The Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) selected an HDR-led team to provide program management services for its nearly $1 billion FrontRunner Strategic Double Track project.

The project will add at least nine new segments of double track along the 83-mile FrontRunner commuter rail system and update signaling systems throughout the corridor.

When complete, the project is expected to improve the frequency of the system’s peak hour service from 30 minutes to 15 minutes, increase overall service capacity by 55%, and enhance reliability.

The Scope of HDR’s Work

HDR will manage the overall scope, schedule, and cost of the project in coordination with UDOT and the Utah Transit Authority. This includes assistance in the selection of a project delivery method, environmental documentation, federal grant support, project controls implementation, risk analysis, public outreach, preliminary engineering design, design review, and more.

The current FrontRunner system, extending from Ogden to Provo, has 61 miles of single track and 22 miles of double track. Northbound and southbound trains share the same track along most of the corridor, so any disruption can cause cascading delays.

The Strategic Double Track project will roughly double the amount of double track, allowing for more frequent trains and more reliable service. As part of the project, UTA will also purchase 10 more train sets to accommodate the expanded capacity.

“The FrontRunner serves as one of the most critical elements of Utah’s transit system, and this important expansion will provide exciting new mobility options to the state’s rapidly expanding population,” said Sr. Project Manager Mark Fuhrmann, who is leading HDR’s team on the project. “HDR’s experts have supported agencies across North America in completing similar double track projects, and I look forward to the day when we add the FrontRunner to that growing list of success stories.”