DENVER — Thousands of fans are expected to flock to downtown Denver Friday as the Rockies celebrate a full-capacity Opening Day for the first time since 2019.
Pandemic restrictions capped last year's Opening Day crowd to 21,000, but this year's game is expected to sell out.
The Regional Transportation District said they are planning for an influx of riders on Friday. In 2019, during the last full-capacity Opening Day, RTD said they had just under 51,000 people use the rail system.
Like many industries, RTD is dealing with staffing shortages.
9NEWS spoke with RTD spokesperson Brandon Figliolino about what they are doing to accommodate the influx of riders.
(Editor’s note: This interview has been edited for context and clarity.)
9NEWS: Is RTD going to be a safe and reliable way to get to the game?
Figliolino: RTD is going to be a safe and reliable way to the game. We are prepared for the influx of customers and have staffed accordingly.
What can riders expect for Opening Day?
Figliolino: I am hoping to see tons and tons of people out here to celebrate the Rockies. RTD is going to be out here as well from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. to talk with riders and customers and just celebrate the big day. We are going to have some transit police out here to talk to the community.
We’re definitely excited for the potential increase in ridership and we are ready to accommodate those extra passengers. We are adding some extra cars on some of our light rail trains to make sure everyone can get to the game and get home after the game is over.
We are keeping our schedule consistent. We aren’t going to be making any major modifications. We’re just adding those extra train cars because that’s an easy way to increase capacity without needing additional staff resources.
Are there any light rail lines in particular that are expected to see an influx of riders?
Figliolino: We are expecting to see an increase in the N line, for example. We saw that during the Broncos games there was an increase in ridership on that line, and so we are adding a car on the N line Friday to accommodate that potential influx.
What does RTD want riders to know before they head out to catch their train on Opening Day?
Figliolino: I encourage everyone to sign up for our service alerts on our website. They will notify you via text message or email if there is a change in service.
We really want everyone to plan ahead and expect longer lines and larger crowds. To that effect, we do have a mobile ticketing app that's also available on our Apple and Android devices so you can skip the long line at the vending machine and just tap your ticket on your phone.
I also want to add that we are still under a federal mask mandate, so when you are riding the train to the game and home, please continue to wear your mask. The mandate is through April 18.
How important is it for everyone to feel safe as they move through some of the terminals downtown?
Figliolino: We definitely want people to have a positive experience, so that’s why we encourage everyone to plan ahead and to download the Transit Watch app to make sure that if they do see something, say something and we can allocate resources to make sure we can get that situation resolved quickly.
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