C Line (RTD)
discontinued light rail line operated by Regional Transportation District
The C Line is a Regional Transportation District (RTD) light rail line that serves stations in Denver, Englewood, Sheridan, and Littleton, Colorado. The line began service on April 5, 2002, coinciding with the opening of the Central Platte Valley Spur along the Southwest Line. It is colored orange on system maps.
The line did not operate between 2021 and 2026, when it was suspended as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and then restored as a part of two separate RTD service changes which re-configured service on the Southwest Line.
Route
The C Line's northern terminus is at Union Station in downtown Denver, shared with the E and W Lines. South of Auraria West station, the W Line diverges toward Golden while the H Line joins from the downtown loop. The three lines travel together to I-25 & Broadway station. Immediately south of the station, the E and H lines depart to the southeast alongside Interstate 25, while the C Line continues southwest. It parallels U.S. Route 85 and the Colorado Joint Line to its southern terminus at Littleton-Mineral station.
The five stations comprising the Southwest Corridor - from Evans station to Littleton-Mineral - are exclusive to the C Line.
Begin with the source’s own compact description: “C Line (RTD)” is discontinued light rail line operated by Regional Transportation District. The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through Line, discontinued and light, not as a finished interpretation.
Why this record matters
The phrase “discontinued light rail line operated by Regional Transportation District” supplies a clear boundary for inquiry. It also exposes the unanswered questions: who defined that boundary, when it became stable and which sources sit outside it.
Place names and jurisdictional language are key evidence: both can reveal earlier catalogue descriptions and overlooked record series. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 16, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q5015067. The first chronological checks are 2002, 2021 and 2026.
A single description cannot reconcile every naming convention, rebuilding phase or administrative transfer associated with a place. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “C Line (RTD)”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow C Line (RTD) primary sources, C Line (RTD) archive and Line research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “C Line (RTD)”?
- What physical evidence or contemporary plan supports the description?
- Which authority defined the place, boundary or structure at the relevant date?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “C Line (RTD)” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.