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Salt Lake City Light Rail 5/7-8/2019

I wanted to ride all of Salt Lake City's light rail system and came up with a plan to do it over a couple of days. The first day we bought a Day Pass and after that I used my Event Transit Pass I had purchased for the NRHS convention.

TRAX is a light rail system in the Salt Lake Valley of Utah, serving Salt Lake City and many of its suburbs throughout Salt Lake County. Its official name is Transit Express, though this name is rarely used. The system is operated by the Utah Transit Authority (UTA). All TRAX trains are electric, receiving power from overhead trolley wires.

TRAX has 50 stations on three lines. The Blue Line provides service from Downtown Salt Lake City to Draper. The Red Line provides service from the University of Utah to the Daybreak Community of South Jordan. The Green Line provides service from Salt Lake City International Airport to West Valley City.

All of UTA's TRAX and FrontRunner trains and stations, streetcars and streetcar stops, and all fixed route buses are compliant with Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and are therefore accessible to those with disabilities. Signage at the stations, on the passenger platforms, and on the trains and streetcars clearly indicates accessibility options. Ramps on the passenger platform and assistance from the train operator may be necessary for wheelchair boarding on Blue Line trains. These ramps are not used on the Red or Green lines. In accordance with the Utah Clean Air Act and UTA ordinance, "smoking" is prohibited on UTA vehicles as well as UTA bus stops, TRAX stations, and FrontRunner.

TRAX operates seven days a week with the exception of some holidays. It operates Monday through Friday from approximately 4:30 am to 11:30 pm with a fifteen-minute headway on each line during the entirety of operating hours. It operates weekends from approximately 5:00 am to nearly midnight with a twenty-minute headway.

The first line, running from downtown Salt Lake City south to Sandy, was completed in 1999. The second line from downtown to the University of Utah was completed in 2001 and extended in 2003. An extension to the Salt Lake City Intermodal Hub was completed in April 2008. In August 2011, two extensions to South Jordan and West Valley City were completed. With the opening of these two extensions in 2011, the TRAX lines were renamed as colors instead of destinations, with the Blue Line running from the Salt Lake City Intermodal Hub to Sandy, the Red Line running from the University of Utah Medical Center to the Daybreak community in South Jordan, and the Green Line running from the intermodal hub to the West Valley Intermodal Hub.

In 2013 the Green Line was realigned slightly north and away from the Salt Lake City Intermodal Hub, allowing for the opening of the extension to the Salt Lake City International Airport. Several months later, in August 2013, the Blue Line was extended further south to Draper (which opened August 18, 2013). The extensions to South Jordan, West Valley City, Draper and the Airport were funded in part by a Salt Lake County sales tax increase that would pay for all four of the proposed TRAX extensions. A letter of intent signed with the Federal Transit Administration on September 24, 2007 secured the remaining funding for the light rail lines. Both the University Line and its extension to the University Medical Center were completed ahead of schedule. A daily ridership of 15,000 was expected for the initial 15-mile line in 1999. By the beginning of 2008, the expanded system of 17.5 miles served an estimated 40,000 passengers each day. Ridership for the fourth quarter of 2012 was reported to be at 60,600, making it the ninth-busiest light rail system in the country.

Light rail in the Salt Lake Valley was first seriously discussed in the late 1980s to provide an alternative to traffic congestion on I-15 but the idea was met with criticism. On October 10, 1988, Congress approved $5 million in funds to preserve land along the proposed light rail corridor. Funding for the light rail line, however, remained uncertain. After Salt Lake City won the bid for the 2002 Winter Olympics in 1995, UTA used the City's host status to accelerate obtaining funding through the Federal Transit Administration. Construction began in 1997. Protesters at the groundbreaking insisted light rail would be dangerous and a waste of money. Public opinion remained divided and businesses on Main Street in downtown Salt Lake City suffered during the construction period.

After the north-south line opened in late 1999 with sixteen stations, ridership expectations were quickly met. The system was enthusiastically embraced by valley residents, to the surprise of many, and once-skeptical communities soon began clamoring for extensions.

Funding for the University Line to Rice-Eccles Stadium allowed it to be completed in 2001 with four new stations, ahead of schedule and the Olympics. An extension to the University Medical Center that added three new stations was completed on September 29, 2003, fifteen months ahead of schedule. An infill station at 900 South in Salt Lake City was constructed in 2005, and a second infill station, at 9400 South in Sandy (Sandy Expo), opened in August 2006. On December 13, 2006, the UTA Board of Trustees voted to change the name of the station next to the Delta Center to "Arena" in response to the renaming of the nearby indoor arena to EnergySolutions Arena.

On February 23, 2006, plans for extending the main line westward to the current Salt Lake City Intermodal Hub near the Gateway were approved. Two stations were built near the Gateway, as well as one at the Salt Lake Central Station (Salt Lake Intermodal Hub). They opened in April 2008, bringing the total number of stations to 28.

UTA has two service centers for TRAX maintenance: the Lovendahl Rail Service Center, which is just off the Red Line in Midvale, southwest of its junction with the Blue Line, and the Jordan River Service Center, which is just off the Green Line northeast of River Trail. The Salt Lake City Southern Railroad, a subsidiary of the Utah Railroad, operates freight service over TRAX tracks via trackage rights.

In order to support planned TRAX expansion, UTA ordered 77 Siemens S70 light rail vehicles from Siemens AG. It was the company's largest light rail contract in the United States to date.

In 2008, construction began on two new extensions: one extension of 5.1 miles (8.2 through West Valley City (now part of the Green Line) and another extension of 10.6 miles through the southwest portion of the Salt Lake Valley (now part of the Red Line). Both extensions were debuted in ceremonial openings on August 2, 2011, and permanently opened for regular service on August 7. Both extensions were completed ahead of schedule and under budget. Upon completion of these expansions UTA adopted a color-code line names in place of their old destination-based line names.

A line from Salt Lake City International Airport to the University of Utah was in the original plans for the system to be completed before the 2002 Winter Olympics, but funding shortages only allowed the eastern portion to be constructed. The airport line eventually came to fruition, however and ground was broken on October 22, 2008. The extension opened on April 14, 2013, adding 6 miles and six additional stations to the Green Line, including a transfer station to the FrontRunner.

On November 14, 2006, the Draper City Council approved the TRAX extension into that city. Neighbors in the area have continually fought the route suggested by UTA. The route follows an old rail line and UTA already owned the right of way. An alternative route that would run down the middle of State Street was also studied by UTA. Use of the UTA right of way for the line was challenged in court and later approved by the Utah Supreme Court on July 12, 2008. UTA published a draft Environmental Impact Statement for the new line that names the UTA right of way as the preferred route. The extension's first phase, which includes 3.5 miles and three new stations, opened on August 18, 2013. A second phase will extend the line further south to 14600 South (near I-15, Exit 288), but the UTA has not announced the dates for the construction and completion of this further extension.

When the FrontRunner (UTA's commuter rail train) started running on April 26, 2006, the only transfer station between the FrontRunner and TRAX was Salt Lake Central (Salt Lake Intermodal Hub), with the FrontRunner running north from that station to Ogden. However, with the opening of the FrontRunner South extension on December 10, 2012, with service south to Provo, Murray Central was added as second transfer station. Although not part of the FrontRunner South extension, FrontRunner service at the new North Temple Bridge/Guadalupe station also began on the same day. When the Airport extension of the Green Line opened for service on April 14, 2013, this station became the third transfer station between FrontRunner and TRAX. The FrontRunner portion of this station was built to provide a transfer station between FrontRunner and the Green Line, since the reroute of the Green Line for the Airport extension would have left the Green Line without any common station with FrontRunner.

For several years a TRAX spur into the Salt Lake City neighborhood of Sugar House had been contemplated. A series of community meetings were held in Sugar House as part of a larger transit study undertaken by UTA. Several transit alternatives were presented to the neighborhood, including bus rapid transit, light rail, and a streetcar. The streetcar seemed to be the preferred alternative. On October 20, 2010, the S Line (known then as Sugar House Streetcar) received a $26 million federal grant that allowed the street car to be completed in less than two years. It used an existing rail line running along 2200 South from the Central Pointe TRAX Station to approximately 1100 East, near the primary Sugar House shopping district. The first phase of the S Line openedon December 8, 2013.

Bob, Robin and I walked over to the Arena station to wait for a trolley to come in that would take us to Gallivan Plaza. This was due to construction at the junction of the Green, Blue and Red Lines. Passengers had to walk three blocks to continue a trip to Draper or West Valley Central or a block and a half to a temporary stop called West Library, just short of the construction zone. UTA is rebuilding the junction switches at this location.

We just missed a Blue Line train with its destination as Draper. So we waited for the next train on that track.

Next came a Green Line train to the airport which would end up being the last line I would ride.

The Union Pacific station, now known as Gateway Center, does not have any tracks near it anymore, which is a shame.

We boarded the West Valley Central train to Gallivan Plaza. On this train we stopped at Temple Square, Civic Center and of course, Gallivan Plaza.

Turning the corner between Temple Square and Civic Center. We arrived at Gallivan Plaza then walked the three blocks to Courthouse where we would board the next train that arrived.

Our train at Gallivan Plaza.

Views of the construction as we walked to the Red Line train at its temporary station of West Library.

Our train arrived bound for Draper. We stopped at 900 South, Ballpark, Central Pointe, Millcreek, Meadowbrook, Murray North, Murray Central (where there is a connection to the FrontRunner), Fashion Place West, Midvale Fort Union, Midvale Center, Historic Sandy, Sandy Expo, Sandy Civic Center, Crescent View, Kimball Lane and ended up at Draper Town Center.

North American Dispatch refrigerator car NADX 6199.

At Draper, they added one car making this set a three-car train; something I had never seen before with a light rail trainset.

This is our Red Line train which is a one-car shuttle train that goes from Fashion Place West to Daybreak Parkway due to construction.

The inside of the empty car.

The fake Draper water tower. We rode back north to Fashion Place West where Robin and I detrained and Bob kept going as he needed to ride the S Line Streetcar, which Robin and I would do later.

Our train heading north with Bob on it.

A train to Draper coming through the station.

The Red Line shuttle train, due to construction, would only run from Fashion Place West to Daybreak Parkway.

Fashion Place West. On this train, we stopped at Bingham Junction, Historic Gardner, West Jordan Center, Sugar Factory Road, Jordan Valley, 4800 West Old Bingham Highway, 5600 West Old Bingham Highway, South Jordan Parkway and the end of the line at Daybreak Parkway. We returned to Fashion Place West.

Savage Railroad locomotives out along the Red Line that we stumbled upon.

The end of the track at Daybreak Parkway.

Our train at Daybreak Parkway. We returned to Fashion Place West.

Utah Railroad locomotives.

UTA shops on the Red Line on the way to Center Pointe.

The one-car train at Center Pointe which would be the Green Line connecting train that would take us out to West Valley Central.

Union Pacific Roper Yard, the former Denver and Rio Grande Western yard for Salt Lake City.

The UTA shops for the Red Line. On this train we would make stops at River Trail, Redwood Junction, Decker Lake and West Valley Central.

Jordan River.

The train at West Valley Central which we then took back to Center Pointe.

The construction information posted on all trains. We returned to Center Pointe and would now wait for the S Line Streetcar to arrive.

The S Line streetcar built by Siemens arriving at Center Pointe. This streetcar would stop at South Salt Lake City, 300 East, 500 East, 700 East, Sugar Mount and Fairmont. We called Elizabeth who told us there was a Habit within walking distance, so Robin and I enjoyed a very good meal with me having my plain Tri Tip sandwich on sourdough.

The streetcar at Fairmont. I came back to the station first as Robin was still finishing and waited for the next streetcar to take me back.

My streetcar arrives at Fairmont.

A view of a passing streetcar.

The streetcar has returned to Center Pointe.

I managed to catch this train but Robin was left standing at the door so he went straight back to the hotel after detouring around Courthouse and Gallivan Plaza. I took this train back to Courthouse, walked a short distance to the Library West station and waited for the next Red Line train to University Medical Center.

The train came in and we made stops at Library, Trolley, 900 East, Stadium then looped around the Utes Stadium to University South Campus, Fort Douglas and University Medical Center.

Fort Douglas.

The end of the line at University Medical Center.

My train at University Medical Center.

Sunset pictures with a storm brewing for the stormwatch. From here, I took the train back to West Library. The crossing guard stopped traffic for me and I walked the one long block to the joint Green and Blue station and took the next train that arrived back to Arena.

My last train of the day at Arena station after I detrained. I took this picture then spotted someone who looked very familiar. It turned out to be Chris Parker who was trying to surprise us by being there but I wrecked his surprise. Sorry, Chris. I met Elizabeth in the lobby and we wrote the trip to Helper story. With that done and early 4:45 AM alarm, we called it a night.

5/8/19 After the trip to Ogden, I still had light rail to ride so Elizabeth joined me and we walked back to Arena station and headed out to the Salt Lake City Airport.

We first saw a Green line train to Salt Lake Central.

Next a Blue Line train to Draper came by us.

A Green line train to the Airport then arrived.

The Devereaux Mansion.

A Blue Line train to Salt Lake Central. We boarded that trolley and stopped at Planetarium, Old Greektown and Salt Lake Central.

Two trains passing each other.

At Salt Lake Central, trolleys on the end of the track.

Our trolley at Salt Lake Central.

The Rio Grande station in Salt Lake City which is no longer in use.

Union Pacific local power waits across from the Salt Lake Central station.

The Amtrak station in Salt Lake City.

Looking up the street toward the Radisson Hotel.

A Green Line train to the airport. We went back to the lobby and worked on this story up to this point.

The Vivint Smart Home Arena, home of the Utah Jazz and other events.

The Utah Jazz symbol out in front.

A Green Line trolley bound for West Valley Central, really to Gallivan Plaza. From here we walked into the old Union Pacific Salt Lake City station.

Mural depicting the joining of the Transcontinental Railroad at Promontory Summit.

Stained glass of the buffalo and the cowboy.

Stained glass of the stagecoach and the railroad.

Mural of coal mining in Utah.

Another Blue Line trolley with the Sinclair Gasoline Company dinosaur.

The Union Pacific Salt Lake City station. We walked back across the street and waited for our trolley to the airport.

This trolley stopped at North Temple Bridge, Jackson/Euclid, Fairpark, Power, 1040 West North Temple and then made its way to Salt Lake City International Airport.

The Utah Railroad train passes through North Temple Bridge UTA station.

End of track at the Airport station.

Our trolley at the Salt Lake City Airport station. The two of us rode this train back to Fairpark as we had spotted a few items of interest.

Stormy skies on the way back from the airport to Fairpark station.

Promontory Chapter NRHS UP 1836 "Janice L" observation car at the Salt Lake, Garfield and Western yard.

Salt Lake, Garfield and Western MP15AC DS-11.

The Salt Lake, Garfield and Western shop building and offices.

Salt Lake Garfield and Western sign board along the bike trail northwest of the shop building.

Looking east toward the Wasatch Mountains.

Our Green Line train back to Arena came into Fairpark.

Our train after we detrained at the Arena station. We returned to the Radisson and met Robin and Bob and went to JB's Restaurant for dinner. I returned to the Radisson and worked on stories before calling it a night.

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