A FasTrack proposal to link commuters in the northwest Denver metro area to downtown is stalled after the Regional Transportation District board of directors decided Tuesday night not to pursue a tax increase in November to fund the idea.

All 12 members of the RTD board said the timing is wrong for any kind of tax hike and there still remains too many questions about the plan.

“I think we have to ask ourselves when will it be appropriate?” said RTD board chair Lee Kemp. “We have our work cut out for us.”

The board in March approved a hybrid system of transportation for the northwest corridor — part commuter rail and party bus line — from Denver to Longmont instead of a full rail system voters were promised in 2004.

The hybrid plan promised Bus Rapid Transit from Westminster to Longmont and a commuter rail from Denver’s Union Station to Church Ranch Road.

The entire option hinged on voters approving a doubling of a 0.4 percent sales tax in November. RTD acknowledged that current funding for the entire FasTracks system is short of earlier projections and, over the past year, costs on the northwest line especially have skyrocketed.

The package called for commuter rail — diesel powered trains, not electrified light rail — at a cost of $400 million to be in place by about 2022.

A BRT sytem costing about $894 million to Longmont with a promise not to change service for five years, to be finished by 2020, would also be put into place, as well as a promise to pursue all funding sources to build out the rail line as it’s available, likely by 2028.

Without a vote, the plan to bring rail to Longmont would continue but with a final end date of about 2042.

Board members said they continue to support commuter rail to the northwest corridor, but their constituents had too many questions about when the project would be finished as well as the viability of Bus Rapid Transit.

“The plan proposed doesn’t meet the consensus of needs in the northwest area,” said board member Kathi Williams, whose district includes portions of Thornton.

She and other board members said RTD should now start working harder to build public/private partnerships to help build the roadway.

RTD should also work to firm up the services its wants to offer commuters, said board member John Tayer.

“I will not support going forward … until we have a specific plan and a specific time frame,” Tayer said.

Monte Whaley: 720-929-0907 or mwhaley@denverpost.com