Denver airport’s train system has broken down. Only one train can run every ten minutes, as noted by aviation watchdog JonNYC. Passengers are backing up waiting for trains and inside the terminal and people are missing flights, as the airport runs buses from the A concourse to other concourses.
“Photos don’t even begin to show how chaotic it is in DEN now. Problem with concourse train rail. One train every 10 minutes. Getting ready to run busses between concourses, impacting aircraft traffic.
This is going to last *days* until parts and maintenance flown in.” pic.twitter.com/HGmPiTAsB4
— JonNYC (@xJonNYC) January 23, 2024
If you’re traveling through Denver, hopefully you’re not changing airlines and can remain inside the same concourse. If you’re traveling out of Denver, expect to use the “A bridge” security checkpoint and walk to the A concourse. From there you can get transportation to other concourses.
- Security at Denver takes a long time anyway. It will be longer than ever with more passengers using the A bridge checkpoint.
- The busing arrangement will be slow. Allow extra time.
- Things aren’t expected to be fixed quickly, potentially taking days as they wait for parts.
Around 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, the airport provided an update, saying buses and additional staff are being deployed to supplement taking passengers from the terminal to the concourses.
“Passengers will either be guided by [DIA] staff to board a train or to take a bus from Concourse A to concourses B and C,”
This is horrible it’s a million degrees down here pic.twitter.com/F4FUCtFDzF
— Chris pino (@JdikntPino) January 23, 2024
The airport for its part just cites “technical issues” for the meltdown. That’s been an ongoing theme, as the airport’s train system broke down for a couple of days in October. Maybe it’s the swastika runway, time capsule from the New World Airport Commission or the gargoyles guarding baggage claim.
Is it possible to walk between concourses or is the train the only link?
Denver TSA (even with CLEAR) is ridiculous. Good luck finding it.
Should have never left Stapleton.
Murphy’s law .
This is noteworthy – but things happen. Nothing is perfect 100% of the time.The negatives that have come with this are real – deal with it. Complaining and getting upset will not fix this problem. People seemingly are always looking for something to complain about.
Wider tunnels should have been dug so that there’s a walkway between concourses, just like ATL. Very poor planning.
@Solucia – Unfortunately you can only reach terminals B or C by train (can walk to A). Poor design IMHO as at other airports like ATL or DFW you can walk between any 2 terminals (however can be a long walk).
My daughter went to the University of Colorado last year and I flew in and out of DEN around 10 times. On a good day it is one of the most frustrating airports to travel from. The security clearance process is horrible (even w Pre Check and Clear). Trust me – I’ll take LAX, ATL, ORD, EWR, JFK or LAS any day over DEN. This just compounds it and I can’t imagine how frustrating an experience it has become.
This wouldn’t be happening if Delta designed and operated the system.
AC – It is what it is – deal with it – or not.
This airport is an ongoing sh!tshow. If the lifelong government bureaucrat CEO had any sense he’d appoint a capable human to run it. But that’s expecting way too much.
@David R Miller – what is your problem dude? Never said I didn’t “deal with it” just that the airport is incredibly dysfunctional even on a good day. I get there early, bounce between regular Pre Check or Clear/Pre Check based on lines and usually can spend some time in the Centurion Lounge so, trust me, I deal with it.
You on the other hand seem awfully easily disturbed – so I repeat, what is your problem?
AC – I don’t have a “problem” – but it apparent that you do. The content I posted is the truth – deal with it – or not.
This give me the extra time, on future planned cross-country travels, to plan avoiding transferring thru DIA (I do happen to use UAL a lot). Since my base is LAX, I DO have options, and I’ll use them more often!
@David R Miller – not to prolong this and bore everyone else (last response to you) but WHAT CONTENT? You made some zen like statement that “S**t happens so deal with it”. That is irrelevant to my response. I stated that even without something like this (or the SW meltdown Christmas of 2022) that DEN is horribly run and difficult to effectively get through. You must be one miserable SOB to be looking to make comments when ABSOLUTELY NOTHING was directed your way. Good day sir and I hope to hell I never hear from you again.
@Richard – assume you know it is DEN and not DIA right? Yeah some locals refer to it as DIA for Denver International Airport but the airport code is DEN.
I have always hated DEN and its specifically cause of the train system, it never felt like the right size for the amount of people that use the thing. Its always terribly crowded.
Why are they waiting for parts?
@L3’s question … Why are they waiting for parts ? Answer : Because they do not have the parts .
This is why you should never let the Illuminati/lizard people build and operate airports.
Alert – some people have a problem connecting the dots….
United’s future headquarters
This is a gross exaggeration of what it actually looked like.
I’m on a SWA flight from DEN to Philadelphia that left at around 12:55 MST.
It took like 25 minutes longer thanks typical to get from security to C terminal, where southwest is. Yes the trains were crowded, but people were pleasant and dealt with it.
DIA is still a mess due to construction, but handled this situation well, routing A concourse over the North Bridge so there was less volume needing trains.
Two thoughts:
1. Because of things like this, it makes more sense to design airports where one can walk between the terminals in addition to taking the train. I don’t get why they did not design DEN in this manner.
2. I have wondered why WN has been making DEN such a major hub. Is there a reason that this airport is better to connect through than most other airports?
It’s been said since construction that not having a way to walk between concourses is a problem.
All those entitled liberals in one place. The smug must be unbearable.
And DEN airport just spent billions “upgrading” and adding more gates – only to be using the same train system that will now just inconvenience more people. For a relatively new airport, what a horrible design
Anyone remember the disaster that was the baggage delivery system when DEN first opened ?
Ugh, so sorry to all those affected. DEN has sentimental value to me but haven’t flown out of there in years, only connections recently. Train issues happen way too often and there’s no decent backup plan. Agreed that I wish you could walk between concourses there — would make quality of life so much better.
Not arguing that DEN is not a mess but one happy story amongst the ugly ones — my most recent trip through DEN I got off a plane literally at end of concourse C 13 minutes before the closing of the Cap 1 lounge in A and made it in time to grab some food to go. So when (key word) the system works it works nicely.
AndyS for the win
DIA has been my home airport for over 2 years and have never yet had an excessively long Pre line. The regular South checkpoint can be kind of ugly looking, despite their “latest technology.” The clear line however is often hilariously busier than the regular Pre lines. Karma. It’s still baffling to me DIA was designed without a walking tunnel to B and C.
@David R Miller, no complaining won’t fix it. That would be the job of the airport and the city, the groups that have let the train system get to the point where break downs are frequent.
Passengers and airlines have to foot the bill for this lack of planning and investment in infrastructure, so I’m sure you can understand why there would be complaints.
Easy to judge people upset with this when you haven’t been caught in this multiple times.
AC, I absolutely remember that man made disaster. Still have a T-shirt mocking the DEN bag sorting system. My sympathies to those stuck in DIA’s government sponsored & man made transportation disaster.
Mark – the problems there have been the same problems seemingly forever – constantly complaining has and will never fix the problems. If you want to constantly whine about the same old things, answer this – what good will it do and what good has it done? The answer is obvious – which is “nothing”. So stop your bitching and deal with it. Getting upset does no one any good. By the way. I am not “judging” anybody – stating reality is not “judging” – save your liberal catch phrase for someone who deserves it.
David Miller – you need to quit yapping and just deal with it.
Typical. There was no money left for a tunnel after the baggage system debacle and other cost overruns when DEN was built. For its ‘forward-thinking’ design out in the middle of nowhere (endless expansion), they sure royally screwed up and missed the estimated growth numbers by millions of passengers and the amount of time it took to get there. Kim Day’s ‘leadership’ was a cluster from the outset, and no one bothered to check her despite the numerous missteps she made. Really unfortunate what the airport has become.
Bratty – I see you are living up to your name. In case you missed it – I am not one of the one’s complaining about the airport. Deal with that fact.
@David R Miller, having worked at the airport for decades I can absolutely assure you these are not the same problems. The trains, when working, are packed beyond capacity during peak periods. It is not uncommon to not be able to board the first train that comes by.
The trains in the past were reliable, but within the last couple of years, major breakdowns are more and more frequent. Most don’t make the news but definitely have operational impact.
I guarantee you don’t have more experience with the trains than I do. They’re definitely less reliable and this is definitely not mindless complaining.
@David R Miller, “judging” is liberal? lol
Yes I should have told those MAGA hat people next to me who were flipping out about the train outage to stop being so liberal. lol
In my experience, the people most upset about “judging” from others are the ones who are the most sensitive and do the most judging themselves.
Just use the “secret tunnels” under the airport. We aren’t at DEFCON 1 yet, so it should be ok. 😀
On another point, can we blame this on United, too? 😛
Mark – Get off your high horse – you just proved my point – the problems have always been there , they have just gotten worse. Give it a rest – you have made a fool out of yourself with your comments. LOL
@David, you read what you wanted to see and not what I wrote.
First paragraph “I have worked there for decades and these are not the same problems”
Second paragraph “In the past the trains were reliable”
When you are completely fabricating what other people wrote, when you are claiming to know more than people who have been there for decades and have said the trains used to be reliable, when most other commenters are calling you out, and when you have to bring politics into something that has nothing to do with politics, you should look inward and quit while you’re behind.
You either have extremely limited first hand experience, you have some kind of financial interest in denying the facts, or both.
I have a feeling you’ll want the last word, so go for it. I can only repeat facts based on first hand knowledge so many times, so I won’t bother to do it again.
post apocalyptic? Oh yeah, I forgot about that great scene in mad Max where big crowds are waiting at an airport train station.
Mark – Give it a rest. I have “fabricated” nothing. I stated facts and you want to argue. The over riding conclusion is that since it’s inception, this airport has had problems and continuing to complain has not accomplished anything and in all likelihood , never will – it is what it is. DEAL WITH IT!
@David R Miller – so, are you a prick everywhere, or do you just come here to dump your aggression?
F’n ass clown.
For the love of god people, if you want to refer to Denver International, please use the correct IATA code. It’s DEN. DIA is Doha. Stop calling Denver DIA. it’s a poverty airport as it is, I can’t imagine traveling internationally to/ from there.
Gutless (name with held) – That is funny, BOZO
strip out the underground trains, make that tunnel the walkway, and build a LGW/DFW mashup
trains in the sky
problem solved
Bring on the SkyTrain. It’s past time to build it.
The airport is as much a hassle as it is if originating a trip out of there in large part due to the TSA. The rest of it is that the airport is designed with the idea of just eating the hassle and cost for when the train goes down. Given how much ordinary hassle DEN hits passengers with at the passenger security screening checkpoints, can’t say I’m surprised that it has this kind of problem hitting passengers too.
Line this up as yet another reason to prefer to use airports where it is possible to walk to get to the gate after check-in.
Not that I want to originate post-ski trips out of DEN, but this is yet more incentive to book away from DEN-originating trips after a ski trip.
Brian,
DOH is Doha airport. DIA is sort of to DOH what DIA is to Denver, but far more Americans would refer to Denver’s primary airport as DIA than to Doha’s primary airport as DIA.
Been at DOH some this month too. Smoother experience for me than DEN, the latter of which I have fortunately avoided since around the second half of October 2023.
DIA is Delta International Airport AKA ATL which set the global standard for large airport design w/ parallel island concourses connected by a full length Bombardier train and passenger concourse. Many airports have copied all or parts of the ATL design and ATL’s concourses could be about 20 feet wider but it is still the most efficient airport design in the world.
And TSA largely works at ATL