Commuting, commuters to a Central business district, central city from adjacent suburbs or commuter town ...
lines (the
A Line,
B Line and
G Line).
Eagle P3 is part of the RTD
FasTracks
FasTracks is a multibillion-dollar public transportation expansion plan under construction in metropolitan Denver, Colorado, United States. Developed by the Regional Transportation District (RTD), the plan consists of new commuter rail, light r ...
public transportation expansion plan and voter-approved sales tax increase for the
Greater Metropolitan Denver area in
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States. It is one of the Mountain states, sharing the Four Corners region with Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. It is also bordered by Wyoming to the north, Nebraska to the northeast, Kansas ...
.
Terms
Under the terms of Eagle P3, a private company is responsible for designing, building, securing financing, operating and maintaining (
DBFOM) three commuter rail lines, the
East Corridor (later named the
A Line), the
Gold Line (later named the
G Line), and a "starter segment" of the
Northwest Corridor (later named the
B Line).
Additionally, the private company would build a maintenance facility for commuter rail equipment that could be used on the lines operated by the contractor, as well as lines directly operated by the RTD.
The contract stipulates that the RTD owns all assets involved and collects all revenues generated, while the private contractor assumes all risks involved in the project's operation.
In return, the RTD will make monthly payments to the contractor.
Eagle P3 is the second full transit DBFOM public-private partnership in the
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
.
The first full transit DBFOM public-private partnership in the United States was the ''
Tren Urbano
The ''Tren Urbano'' (English language, English: Urban Train) is a List of automated urban metro subway systems, automated rapid transit system serving the San Juan–Bayamón–Caguas metropolitan area, main metropolitan area of Puerto Rico ...
'' in
San Juan, Puerto Rico
San Juan ( , ; Spanish for "Saint John the Baptist, John") is the capital city and most populous Municipalities of Puerto Rico, municipality in the Commonwealth (U.S. insular area), Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the ...
.
The involvement of a private sector company was estimated to save about $300 million in construction costs compared to estimates of the cost if the RTD were solely responsible for the project.
Private partner selection
The process of selecting the private sector company for Eagle P3 began in August 2008, when the RTD issued a request for qualifications, to which three companies responded.
In September 2009, a request for proposal was sent to each company; the RTD received two technical proposals in April 2010, followed by two final proposals in May.
Out of these, the RTD in June awarded the contract to Denver Transit Partners, a consortium led by engineering firm
Fluor Corporation
Fluor Corporation is an American engineering and construction firm, headquartered in Irving, Texas. It is a holding company that provides services through its subsidiaries in three main areas: oil and gas, industrial and infrastructure, government ...
and the
Macquarie Group
Macquarie Group Limited (), more commonly known as Macquarie Bank, is an Australian multinational investment banking and financial services group headquartered in Sydney and listed on the ASX ().
Macquarie's investment banking division is Au ...
investment bank, with Uberior Infrastructure Investments and infrastructure designer, bullder, and maintenance company
Balfour Beatty
Balfour Beatty plc () is an international infrastructure group based in the United Kingdom with capabilities in construction services, support services and infrastructure investments. A constituent of the FTSE 250 Index, the company is active ac ...
as the other major partners.
Macquarie Group subsequently sold its stake in the project to
John Laing and Uberior at the financial closing of the contract.
Minority partners (
subcontractor
A subcontractor is a person or business which undertakes to perform part or all of the obligations of another's contract, and a subcontract is a contract which assigns part of an existing contract to a subcontractor.
A general contractor, prime ...
s) include transit operating company
Alternate Concepts
Alternate Concepts, Inc. (ACI) is a transit management company within the United States. It is currently headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts and provides services to four rail authorities. Between 2003 and 2014, ACI also operated the Massachuse ...
, Ames Construction, design firm
HDR, train builder
Hyundai Rotem
Hyundai Rotem Company, often referred to as Hyundai Rotem (), is a South Korean manufacturer of railway rolling stock, railway signalling, defense products and plant equipment. It is a member of Hyundai Motor Group and has presence in more than ...
, rail consultant
Interfleet Technology
SNC-Lavalin Rail & Transit is an international rail consultancy company. Headquartered in Derby, England, it is a subsidiary of AtkinsRéalis.
The company was originally formed as Interfleet Technology in April 1994 during the privatization of ...
, engineering firm
Parsons Brinckerhoff
WSP USA, formerly Parsons Brinckerhoff, is an American multinational engineering and design firm. The firm operates in the fields of strategic consulting, planning, engineering, construction management, energy, infrastructure and community plann ...
, construction engineering firm
PBS&J, rail engineering consultant
Systra
SYSTRA is a multinational engineering and consulting group in the mobility sector, whose fields of activity include rail and public transport. SYSTRA employs about 10,300 people worldwide, and is a limited company which shareholders include Fr ...
and rail safety system developer
Wabtec
Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies Corporation, commonly known as Wabtec, is an American company formed by the merger of the Westinghouse Air Brake Company (WABCO) and MotivePower in 1999. It is headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Wab ...
.
Under the final terms of the contract, RTD will pay Denver Transit Partners, a total of $7.1 billion over the length of the contract.
Finances
The project is expected to cost about $2.1 billion, with funding coming largely from three sources: federal, private partner investment, and local.
A federal grant of $1.03 billion was announced for the project on August 31, 2011, followed by an award of a federal loan of $280 million on December 2, 2011.
Denver Transit Partners will contribute $450 million, $396 from Private Activity Bonds and $54 million in cash.
The remainder will be covered by local funds. The primary source will be RTD issued bonds, to repaid with sales tax revenues collected by the voter-approved
FasTracks
FasTracks is a multibillion-dollar public transportation expansion plan under construction in metropolitan Denver, Colorado, United States. Developed by the Regional Transportation District (RTD), the plan consists of new commuter rail, light r ...
plan. Additionally, some funding will come from local government matches.
Construction

Eagle P3 was completed in two phases. Phase One includes the construction of the East Corridor, the maintenance facility, and the section of the Northwest Corridor that leads to the maintenance facility. Also undertaken during this phase is the design work for the Gold Line and the remaining part of the Northwest Corridor starter line, the purchase of rolling stock and the electrification of trackage in
Denver Union Station
Denver Union Station is the main railway station and central transportation hub in Denver, Colorado. It is located at 17th and Wynkoop Streets in the present-day LoDo district and includes the historic station house, a modern open-air train sh ...
.
The second phase of the project was the construction of the Gold Line and Northwest Corridor that were designed during Phase One.
On October 21, 2011,
Wabtec
Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies Corporation, commonly known as Wabtec, is an American company formed by the merger of the Westinghouse Air Brake Company (WABCO) and MotivePower in 1999. It is headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Wab ...
signed a $63 million contract with Denver Transit Partners to construct the
positive train control
Positive train control (PTC) is a family of automatic train protection systems deployed in the United States. Most of the United States' national rail network mileage has a form of PTC. These systems are generally designed to check that trains a ...
system for the Eagle P3 commuter rail lines.
The contract included installation of the signaling and communications systems, a dispatch center and other management services.
Construction on Phase 1 began in August 2010, and the East Corridor (then renamed the A Line) opened on April 22, 2016.
The groundbreaking for the Gold Line (the start of Phase 2) took place in August 2011.
The initial segment of the Northwest Corridor (then renamed the B Line) opened on July 25, 2016, followed by the Gold Line (then renamed the G Line) on April 26, 2019.
Operation
Denver Transit Partners contracts with another consortium of private companies, Denver Transit Operators, to operate and maintain the commuter rail lines. Denver Transit Operators is led by transit operating company
Alternate Concepts
Alternate Concepts, Inc. (ACI) is a transit management company within the United States. It is currently headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts and provides services to four rail authorities. Between 2003 and 2014, ACI also operated the Massachuse ...
, with Balfour Beatty and Fluor as the other partners.
Denver Transit Operators runs the A, B, and G Lines, along with the maintenance facility.
The RTD directly operates the
N Line N Line may refer to:
* N Line (RTD), a commuter rail line in Denver
* N Line, a commuter rail line serving Seattle, Washington, United States
*N (New York City Subway service), a subway line in New York City
*Transilien Line N, a suburban rail sec ...
, but uses the same equipment maintained by Denver Transit Operators.
References
{{RTD Bus & Rail, state=show
Transportation in Denver
Transportation in Aurora, Colorado
Regional Transportation District
Proposed railway lines in Colorado
Railway electrification in the United States