UTA TRAX

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**UTA TRAX**
Locale	Salt Lake City Metropolitan Area
Transit type	Light rail
Began operation	1999
No. of lines	2
No. of stations	24
Daily ridership	53,400 (2005)
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8½ in) (standard gauge)
Operator	Utah Transit Authority (UTA)

TRAX Sandy train at the Gallivan Plaza stop in Downtown Salt Lake City

TRAX is a two-line light rail system in Utah's Salt Lake Valley, serving Salt Lake City, South Salt Lake, Murray, Midvale and Sandy. The system, as well as a network of bus routes serving the Wasatch Front, is operated by the Utah Transit Authority (UTA).

The first line, running from downtown Salt Lake City south to Sandy, was completed in 1999. The second line, the University Line, opened in 2001, running east from downtown Salt Lake City to Rice-Eccles Stadium at the University of Utah. The line was extended to the University Medical Center in 2003. Construction on a third line extending from Murray to the Daybreak Community in South Jordan is slated to begin in 2007 and finish by 2009. On December 21, 2006, the Salt Lake County Council voted to impose a sales tax increase that would pay for all 4 of the proposed TRAX lines.

Despite initial skepticism, TRAX now enjoys widespread support. Both the University Line and its extension to the University Medical Center were completed ahead of schedule. Additional expansion has been proposed for the near future, although most of the proposed extensions have yet to be officially approved. A daily ridership of 15,000 was expected for the initial 15 mile line in 1999. Today, the expanded system of 17.5 miles serves an estimated 60,000 passengers each day.^[1] In the fall of 2005, the large number of passengers caused trains' suspensions to drop, preventing doors from closing properly; the problem has since been corrected.^[2]

1 History
2 Trax Stations
3 See also
4 References
5 External links

[edit] History

Light rail in the Salt Lake Valley was originally proposed in the early 1990s to provide an alternative to traffic congestion on I-15, but the idea was met with much criticism. Despite little public support, UTA acquired an underutilized Union Pacific railroad corridor and continued planning, although funding for the project was quite uncertain. After Salt Lake City won the bid for the 2002 Winter Olympics in 1995, UTA leveraged the city's host status to accelerate the process of obtaining funding through the Federal Transit Administration (FTA). Construction began in 1997, but the groundbreaking event was marred by loud protesters, who insisted that light rail would be both 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 16 stations, ridership expectations were quickly met. To the surprise of many, the system was enthusiastically embraced by valley residents and once-skeptical communities soon began clamoring for extensions. Funding for the University Line allowed it to be completed in 2001 with 4 new stations, ahead of schedule and in advance of the Olympics. An extension to the University Medical Center that added 3 new stations was completed in September 2003, 14 months ahead of schedule. An infill station at 900 South was constructed in 2005, and a second infill station, at 9400 South, opened in August 2006. The new line and the two stations planned near the The Gateway will bring the total number of stations to 36.

On July 7, 2005, the Mid-Jordan Line was approved for construction and it is expected to be completed by 2009. As was the case with the two existing lines, federal funds have been requested. This line will branch off from the North-South Line in Murray, crossing into Midvale, West Jordan, and ending at the Daybreak Community in South Jordan. UTA explored the option of a street-running route through historic Midvale and serving the Jordan Landing development before reaching the Daybreak Community; however, a route using an existing rail corridor was selected, which has a lower cost and allows a simpler environmental review and construction process. Current plans call for nine new stations on the line. On February 23, 2006, approval for extending the main line westward to the Salt Lake Intermodal Hub near The Gateway was approved. This will add 2 more stations to the line.^[3] Construction is expected to begin in late 2006. On November 14, 2006, the Draper City Council approved the TRAX extension into the city.^[4] It is currently unknown, however, when the line can be built.

On September 21, 2006, a property tax hike proposal was replaced with a general transportation quarter-cent sales tax hike that was voted on on November 7 of that year. On December 21, 2006, the Salt Lake County Council created a priority list for the sales tax, saying that TRAX and commuter rail should take priority. All four of the proposed TRAX lines (to South Jordan, West Valley City, Draper, and the airport) are expected to be funded under this initiative. The primary funding will be for the South Jordan and West Valley City lines.^[5]

A TRAX spur into the Salt Lake City neighborhood of Sugar House has been contemplated; however, a private effort led by Douglas White to introduce "streetcar" service using historic rail trolleys along this route is currently underway.[1] As of December 2006, UTA, SLC, & SSL have jointly commissioned a Transportation Alternatives Study to examine various transit possibilities on the Sugarhouse Spur. The options will likely include TRAX, Bus Rapid Transit (BRT), and trolley. The study is expected to be completed in August 2007.

On December 13, 2006, the UTA Board of Trustees voted to change the name of Delta Center Station to "Arena"^[6] in response to the renaming of the nearby indoor arena to EnergySolutions Arena.

[edit] Trax Stations

UTA TRAX Route Map

**Salt Lake/Sandy Line**
Station	Serving	Park-and-Ride	Transfers
Arena	EnergySolutions Arena, West High School, Salt Lake City Union Pacific Depot	no	22, 119
Temple Square	Temple Square (The LDS Temple), Abravanel Hall	no	14, 18, 19, 20, 23, 26, 43, 50, 337, 124, 125, 70 (Night)
City Center	ZCMI Center Mall, Crossroads Plaza Mall	no	23, 442, 103
Gallivan Plaza	Gallivan Plaza, Wells Fargo Center, One Utah Center	no	University Line 5, 7, 8, 9, 10, 15, 16, 17, 21, 23, 27, 32, 44, 52, 81, 107, 132, 442
Courthouse	Frank E. Moss United States Courthouse, Scott Matheson Courthouse	no	1, 2, 3, 11, 13, 14, 18, 19, 20, 34, 51, 55, 60, 61, 62, 63, 70, 71, 72, 73, 129, 133, 334, 442, 801, 802, 803, 804
870 South 200 West	-	no	-
Ballpark	Franklin Covey Field	yes	16, 17, 66
Central Pointe	-	yes	30, 35, 442
Millcreek	-	yes	31, 37, 41, 131, 137
Meadowbrook	SLCC- Meadowbrook Campus	yes	15, 36, 39, 42, 81, 142, 442
Murray North	Deseret Industries	yes	40, 140
Murray Central	Intermountain Medical Center (under construction), Murray High School	yes	10, 12, 84
Fashion Place West	Fashion Place Mall	yes	22, 24, 33, 124, 125, 222
Midvale Fort Union	-	yes	82, 85, 92, 98
Midvale Center	-	yes	25, 27, 88, 125, 222
Historic Sandy	-	yes	24, 90, 94, 124
Sandy Expo Station	South Towne Exposition Center, Jordan Commons	no	-
Sandy Civic Center	Sandy City Hall, South Towne Mall	yes	12, 24, 222, 33, 41, 46, 47, 124, 125, 133, 143, 345, 811, 812, 816, 817

**University Line**
Station	Serving	Transfers
Arena	EnergySolutions Arena, West High School, Salt Lake City Union Pacific Depot	22, 119
Temple Square	Temple Square (The LDS Temple), Abravanel Hall	14, 18, 19, 20, 23, 26, 43, 50, 337, 124, 125, 70 (Night)
City Center	ZCMI Center Mall, Crossroads Plaza Mall	23, 442, 103
Gallivan Plaza	Gallivan Plaza, Wells Fargo Center, One Utah Center	Sandy/Salt Lake Line 5, 7, 8, 9, 10, 15, 16, 17, 21, 23, 27, 32, 44, 52, 81, 107, 132, 442
Library	Salt Lake City Public Library, Salt Lake City and County Building	52
Trolley Square	Trolley Square	10
900 East	-	9
Stadium	Rice-Eccles Stadium, West sections of the University of Utah campus	3, 5, 7, 8, 11, 13, 14, 52, 55, 71, 73, 80, 89, 354, 810, 103, 107, 129, 132
University South Campus	South sections of the University of Utah campus	3, 13, 14, 55, 71, 73, 80, 354, 810
Fort Douglas	East sections of the University of Utah campus, including the Fort Douglas Military Museum and the dormitories	3, 73, 89, 103, 810
University Medical Center	University of Utah Health Services Center, Primary Children's Medical Center	3, 73, 89, 103, 810

Park-and-Ride facilities are not provided at the University Line stations, with the exception of University South Campus Station, which shares the TRAX system's only structured parking garage with the University LDS Institute.

**Mid-Jordan Line (completion expected by 2009)**
Station	Serving
Fashion Place West	Fashion Place Mall
Bingham Junction	Midvale Historic District
Gardner Village	Gardner Village, Jordan River trail system
Redwood Road	West Jordan City Hall, History Museum, Main Park, Library and historic shopping district; Sugar Factory Playhouse, Utah Third District Courthouse
2700 West	Gene Fullmer Recreation Center, Dunford Bakeries
Bangerter Highway	Jordan Valley Hospital, Salt Lake Community College, Fairchild Semiconductor, Cate Field
4800 West	Bingham Creek Library, Glenmor Golf Course
5600 West	-
Daybreak North	Daybreak Community
Daybreak South	Daybreak Community, The District