TRAX (light rail)
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, are operated by the Utah Transit Authority (UTA). The North-South Line opened in 1999 and has 16 stations, with an additional station currently under construction. It runs from the Delta Center in downtown Salt Lake City and ends at the Sandy Civic Center. In 2001 the University Line opened, connecting to the North-South Line at Gallivan Plaza and running eastward to Rice-Eccles Stadium at the University of Utah. In 2003 the University Line was extended to the northeast past the Jon M. Huntsman Center and Fort Douglas, terminating at the University Medical Center. The University Line has 7 stations, for a total of 23 in the entire system.
Several expansions of the system have been proposed for the future. The Mid-Jordan Line will extend southwest from Fashion Place West Station in Murray into Midvale, West Jordan and South Jordan; the North-South Line would extend south into Draper; the University Line would extend west to Salt Lake City International Airport; and another new line would extend west from South Salt Lake into West Valley City, serving the E Center and Valley Fair Mall. Dates have not yet been set on any of these projects. In the long term, lines may be constructed north into Davis County, possibly to connect to the Lagoon Amusement Park in Farmington, and south into Utah County. These extensions would not be expected until after 2020 at the earliest.
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 trolley cars along this route is currently underway.[1]
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, 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 ahead of schedule and in advance of the Olympics; the extension to the University Medical Center was completed more than a year ahead of schedule. On July 7, 2005, the Mid-Jordan Line was approved for construction, to be completed by 2009. Most of the planned route is in an existing rail corridor, allowing a simpler environmental review and construction process. Current plans call for 9 new stations on the line, which, including 900 South Station currently under construction, would bring the entire system to a total of 33 stations.
Trax Stations
| Station Number | Station Name | Nearby Places | Public Parking Available | Transfers To Routes |
| 1 | Delta Center | Delta Center, West High School, Salt Lake City Union Pacific Depot | No | 22, 119 |
| 2 | Temple Square | Temple Square (The LDS Temple), Abravanel Hall | No | 14, 18, 19, 20, 23, 26, 43, 50, 337, 124, 125, 70 (Night) |
| 3 | City Center | ZCMI Center Mall, Crossroads Plaza Mall | No | 23, 442, 103 |
| 4 | Gallivan Plaza | Transfer to University Line Gallivan Plaza, Wells Fargo Center, One Utah Center |
No | 5, 7, 8, 9, 10, 15, 16, 17, 21, 23, 27, 32, 44, 52, 81, 107, 132, 442 |
| 5 | 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 |
| 900 South (under construction) | ||||
| 6 | Ballpark | Franklin Covey Field | Yes | 16, 17, 66 |
| 7 | Central Pointe | - | Yes | 30, 35, 442 |
| 8 | Millcreek | - | Yes | 31, 37, 41, 131, 137 |
| 9 | Meadowbrook | SLCC- Meadowbrook Campus | Yes | 15, 36, 39, 42, 81, 142, 442 |
| 10 | Murray North | Desert Industries | Yes | 40, 140 |
| 11 | Murray Central | New Hospital?, Murray High | Yes | 10, 12, 84 |
| 12 | Fashion Place West | Fashion Place Mall | Yes | 22, 24, 33, 124, 125, 222 |
| 13 | Midvale Fort Union | - | Yes | 82, 85, 92 (Ski Bus), 98 (Ski Bus) |
| 14 | Midvale Center | - | Yes | 25, 27, 88, 125, 222 |
| 15 | Historic Sandy | - | Yes | 24, 90, 94, 124 |
| 16 | Sandy Civic Center | - | Yes | 12, 24, 222, 33, 41, 46, 47, 124, 125, 133, 143, 345. To Provo: 811, 812, 816, 817 |
See also