Sixteen months ago, RTD leaders declared metro Denver’s public transit agency financially robust with no warning signs, but the latest records show RTD has fallen into the red, which may force cuts in routes and the frequency of buses and trains.

The agency’s elected directors met Tuesday and voted 13-1 to approve a record-high operating budget of $1.5 billion , a 25% increase over this year. Their hole, estimated to be $100 million to $400 million deep this year, and $228 million deep in 2026, is the result of a combination of higher-than-anticipated maintenance and repair costs and falling sales tax revenues, which fund 70% of RTD’s spending. The deficit spending, directors said, will force a rapid drawdown of RTD reserves that were earmarked for service expansion.

“This came as a su

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