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Utah Transit Authority's TRAX Salt Lake City Light Rail
This page was last updated on November 7, 2009.
(this is a work in progress...)
FrontLines 2015
April 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.
Airport Line
The Airport TRAX line is currently in the early stages of construction and utility work. The line branches off the north/south TRAX line at the Arena Station, travelling north along 400 West and then turning west on North Temple. It will travel west on North Temple to 2400 West, then follow the airport access road to the eastern edge of the airport’s Terminal One. (To receive regular updates by email, with photos, go to this page at UTA's web site.)
November 29, 2008:
UTA announced that the Salt Lake City International Airport extension will open in 2013, a year early. (Railway Gazette International, November 29, 2008)
October 22, 2008:
Ground breaking for UTA's Airport TRAX light rail line, to be completed by 2015, took place on Wednesday October 22, at Utah State Fairpark, 1000 West North Temple. The Airport TRAX line branches off from current TRAX service at the Arena Station. The six-mile, five-station light-rail line will run from downtown Salt Lake City to Salt Lake International Airport's Terminal One. (Railway Age, October 20, 2008; Progressive Railroading, October 21, 2008)
Draper Line
The Draper TRAX line will be a two-track extension of the existing UTA North-South Light-Rail TRAX line from its current terminus at 10000 South in Sandy to about 14600 South in Draper along the UTA-owned right-of-way. As of early November 2009, the line is still in the planning stages and construction has not yet begun. (To receive regular updates by email, go to this page at UTA's web site.)
TRAX lines to the Salt Lake City International Airport and Draper are expected to be done by 2014. (Deseret Morning News, August 9, 2007)
November 29, 2008:
UTA announced that the Draper route should be ready in early 2012, two years ahead of schedule. (Railway Gazette International, November 29, 2008)
December 22, 2006:
Salt Lake County Commission approved the use of tax dollars to help build UTA's TRAX Mid-Jordan and Draper lines. (Deseret Morning News, December 22, 2006)
Mid-Jordan Line
The Mid-Jordan TRAX line is a 10.6 mile light rail line connecting the communities of Murray, Midvale, West Jordan and South Jordan with the existing Sandy/Salt Lake TRAX line. It runs from the existing TRAX line at 6400 South to approximately 7400 South, then turns west along the Bingham Branch of the Union Pacific Railroad. At 5600 West, the line turns south again and ends at the southern end of the Daybreak development. (To receive regular updates by email, with photos, go to this page at UTA's web site.)
The Mid Jordan Line was projected to be completed in 2011. (Deseret Morning News, August 9, 2007)
December 22, 2006:
Salt Lake County Commission approved the use of tax dollars to help build UTA's TRAX Mid-Jordan and Draper lines. (Deseret Morning News, December 22, 2006)
West Valley Line
Construction on UTA’s West Valley TRAX line is underway. The five-mile line will branch off from the Sandy to Salt Lake TRAX Line at the 2100 South Central Pointe station traveling west crossing under Interstate 15. Bridges will extend the line over the Union Pacific Railroad's Roper Yard, 900 West and the Jordan River. After crossing the Jordan River, the line will turn south and then westward to run north of the Redwood Nature Area and the Decker Lake drainage canal. It will then travel through the Chesterfield neighborhood along the Cross Town Trail and continue west across Redwood Road to Research Way. After following Decker Lake Drive to 3100 South at the E Center, the light rail line will continue west on the south side of 3100 South, then turn south on 2700 West, crossing 3500 South and ending at the West Valley City Hall, across from the Valley Fair Mall. (To receive regular updates by email, with photos, go to this page at UTA's web site.)
UTA anticipates completing commuter rail from Salt Lake City to Provo and the West Valley TRAX line by 2012. (Deseret Morning News, August 9, 2007)
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