CU partners with RTD to name airport FasTracks rail line

The University of Colorado has partnered with the Regional Transportation District for a naming rights agreement that will name the FasTracks rail line running between Denver’s Union Station and Denver International Airport the University of Colorado A Line. Additionally, CU will receive a dominant advertising position on the Flatiron Flyer bus rapid transit system between Union Station and Boulder.

The agreement brings together the state’s flagship university system and the crown jewel of the largest and newest public transportation project in the United States. The University of Colorado A Line is scheduled to begin operation in summer 2016. The Flatiron Flyer will begin operation in January.

CU is kicking off a major marketing initiative in September aimed at conveying the university’s value, contributions and accomplishments in Colorado and beyond. The RTD partnership will be an important facet of that effort. Many of CU’s key target audiences for the marketing initiative will be among the estimated 10 million annual riders on the University of Colorado A Line, including Coloradans heading to and from DIA, as well as national and international visitors to the state. The same is true for the estimated 3 million annual riders on the Flatiron Flyer. The partnership with RTD will allow CU to capitalize on Denver’s growing dynamism on the national and international stages.

CU President Bruce D. Benson explained that CU is marketing because of increased competition. The university competes for top students, faculty and staff, as well as for research funding and philanthropic funding. Additionally, CU’s higher education competitors from in state and out of state -- traditional campuses, for-profit campuses and online colleges -- are all spending significantly on marketing, leading to an increasingly competitive landscape in higher education.

The agreement includes not only naming rights, but placement of the university’s name on other collateral, including maps, websites, mobile apps, station signage and bus/train wraps.

The agreement runs for five years, with an option to extend for another five.

RTD press release