DENVER – If you need to use the restroom at Union Station, you might be surprised by what you see, or what you don’t see inside.
The doors on all the stalls in the bus terminal restrooms have been removed.
“So it’s just like open air in there. And a great big mirror so everybody is kind of getting to know each other really well,” Beautiful Bruce told FOX31.
Bruce says she was surprised to see the doors gone a few days ago. They are missing from both the men and women’s stalls.
“There has been no explanation,” she said.
According to RTD, which manages the terminal, the doors were removed intentionally. No further information was available from RTD Monday.
A terminal employee who wished to remain anonymous told FOX31 the renovation is because of illegal drug use. The employee said a teenage girl overdosed in one of the stalls last week and that overdoses in the restrooms happen often.
The employee also says some people also sit in the stalls behind closed doors for hours, preventing others from using the facilities.
Union Station isn’t the first public restroom in Denver to remove the doors from bathroom stalls.
“They have them down at Civic Center as well and a couple other places around the city,” Bruce said.
According to the terminal employee, new doors will be installed at the Union Station bus terminal next month. The doors will be shorter, which will allow patrons to have privacy while still allowing security guards to keep tabs on what is happening.
On Tuesday afternoon, RTD provided the following statement to FOX31 and Channel 2:
“RTD bathroom stall doors have been removed at Union Station due to drug activity. RTD will be replacing them in early January with modified doors that allow both for privacy and some visibility if security staff needs to investigate suspicious activity. Such doors already have been installed at Civic Center Station.
“This temporary action was taken for the security and safety of RTD patrons and staff. At Union Station in 2018, there have been 83 RTD-recorded, narcotic-related law enforcement calls involving the restrooms. Denver Health reports 406 calls for medical response at Union Station this year, many of which were drug-related.
“We understand that this change is an inconvenience for our patrons, and we appreciate the public’s patience at this time.”