Utah opens FrontRunner South rail extension

Utah Transit Authority’s (UTA) FrontRunner, the state’s first commuter rail line, recently expanded its service with the opening of the FrontRunner South extension, which enables passengers to travel between Salt Lake City and Provo in about an hour.

FrontRunner South is one of five rail projects that comprise UTA’s FrontLines 2015 program. Parsons Brinckerhoff serves as program manager to UTA on the FrontLines 2015 program.

The 45-mile extension of FrontRunner doubles the length of the line when combined with FrontRunner North, which began operating between Ogden and Salt Lake City in 2008. FrontRunner, a diesel locomotive system with bi-level passenger coaches equipped with free Wi-Fi, travels at speeds up to 79 miles per hour. Park-and-ride lots and bus staging areas are located at each of the 15 stations; three stations feature cross-platform transfers to TRAX, UTA’s light rail system.

The projects in the FrontLines 2015 program were designed to provide area residents with transportation options and to enhance mobility for motorists by decreasing traffic congestion through the addition of 70 miles of rail to the existing 64-mile network in seven years.