Written by: Doug G. Ware
The new FrontRunner commuter rail system made its first run on Thursday morning, showing how the train will carry passengers from Weber County to Salt Lake City when it opens to the public in a few months.
The Utah Transit Authority allowed members of the media, other officials and members of the community to ride three bi-level (double decker) Bombardier trains on a 15-mile trek from Woods Cross to Kaysville for the system's first run, before returning to Woods Cross. The train traveled at a top speed of 79 miles per hour during the initial run.
The FrontRunner commuter rail system was announced in 2006, with plans to shuttle passengers among various locations between Salt Lake City and Pleasant View, which is just north of Ogden. Its purpose is to reduce the number of vehicles on the road while offering a pleasant and effortless commute to thousands of Utahns along the Wasatch Front. Plans to expand the FrontRunner line to Utah County are currently underway pending the outcome of an environmental study.
The FrontRunner, scheduled to open in April 2008, is just one of many ongoing projects being managed by UTA. Expansions to the existing Trax lines are about to undergo construction. They include light rail lines to the West Jordan area, Draper, West Valley and Salt Lake City International Airport.
UTA's Intermodal Hub, located behind the Union Pacific main station on Rio Grande Street (just south of the Gateway), will serve as the main transfer station for commuters making the move from FrontRunner to Trax. For example, someone commuting from Weber County to downtown Salt Lake City will exit the FrontRunner train at the Intermodal Hub and board a Trax train that serves the downtown/University/Sandy area.
The line running from Pleasant View to Salt Lake City is approximately 85 percent complete and engineers are working to test the safety mechanisms.
"We still have a lot of testing to do. We are testing the vehicles. We are testing the train-control system to make sure we have the safest, most effective system we can," said Steve Meyer, UTA's project manager for the FrontRunner.
When the North Rail line is finished, it will be served by eight different stations between Weber County and Salt Lake City. Each will be large enough to allow passengers to board up to 10 train cars at the same time. Each bi-level train is capable of carrying up to 250 people; with 80 seats on the upper level and 50 on the lower level. The remaining passengers will be able to stand while riding the train.
Trains will operate every 30 minutes between 5:00 a.m. and 11:00 p.m. from Monday to Friday; and 7:30 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. on Saturday. The train will not run on Sundays. The cost of passage on the FrontRunner is $2.50 to travel between two stations and an additional 50 cents for every station after that. However, the cost of FrontRunner fare includes passage on Trax light rail and/or UTA buses to get you to your ultimate destination (some restrictions apply). Monthly passes, which allow unlimited travel on the train, will cost $145.
The trains will also feature a variety of amenities, like on board restrooms and Wi-Fi Internet service available at no cost. Some of the seating even includes a center table.
Established in 1970, UTA says one of its primary goals is to make the FrontRunner the most cost-effective system in the United States by providing the highest quality experience for the rider at the lowest possible cost to the public.
Public transportation along the Wasatch Front has seen a substantial growth in riders since Trax began operating in 1999. Combined with today's higher cost of gasoline, the appeal of UTA's light rail system has introduced an alternative mode of transportation that many Utahns continue to utilize.
