Presbyterian College > Academic Web Server > Jon Bell > Transit > (Cities | Types) > Salt Lake City > Light Rail

Salt Lake City, Utah:
TRAX Light Rail

Description

The Utah Transit Authority's (UTA's) 19.5-mile (31.4-km) TRAX light rail system currently has two lines. They begin at the Salt Lake Central station, an intermodal hub that also serves FrontRunner commuter trains and local and long-distance buses. They zigzag through downtown, eventually heading south along Main Street to the Gallivan Plaza station. The original line to Sandy continues south along Main, then shifts onto private right-of-way for the rest of the route. The newer University line turns east along 400 South, then climbs into the Wasatch foothills and winds through the University of Utah campus to the University Medical Center.

In the morning, some trains run directly from Sandy to the University, bypassing downtown; in the afternoon, some trains take the reverse route.

Most of the downtown section and the University line run in reserved lanes in the center of the Salt Lake City's broad streets. Southward from the Ballpark station, the Sandy line uses the former right-of-way of the Union Pacific Railroad's Provo Branch.

The system opened in stages beginning in 1999:

Line Endpoints Date Length
(mi)
Sandy Arena — Sandy 4 December 1999 15.0
Univ. Gallivan Plaza — Stadium December 2001 2.3
Univ. Stadium — Medical Center 29 September 2003 1.5
Both Arena — Salt Lake Central 18 April 2008 0.7

Two extensions are currently under construction: the 10.5-mile Mid-Jordan line and the 5.1-mile West Valley line. Both branch off the line to Sandy.

The original fleet consisted of 40 new Siemens SD-160 light-rail vehicles (LRVs). In 2006, UTA bought 29 UTDC/Bombardier LRVs second-hand from the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority in California. In May 2008, UTA ordered 77 Siemens SD-70 Avanto LRVs, to support future extensions.

Other Sites

Pictures

These pictures were taken on 3 June 2008, on a brief visit to Salt Lake City.

[picture] The Salt Lake Central station became the end of the line on 18 April 2008, when the line was extended from the Arena station. It is part of an intermodal hub that also includes local (UTA) buses, long-distance (Greyhound) buses, and FrontRunner commuter rail.

[picture] From the window of a FrontRunner train, we can look across the plaza at Salt Lake Central to the TRAX station.

[picture] Just after leaving Salt Lake Central, TRAX turns from 600 West onto 200 South. Bright LED signs warn automobile drivers not to turn while the train is turning. [closeup view].

[picture] Heading east on 200 South, TRAX passes the Old Greektown station.

[picture] Near the Arena station is the former Union Pacific railroad station, which is now a shopping and entertainment complex.

[picture] A train turns from Temple Street onto Main Street, entering the City Center station. An afternoon rush-hour crowd fills the platform.

[picture] To handle those crowds, rush-hour trains to Sandy are four cars long. This one has just left City Center and is crossing 100 South as it heads south on Main Street.

[picture] A northbound train on Main Street at 100 South.

[picture #1] | [picture #2] The Medical Center station, at the end of the University line, has good views of the mountains.

[front] | [back] A single-trip ticket from a vending machine.

[picture] The Pioneer Memorial Museum houses a predecessor to TRAX: a mule-drawn streetcar that ran in Salt Lake City from 1872 to 1893.

This page was last updated on 24 June 2008.

Presbyterian College > Academic Web Server > Jon Bell > Transit > (Cities | Types) > Salt Lake City > Light Rail

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