Colorado regulators reopen RTD derailment safety case over supervisor staffing

Colorado regulators have reopened a closed safety case tied to RTD’s 2022 Aurora light-rail derailment after Public Utilities Commission staff told commissioners on June 10 that the agency was not complying with staffing commitments for field and lead supervisors and might be reducing oversight positions.

The reopened case stems from the Sept. 21, 2022 derailment at Sable Boulevard and Exposition Avenue in Aurora, where an R Line train entered a 10 mph curve too fast. In response to the reopening, commissioners ordered RTD within 30 days to explain the staffing changes, submit organizational and risk documents, and provide a workload analysis, according to the June 10 meeting record.

The public record reviewed for this story does not establish RTD’s exact current number of field and lead supervisors. But it does show what RTD previously committed to study and what staffing levels it reported after the derailment case.

In Decision No. C22-0786, the commission approved corrective actions requiring RTD to strengthen supervisory oversight, develop a business case for appropriate supervisor staffing levels and roles, and evaluate supervisor assignments throughout the system by March 31, 2023.

When RTD later filed a July 27, 2023 notice saying those corrective actions were complete, the agency said it then had two lead field supervisors and 21 field supervisors. That filing also said a business-case analysis recommended 14 additional field supervisors and three additional lead field supervisors to improve system coverage and reduce supervisors’ span of control.

RTD said in that 2023 filing that too few supervisors on a shift could force assignment areas to be condensed around the busiest parts of the system, leaving outer areas unsupervised. The filing said four of the proposed additional field supervisors would be dedicated accident-investigation supervisors.

The case reopening suggests regulators now believe RTD’s actual staffing or staffing plans may have diverged from what was accepted when the corrective action plan was closed. PUC staff said at the June 10 meeting that RTD had provided inconsistent staffing numbers and might be planning to reduce supervisors, which led staff to ask commissioners to reopen the case.

The earlier corrective-action plan focused on analysis and planning; the reopened case raises possible noncompliance. The original post-derailment orders also included immediate operating restrictions. In Decision No. C22-0721, the commission approved a stop-and-proceed requirement at the crossing and reduced the approach speed on the southbound track from 35 mph to 25 mph.

The later staffing-related corrective actions approved in C22-0786 were meant to address operator oversight and scheduling pressures that regulators said could contribute to unsafe behavior. By reopening the case, commissioners signaled those staffing commitments may no longer be settled.

Whether the 30-day order leads to enforcement or operating changes remains unresolved. The June 10 record confirms RTD must provide more information, but the publicly verified materials reviewed for this story do not show a final written order spelling out any immediate penalty, mandatory staffing minimum, or new operating restriction.

The next key development will likely come after RTD’s 30-day response, when regulators can decide whether the agency’s explanation and workload analysis are sufficient or whether additional enforcement or service-related safety orders are warranted.