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FrontRunner Commuter Rail
This page was last updated on August 7, 2008.
(this is a work in progress...)
FrontRunner South
Route Description
From Salt Lake Central Station, south along the east side of UP's former D&RGW mainline to Sandy, where FrontRunner will cross over UP's line to the west side. Then continuing south along the west side of UP's line, through the Jordan Narrows, past the west side of the former Geneva Steel site at Vineyard to the former Lakota crossing in north Orem. At that point FrontRunner South enters the former UP mainline that is separate from the former D&RGW line, and continues south to Provo, ending near the University Avenue viaduct. (map at UTA's web site)
(To receive regular updates by email, with photos, go to this page at UTA's web site.)
Chronology History
[Most recent event listed first]
October 7, 2009:
From Progressive Railroading:
Utah Transit Authority Obtains FTA Grant for Orem Intermodal Center
The Federal Transit Administration recently awarded a $250,000 grant to the Utah Transit Authority (UTA) for the design and engineering of an intermodal transit center in Orem. The funds are part of a discretionary grant awarded to UTA to develop transit centers along the Wasatch Front.
The authority will use proceeds to advance design work on the $10 million Orem Intermodal Center, which UTA plans to build prior to opening the FrontRunner South commuter-rail line between Provo and Salt Lake City in 2012 or 2013. The transit center will serve FrontRunner, UTA buses and a proposed bus rapid transit line between Utah Valley University, Brigham Young University and downtown Provo.
The center will feature a FrontRunner station and 14 bus bays, as well as shelters, benches, bike facilities, ticket vending machines and 400 parking stalls.
June 25, 2009:
From Railway Age:
Crews laying groundwork for Provo, Utah, train
Nearly a quarter of the contract work to build FrontRunner commuter rail from Salt Lake City to Provo is complete, but there's plenty of heavy lifting to come, the Salt Lake Tribune reports. Specifically, the Utah Transit Authority still must shift Union Pacific freight tracks to the east through the Jordan River narrows near Bluffdale. And earthmovers are busy digging away at the hillside there just to make room for a second track.
There also is the matter of 30 bridges -- 28 more than UTA had to erect for FrontRunner north to Ogden.
"The north project was good practice," said FrontRunner South project manager Steve Meyer.
On June 24, UTA staffers and several board members toured the 44-mile construction zone for the $850-million project. Although Meyer said 22 percent of the work is done, much of that went toward creating a foundation for the tracks -- not installing the tracks themselves.
Crews have replaced utility lines and graded a path next to the Union Pacific track for FrontRunner's spur. Much of the continuously welded rail is in place next to the route, waiting for ballast rock and ties. At about 10000 South in Sandy, the concrete supports for a flyover bridge allowing UTA trains to cross the freight route are in place.
About 215 contractor and subcontractor workers are on the job. It's expected to be completed in late 2012, with passenger service starting in 2013.
Crews are digging into the east side of the narrows just to make room for a second set of tracks in the wind tunnel of a canyon that connects Utah and Salt Lake counties via the Jordan River. The tracks will traverse a section of the river that few see, well out of sight of Interstate 15 along some little rapids where construction workers say deer hang out.
"That'll be worth the trip just for the scenic view," UTA General Manager John Inglish said.
November 29, 2008:
From Railway Gazette International:
Citing the world economic crisis, Utah Transit Authority is to postpone the opening of its FrontRunner South commuter rail extension from Salt Lake City to Provo from mid-2012 to early 2013.
UTA will accelerate construction of two TRAX light rail lines; the Salt Lake City International Airport extension will open in 2013, a year early, and the Draper route should be ready in early 2012, two years ahead of schedule.
According to UTA General Manager John Inglish, the light rail lines have much lower operating costs. Inglish told a UTA budget committee meeting on October 8 that estimated sales tax revenues will grow just 1·5% next year, down from the projected 4·5%. That translates to $73m less income for operations between 2009 and 2015. Inglish said construction of the FrontRunner line will probably be completed on schedule but the trains would not start running until there was enough money to fund the operating budget. The delay could be reversed if the economy picked up.
A limited commuter rail service to Pleasant View began on September 29 following a ceremonial opening on September 27. This adds 8 km to the line from Salt Lake City, which opened as far as Ogden last April.
November 14, 2008:
UTA to re-evaluate Draper/Bluffdale FrontRunner Station The Utah Transit Authority is holding two public hearings to give the public the opportunity to comment on a re-evaluation of the proposed location for the future Draper/Bluffdale FrontRunner commuter rail station site. UTA is re-evaluating four potential future commuter rail station sites on the south end of Salt Lake County. UTA will present the four locations, along with an evaluation of the benefits and environmental impacts at both public hearings. At the hearings, there will be opportunities for the public to get answers to their questions and to make official comments. UTA will consider these comments and then select the location of the future Draper/Bluffdale FrontRunner commuter rail station site. FrontRunner South commuter rail is a portion of the FrontLines 2015 project, which also includes Mid-Jordan, West Valley, Draper and Airport TRAX line. The entire project is expected to be complete by 2015. (Railway Age, November 14, 2008)
April 18/20, 2007
Bombardier Transportation signed a contract with UTA to rebuild both lightrail and commuter rail cars for UTA, using space provided at the Warm Springs facility. In addition to completing work for UTA, Bombardier Transportation will be allowed to lease space that will allow it to perform contract work for other transit agencies.
From Deseret Morning News, April 18, 2007:
The Utah Transit Authority said late Wednesday that Bombardier Transportation, one of the world's largest train and airplane manufacturers, is coming to Utah to help repair old rail cars for use on TRAX and commuter rail.
UTA purchased 12 Bombardier BiLevel commuter-rail vehicles from the company in 2005 and plans to have Bombardier refurbish at least 59 rail vehicles for TRAX and commuter rail.
The rail cars will be used on commuter rail from Pleasant View to Provo and four new TRAX lines in Salt Lake County. Voters approved funding for much of the commuter-rail line and for the TRAX lines in November. The rail lines are scheduled to be built within the next seven to 10 years.UTA plans to house commuter-rail vehicles in the Warm Springs center once the first phase of its FrontRunner commuter-rail line is completed from Pleasant View to Salt Lake City in 2008. Work on an extension of the line from Salt Lake to Provo is expected to begin within the next two years.
The rail cars that will be refurbished come from San Jose, Calif., and New Jersey. The San Jose cars have been used along UTA's north-south TRAX line since 2004. Residents have referred to them as "ghetto TRAX," because they appear run-down and old compared to newer TRAX cars that were purchased in 1999.
From Deseret Morning News, April 20, 2007:
While Bombardier's contract will expire sometime in 2010, the company hopes to obtain more work from surrounding states and perhaps open a more permanent operation in Salt Lake City. The company has initial plans to hire and train at least 35 local engineers, mechanics and electricians to work on cars now being delivered to UTA's commuter-rail maintenance facility at 900 North and 500 West.
"This region, like many others in North America and around the world, has realized the long-term benefits that effective public transportation can bring," William Spurr, president of Bombardier Transportation Group, said Thursday. "We look forward to a long and mutually beneficial collaboration with the people in this state for years to come."
Bombardier Transportation is a division of aircraft and rail transportation manufacturer Bombardier Inc., which is based in Montreal, Canada. The transportation division has 29,100 employees worldwide and operates 42 production facilities, including three sites in the eastern United States. West Coast transit agencies that now contract with Bombardier ship their cars to the East Coast to be refurbished.In 2005, UTA purchased 12 Bombardier BiLevel commuter-rail vehicles from the company that were made in Thunder Bay, Canada, and furnished in Plattsburg, N.Y.
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