Provo (Amtrak station)

This article is about the Amtrak train station in Provo, Utah. For the nearby Utah Transit Authority FrontRunner commuter rail station, see Provo (UTA station).
Provo
Amtrak inter-city rail station

Provo Amtrak Station passenger shelter
(view looking north from the track side)
Location 300 West 600 South
Provo, Utah 84601[1]
 United States
Coordinates 40°13′33″N 111°39′50″W / 40.22583°N 111.66389°WCoordinates: 40°13′33″N 111°39′50″W / 40.22583°N 111.66389°W
Owned by Union Pacific Railroad, except parking lot, which is owned by the City of Provo[2]
Line(s)
Platforms 1 side platform
Tracks 2
Connections Utah Transit Authority's FrontRunner station very close by, which includes intra-county and local bus service
Construction
Structure type At-grade
Parking 6 long term parking spaces[1]
Disabled access Yes
Other information
Station code PRO
History
Opened 24 May 2002[3]
Traffic
Passengers (2014) 5,299[4]Decrease 15.4%
Services
Preceding station   Amtrak   Following station
toward Emeryville
California Zephyr
toward Chicago
Closed in 1999
toward Emeryville
Closed in 1986
toward Emeryville
  Former services  
toward Los Angeles
Desert Wind
Discontinued in 1997
toward Chicago
toward Seattle
Pioneer
Before 1991 reroute
Location
Location of the Provo Amtrak Station
Location of Provo Amtrak Station within Utah

The Provo Amtrak Station is a train station in Provo, Utah, United States that is served daily by Amtrak's (the national railroad passenger system) California Zephyr, which runs once daily between Chicago, Illinois and Emeryville, California (in the San Francisco Bay Area).[Note 1] (The next westbound stop is in Salt Lake City and the next eastbound stop is in Helper, Utah.)

Description

The station is located on the north side of the tracks and south of 600 South at 300 West. It is easily accessible from 200 West and has six paved parking spaces. There are no services provided at the station (i.e., ticketing, restrooms, lounge, etc.). The station is within walking distance of downtown Provo. The station is located within a Quiet Zone, so all trains (including Utah Transit Authority's FrontRunner and Union Pacific's) do not routinely sound their horns when approaching public crossings within this corridor.[6][7]

Even though UTA's FrontRunner commuter rail line uses the same right-of-way through downtown Provo that is used by the California Zephyr, UTA built its own station. That station is located one block east on the south side of the tracks. However, there is easy pedestrian access between the two stations and the UTA connecting intra-county and local bus routes. The FrontRunner provides commuter rail service north to Salt Lake City and Ogden, and stops in between.

History

The station was little more than a plexiglas bus shelter along the tracks until 2002,[8] when it was replaced by three decorative shelters, one of which is mostly enclosed and heated. The new station opened 14 May 2002 and cost $120,000 with funds coming from Provo City, Amtrak, and a federal grant. In-kind contributions were also provided by Provo City.[9][2]

Beginning in 1983, both the Desert Wind (with service from Chicago to Los Angeles) and the Pioneer (with service from Chicago to Seattle) previously stopped at the Provo Station. Service by the Pioneer was dropped when that train was rerouted through Wyoming in 1991 (the train was later discontinued altogether in 1997). Service by the Desert Wind ended when Amtrak discontinued that train in 1997 (at the same time as the Pioneer was discontinued). Although the ultimate western end of the line for the Desert Wind was in Los Angeles (southwest of the Provo Station), the train route ran north to Salt Lake City before heading south to its next stop in Milford, Utah (Delta from 1983-1988).

Notes

  1. As of 13 January 2014, the previous schedule continues with the westbound train (Route 5) scheduled to stop at 9:26 pm and the eastbound train (Route 6) scheduled to stop at 4:35 am.[5]

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 "Provo, UT (PRO)". amtrak.com. Amtrak. Retrieved 11 Dec 2012.
  2. 2.0 2.1 "Great American Stations: Provo, UT (PRO)". greatamericanstations.com. Amtrak. Retrieved 11 Dec 2012.
  3. "Officials celebrate: completion of new train depot in Provo". Daily Herald (Provo, Utah: Lee Enterprises). 14 May 2002. p. A3. Retrieved 4 May 2013. |first1= missing |last1= in Authors list (help)
  4. "Amtrak Fact Sheet, FY2014, State of Utah" (PDF). amtrak.com. Amtrak. Nov 2014. Retrieved 13 March 2015.
  5. "California Zephyr" (PDF). amtrak.com. Amtrak. 13 Jan 2014. p. 2. Retrieved 3 Jan 2014.
  6. Hesterman, Billy (29 Nov 2012). "No more horns: Quiet zone now in effect for trains". Daily Herald (Provo, Utah: Lee Enterprises). Retrieved 4 May 2013.
  7. "Front Runner South FAQs". rideuta.com. Utah Transit Authority. Retrieved 4 May 2013.
  8. "Amtrak depot may get makeover Company agrees to fund project if Provo takes lead". Deseret News (Salt Lake City: Deseret Digital Media). Associated Press. 20 Mar 1999. Retrieved 4 May 2013.,
  9. Stewart, Amy K (16 May 2002). "New train station opens in Provo". Daily Herald (Provo, Utah: Lee Enterprises). Retrieved 4 May 2013.

External links