Salt Lake City | Transit and Airport Developments
 

Fellow Forumer SLCrising takes us to the debut of Salt Lake City's new Commuter, "FrontRunner" and the new 400 West TRAX light rail line

http://www.provo.org/img/Image/mayor/railcar.jpg
UTA
:banana: :banana: UTA FrontRunner up and running today:banana: :banana:

Beginning Monday, the new downtown TRAX intermodal line will connect FrontRunner passengers with light-rail...

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/1...273908,00.html

All Pics by SLCrising

Quote:

Originally Posted by SLCrising (Post 3512912) Salt Lake Central http://img516.imageshack.us/img516/5936/dsc00159bq1.jpg Love the dual platforms at SL Central http://img516.imageshack.us/img516/9164/dsc00161zs1.jpg TRAX at Intermodal Hub The connection is complete, I still wish the hub expansion was complete. http://img516.imageshack.us/img516/7101/dsc00167fe8.jpg Old Greek Town Station There are going to be some happy, happy tenants along 2nd South. http://img516.imageshack.us/img516/2373/dsc00149ct4.jpg Planetarium Station http://img516.imageshack.us/img516/1863/dsc00175zd5.jpg http://img516.imageshack.us/img516/7424/dsc00174nn9.jpg New TRAX Line along 4th West http://img516.imageshack.us/img516/3828/dsc00179iq8.jpg TRAX rounding the curve at UP Depot With new Fidelity Building in background. http://img516.imageshack.us/img516/6614/dsc00178ye7.jpg New TRAX ticket machine http://img516.imageshack.us/img516/4606/dsc00171yn8.jpg

by SLCrising
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Looks great! I checked out the schedule - that's amazing frequency for a new commuter rail line:

http://www.rideuta.com/projects/commuterRail/maps.aspx

Hi Seasky, thanks for looking at the thread on our beautiful Front Runner. Yes, it is a nice schedule, daily headways of 30 minutes is impressive. I like the fact it runs 5am till about midnight, I believe even the Sounder there in Seattle runs mainly during rush hours, is that correct?

We have a real opportunity here to get people out of their cars and an expanded schedule to fit many peoples' schedules will do just that. The air quality here can get bad as we live in a bowl, so this is just what was needed.

Come down to SLC sometime and check it out!!

Just wanted to thank Delts145....
 

...for starting this thread, it gives alot of people outside our area to see what is going on here in Northern Utah.

I was real fortunate to get close to the two locomotives that came nose to nose during the opening ceremonies today. If you are outside of our state, you might remember that back in the mid 19th Century, the construction of the Trans Continental railroads was completed here in Utah. It is referred to as the Golden Spike. But anyhow, the nose-to-nose of the locos was done as a symbolic gesture of that achievement.

It is a reminder of how we have progressed in Transportation in this country, yet looks forward to the many, many possibilities that lie ahead.

I suspect gas will exceed $4 a gallon in most parts of the country soon, so let us look as this as a way to promote a greener Earth.

SLCrising

P.S. Our transit agency has begun planning a 50 mile extension of FrontRunner to the south.

You're right about the Sounder - it currently has a total of six trips each way on the south route to Tacoma (one is a reverse commute - from Seattle to Tacoma in the morning and from Tacoma to Seattle in the evening) and three trips each way on the north route to Everett (plus two Amtrak trains that accept Sounder passes). All trips happen during rush hours and there's no service on weekends outside of sporting events and other special event stuff. They've taken an incremental approach to increasing service - primarily due to funding but there are also some issues with sharing the tracks with freight and Amtrak service.

They're currently considering another ballot measure for November - one option is add another 12 trips (6 RT) on the Tacoma Sounder line.

Here's the latest expansion proposal:

http://future.soundtransit.org/proposed.aspx

Congrats on launching the new SLC line!

After looking at the TRAX schedule, I have to say that frequencies are downright embarrassing for a light rail line.:haha:

Congrats on the Commuter Rail!

Are there any LRV purchases required for TRAX?

The frequencies are low, but that's probably all the demand there is for the service right now.

I noticed quite a few future LRT projects on the website, how bad are your NIMBYs? ;)

^ this isn't a light rail line, its heavy rail. Really, really heavy too - the specs on those locos are ~150 tons!

I'm pretty amazed to see that you guys get all-day schedule. That's more than just mere 'commuter rail.'

^^^
Hey Zilfondel, There was the inaguration yesterday of both the 'Commuter FrontRunner,' (heavy rail) and also the new '400 West TRAX lightrail line' was just completed. Both are shown in SLCrising's pics. :tup:

FrontRunner service starts amid festivities - Officials hail return of cummuter rail to Utah

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/1...274205,00.html

Kids and Trains, "You got to love it!!" :haha:
http://www.deseretnews.com/photos/midres/5434627.jpg
( Keith Johnson, Dereret News)

http://www.deseretnews.com/photos/midres/5434616.jpg
(Keith Johnson, Deseret News)
A FrontRunner Commuter-rail train arrives Saturday at the new intermodal hub in Salt Lake City. ( Keith Johnson, Dereret News)

http://www.deseretnews.com/photos/midres/5434629.jpg
Children line the tracks at the Farmington station on Saturday as they wait for the arrival of the FrontRunner commuter-rail train. Celebrations were held all along the route. (Keith Johnson, Deseret News)


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As an Angelino, one of the things that has impressed me most about this Metro, is the way they are embracing and supporting the Commuter Rail advent. Salt Lake Metro is booming, and the people seem deternined to keep up with new lines opening and others beginning construction like crazy. As far as NIMBY's, there has been one upscale community, (Draper) which is asking for a route adjustment. But so far every town council is screaming for their own line. Mayors and Councils are loving the mixed-use TOD's that are going up all along the commuter corridors.

I've never seen such clamoring for mass-transit by the general populace. I think a lot of it has to do with so many newbys moving in from the coasts, where commuter rail is prevalent. Also, there's a significant part of the adult population which have served as missionarys in all parts of the world, where of course commuter service is highly valued.

As far as scheduling frequency, that will continue to increase as new lines continue to open and the ongoing boom of TOD's, a new stadium, and the 'Downtown density boom' comes on-line.

Is a train every 15 minutes really that infrequent?
I would imagine that is right about where other cities are with light rail, no?

When you consider that the lines come together downtown at staggered times, there is a train through downtown every 7 minutes. Not bad if you ask me.

Here's a new map of the system for those who are interested:

http://www.rideuta.com/images/08NEWRailCarMap.jpg

The red and blue lines are existing light rail, the purple is the new commuter rail line, and the rest are in various stages of planning and construction. The plan is to have them all finished by 2015:
http://www.rideuta.com/projects/fron.../overview.aspx

:tup:
 

Nice. How much does it cost?

I think all your transit officials should come to Philadelphia! :jester:
Then we could have good transit, too!

15 minutes is the most infrequent the CTrain runs (with a few oddball exceptions late at night) and thats only on Sundays, every other day is worst 10 minute frequency, plus we also have a shared portion so the downtown has service about every 7 minutes at the worst. During peak we're starting to butt into the maximum frequency with trains every 3 or so minutes in the downtown.

Looking at pictures of low floor stations makes me jealous though, can't wait until our future SE line gets built since its likely to be similar design.

The commuter rail looks really nice. The light rail...not so much.

It looks high floor...is it?
Its a bit pricey for what it is.
The website sucks
The frequencies are slow.


Its a start though, hopefully itll get better.

The frequencies on the commuter rail are very impressive.

I think for the city of our size, we have awesome freqency. You have to remember, transit in the US has not always been embraced, as we pretty much went to our cars for everything. That obviously is changing. People are more interested in living and working downtown as opposed to the suburban commute.

This is evident when you look at the amount of new residential condo projects being constructed in the city core.

For me 15 minute frequency would be "check the schedule and arrive a few minutes prior" frequency.

For the city I consider 5 minutes or better "frequent", 6-10 minutes "semi-frequent", and 11+ minutes "infrequent".

You can't expect the same in the outer suburbs, so there I consider 10 minutes or better to be excellent frequency, and even 15 minutes to be very good.

If you're very patient, 15 minutes might be fine.

Yeah, I once lived in DC and used Metro, that was high frequency to the max.

Living in Toronto, 15 minutes is a pretty long wait for me. But when I used to live in Brampton, 15 minutes was high frequency service, and I thought it was pretty good.

SLC isn't DC or Toronto.

The frequencies on both the commuter rail and light rail are INCREDIBLE for a city of SLC's density and the length of time that each train has existed.

Bravo.

I know I've seen mention of several TOD's happening - how successful have these been? What has been the density of these projects?

To answer some of the questions that have been asked:

Light rails cars are high floor, the Commuter Rail cars are bi-level but the lower level is flush with the platform, so you might call that "low-floor"

A monthly pass for Frontrunner and the rest of the system is $145
A monthly pass for light rail/bus only is around $50

Most of the new TOD's are still under construction. There are a few townhouse/condo developments that are doing quite well along the original light rail line, but nothing that is truly mixed use has been finished yet.

:tup: Hey Gordo, I've posted a couple of video links below of two of the TOD's that are going up. The first one is 'Birkhill at Fireclay' in the heart of Murray, which is about 10 minutes from Downtown. Our own forumer,'Arkhitektor' is personally involved with this one. The second one is 'City Creek', which is at the heart of Downtown.

Salt Lake City Metro - Birkhill at Fireclay TOD - Under Construction

Downtown Salt Lake City - City Creek Center - Mixed Use TOD - Under Construction

This is the new City Creek Center, under construction at the heart of Downtown. It will cover 2 1/2 (25 acres) Salt Lake City blocks. Light Rail will pass at both the north perimeter and also through the center. Keep in mind that it is not too detailed yet, as far as the finish materials on the buildings. Materials used will be natural brick, and stone & granite panels throughout, (no overabundance of stucco here, thank goodness.) I apologize in advance, if the soundtrack sticks in your head.

Video Link http://www.downtownrising.com/city_creek/

http://www.downtownrising.com/city_c...esidential.jpg
downtownrising.com

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:previous: Those are both quite impressive.

I was going to say something about they like 'em big in Texas but then realised we're not in Kansas anymore toto...

They are frigging enormous locos.

Train packed as Wasatch Fronters check out FrontRunner

Audio Slideshow LINK: http://deseretnews.com/photo/slidesh...587,86,00.html

http://deseretnews.com/photos/midres/5442785.jpg
Michael Brandy, Deseret News

Related Story:

http://deseretnews.com/article/1,5143,695274743,00.html

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Very cool. The frequencies on the commuter rail are impressive. But why didn't they use the old station as the hub?

And though this is very cool...
That's just a ridiculous statement. Philadelphia has far better transit than SLC.

Go, Go, Salt Lake City.
I think it looks great, plus a lot of planning for future lines, that is the wat to think. Hope fully my town Miami, added some light rail and our tri rail commuter line really sucks.

Ideally, when the Gateway shopping center was developed just behind the old UP Depot, they would have made accomodations for future rail service to the original station. Unfortunately Gateway was built like 8 years ago and nobody had the foresight or money to make a way to integrate rail into the mix. It would have been a huge boon for the developer to have thousands of commuters each day making their way through the project.

http://www.publicartinla.com/other_c...in_gateway.jpg

http://www.scaruffi.com/monument/usa2/yello037.jpg

I think that most agree that it would have been awesome to use the one of the two depots in Salt Lake and Union Station in Ogden as hubs, but it would have been wildly expensive to do so, especially in Salt Lake as the tracks have been relocated and neither stations sits adjacent to the line any more.

It would have required going underground with the tracks.
Plus all of the three original stations are being used, either as restaurants or museums or retail and the like. Its not like any of them are just sitting there faliing apart.
In the end, I'm just happy to have commuter rail at all in Salt Lake, and happy that our historic depots haven't been demolished.
Not saying that its perfect, just that I'll take what I can get.

Here is the other depot in Salt Lake (The Rio Grande):
http://www.scaruffi.com/monument/usa2/yello033.jpg

And Union Station in Ogden (Wchich would have been the best candidate for re-use since it is right on the FrontRunner line):
http://theunionstation.org/assets/unionstationimage.jpg

Sure. If the tracks aren't there anymore then it doesn't make sense. That's the right decision.

Too bad, though.

Will Bluffdale or neighbor Draper get future FrontRunner station?

http://extras.mnginteractive.com/liv...en%20lh212.jpg

http://origin.sltrib.com/news/ci_9115941%20?source=rv

DRAPER - Bluffdale is the front-runner for FrontRunner despite its best efforts to keep out the high-speed train.
Neighboring Draper would gladly take it - it's working with a developer on a possible station - but the city might not even get a stop. In February, Bluffdale's City Council voted 3-2 to block the Utah Transit Authority from building a commuter-rail stop at 14200 South along an existing Union Pacific rail line. The majority worried the train would bring traffic and other unwanted growth to the semi-rural city of 7,000 people

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Forbes, In Depth: 10 Best Cities For Commuters

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Cool train, good for SLC. Reminds me of the Rail Runner in Albuquerque since they use the exact same equipment. :tup:

Every 15 minutes is not frequent for light rail, but it's okay. Some examples from Canada:

Edmonton, Alberta - Peak 6 min, Daytime 10 min, Evening 15 min

Calgary, Alberta - Peak 2-4 min, Daytime 10 min, Evening 15 min

Vancouver, BC (automated) - Peak 90 seconds, daytime 3 min, evening 4 min

its amazing what SLC is doing

Good job Salt Lake City!

great work SLC... there must be some pretty progressive planning going on there these days

What I find impressive is that SLC is simultaneously building massive amounts of new mass-transit and road/highway infrastructure!

Mass-Transit:
Airport Line
Draper Line
Jordan Line
West Valley Line
FrontRunner South (SLC to Provo)

Major Road Projects:
Legacy Parkway (A new freeway opening this fall)
I-80 Total Reconstruction and Widening
Mountain View Corridor (New 50+ mile freeway running on Utah County's and Salt Lake County's west sides)
I-15 Total Reconstruction and Expansion (Completely rebuilding 45 miles of I-15 from Lehi to Spanish Fork, in Utah County)
New Freeway for Tooele County

These major projects among countless new arterial and expressway routes, and street widenings.

You add this all up, and we'll be in great shape in the years ahead.

We'll have a great freeway system. A great rail system. And a great network of arterials to supplement it all.

http://static.howstuffworks.com/gif/...guide-ga-2.jpg
UTA/TRAX
Salt Lake City - More neighborhood TOD's completed and under construction

Salt Lake City's New T.O.D Urbanism - Billions in Light Rail and Commuter Rail newly completed and under construction begins to transform a METRO.

http://www.hamlethomes.com/SiteData/...ll_collage.jpg

- Waverly Station - Newly Completed

As a transit-oriented community in South Salt Lake City's, newest community features townhomes now available for sale. Each of these Utah homes for sale features stone and stucco detailed exteriors, two-car garages, attractively landscaped patios that open onto a courtyard and a welcoming and elegant trellis arch entryway located at each end of the green space. The community consists of 161 homes.

http://www.hamlethomes.com/communiti...le.aspx?cid=12

http://www.obeo.com/Public/Viewer/De...p%3fhid%3d1460

http://www.obeo.com/tourimages/39/39...tyard1_500.jpg

http://www.obeo.com/tourimages/39/396465/396465_500.jpg

http://www.obeo.com/Public/Viewer/Vi...roomid=6564298

http://www.obeo.com/Public/Viewer/Vi...roomid=6564291

http://www.obeo.com/Public/Viewer/Vi...roomid=6564279

- Inverness Square - Sold-Out
300 West 4800 South
http://www.hamlethomes.com/SiteData/...erdeenEle1.jpg

http://www.hamlethomes.com/communiti...le.aspx?cid=15

Representing the re-emergence of urban neighborhoods along the Wasatch Front, Inverness Square offers new homes for sale in Utah’s Murray City. Built by Hamlet Homes as the first community of its kind in Murray to embrace principles of New Urbanism, Inverness Square is a walkable, mixed-use neighborhood with tree-lined sidewalks and a common area for families.

As a leading Utah home builder, Hamlet significantly revitalized a former industrial site by building an attractive community with enhanced streetscapes and advanced technologies. Homebuyers looking for new homes in Utah will find unique exteriors that have an urban look and feel including stucco and brick facades. Although these are Utah homes, elevations resemble the downtown residential areas of eastern communities.

Residents will enjoy these Utah homes conveniently located close to I-15, TRAX and Murray City schools, as well as Intermountain Healthcare’s new flagship hospital, the Intermountain Medical Center. In addition, Hamlet’s new homes in Utah will feature innovative, world-class communications, known locally as UTOPIA Community MetroNetTM, an unparalleled broadband fiber optic network that enables users to enjoy the very best in Internet, phone, video and TV services.

:worship: :worship: Birkhill @ Fireclay:worship: :worship: Under Construction

http://www.hamlethomes.com/SiteData/...ElevationB.jpg

http://www.hamlethomes.com/SiteData/...rections-2.jpg

Walkable, accessible and convenient…the essence of Birkhill at Fireclay, an exciting, mixed-use, transit-oriented development (TOD) community located in the heart of Murray City’s 97 acre redevelopment area - Fireclay District. Designed and developed by Hamlet Homes, a leading Utah home builder, these Utah new homes connect homebuyers with beautiful new townhomes and condominiums, as well as commercial leasing space, which offer the best of urban living.

The Birkhill community provides many ways to ‘get connected’; convenient transportation on TRAX, UTA bus lines and bicycle paths, all within walking distance, and I-15 on-ramps just a couple miles away. Maintenance-free living also connects homebuyers to a new sense of freedom. The community’s new homes in Utah are wired with UTOPIA Community MetroNet’s™ fiber optic communications system to connect family, friends and business via voice, Internet and video. Social connections bring like-minded people together who have sought out an urban, walkable, TOD lifestyle. And, Birkhill is working toward LEED® Neighborhood Development certification, so it’s good for our environment, too

Birkhill not only offers homebuyers a ‘get connected’ urban lifestyle, it also provides homebuyers with an opportunity to be among the first to enjoy its sought after benefits – a centrally located, fun and more-convenient way of life.

The community’s attractive and classically designed Utah townhomes and condominiums intermingle with retail shops, restaurants, everyday services and businesses. Tree-lined streets, sidewalk cafes, and beautifully landscaped parks create a special sense of place and encourage a lifestyle that is dynamic, yet relaxed; a lifestyle homebuyers can truly enjoy.


http://www.hamlethomes.com/SiteData/...ElevationA.jpg

http://www.hamlethomes.com/SiteData/...ElevationB.jpg

http://www.hamlethomes.com/SiteData/...ElevationC.jpg

http://www.hamlethomes.com/SiteData/...ElevationE.jpg

- KUHRE SQUARE OFFICE/COMMERCIAL - TOD - Under Construction

:tup: Again, one of many positive outcomes in the continuing growth around TRAX. Big props to the developer for choice of materials and historical design elements.

KUHRE SQUARE OFFICE/COMMERCIAL. Taking reservations now for Spring/Summer 2008 completion. Live and work in Historic Sandy Neighborhood next to Historic Sandy Trax station. New mixed-use zoning. Office spaces will be approximately 3000 SF and residential units will be aproximately 1500 SF.

Kuhre Square

http://www.loopnet.com/Attachments/3...B9C2C6C5__.jpg
KUHRE SQUARE OFFICE/COMMERCIAL. Taking reservations now for Spring/summer 2008 completion.

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TOD - Market Station - South Salt Lake makeover to begin within week / Developers plan 18 acres of condos, office space, retail:banana: :banana:

SOUTH SALT LAKE — Within a week, demolition will begin on 18 acres of dilapidated buildings and hundreds of square feet of unappealing pavement that sits between Main Street and State Street near 2100 South.
A year and a half from now, the area will be transformed into the beginnings of a project that will change the fundamental character of South Salt Lake, said project developer Steve Aste.

The Market Station development will boast a 27-story plus condominium building and 18 other buildings that will house additional owner-occupied housing units, prime office space and retail capacity.

The project is being built next to existing light rail lines, and tied together with a new Sugarhouse Streetcar to be built within the next five years. The development will be community-centered and is planned to be pedestrian-friendly, providing everything from an urban grocery store to a dry cleaning shop and a hotel within yards of residences, according to draft plans obtained by the Deseret Morning News.

"This is taking an area in a very good location and transforming it into something unique and beautiful," Aste said. The Utah developer has been working on the project for the past four years.

The city of South Salt Lake has been a proponent of the project for years and sees it as a way to bring new businesses, new customers and vitality to the city.
In fact, the city will allow half the sales tax generated by the project to go back toward its development for 15 years. It has also created a redevelopment agency, which has decided to allow the project to retain 75 percent of its property taxes over the next 15 years as soon as the land value in the project area appreciates above 2007 levels.

Altogether the $500 million project is expected to retain $25 million it would have paid in property taxes to the city, county, school district and other special tax entities. The project is expected to retain about $1.6 million it would have paid to the city in sales taxes, not accounting for inflation.

Asbestos abatement is expected to begin this week, to be followed within a few months by bulldozers and wrecking balls. In 18 months, the first residences will be ready for move-in, Aste said. The entire project will be completed in phases and could take years to complete.

"Our project's a go," City Council member John Weaver told six other council members during a meeting Tuesday. "There are some new additional details that need to be hammered out, but no one can say now."

A year and a half from now, the area will be transformed into beginnings of a project that will change the fundamental character of South Salt Lake, said project developer Steve Aste.

http://www.deseretnews.com/photos/midres/4717882.jpg

http://www.deseretnews.com/photos/midres/4717880.jpg

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Utah may hike gas tax to fund work on roads
 

The state's 24.5¢ per-gallon levy hasn't been increased since 1995

Looks like we are growing so fast, that we need to pay for it somehow. Now, gas prices are already high enough, $3.55 just down the street this morning. I would imagine most commuters that drive will not be happy with this, but then again, they are the ones that stand the most to gain from new freeways, etc.

http://www.deseretnews.com/dn/view/0...193185,00.html

I am a proponent of commuter pricing, toll ways/lanes that charge more during peak hours to pay for new highways. Subways do it, charge more during peak hours, why not do it on toll lanes. I do not want to see toll plaza's though. That is a thing of the past, windshield fast passes are the only option.

Mass transit
UTA contracts for 77 light-rail cars, options 180 more
Request is the largest-ever order for transit cars from Siemens' plant in Sacramento

New Trax Line at Gateway Photos! by SLC Projects

Trax stop at the gateway, how cool is that.
http://img187.imageshack.us/img187/5...oday028mn1.jpg


http://img258.imageshack.us/img258/4...oday029rr9.jpg


The New Siemens-S70 arriving soon in Salt Lake City
http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f3...s70-avanto.jpg


Utah's rail revolution is about to power up with a massive train order, accelerating the program to a pace unseen at any American transit agency.
The light-rail system that started in 1999 and now runs 69 electric rail cars just ordered 77 new ones, with an option for many more. The initial order is for $277 million with Siemens, and breaks that company's record for the largest-ever light-rail vehicle order, the company will announce today.
It's far larger than Siemens' last order, a 55-car batch for Denver.
The Germany-based corporation builds rail cars in Sacramento, Calif.
"This is a large order," Utah Transit Authority spokeswoman Carrie Bohnsack-Ware acknowledged. "However, many agencies that are experiencing high growth on their systems have larger orders. . . .This is, however, Siemens' largest single order out of their Sacramento facility."
The purchase is part of UTA's "Frontlines 2015" program extending TRAX light rail from downtown to Salt Lake City International Airport and from the Salt Lake-Sandy rail line to West Jordan, West Valley City and Draper. The program and the rail cars are funded 80 percent through local sales taxes and 20 percent by the federal government.
Siemens' news release about the contract lists an option for 180 more rail cars, though UTA General Manager John Inglish said the agency most likely won't use that many. It's common practice to secure more than needed at a good bulk price, he said, then offer the excess to another transit system that needs the cars. That's how UTA bought its first light-rail cars, on an option from San Diego's system, he said.
"I'm not sure why we have an option for 180. Wishful thinking, maybe," Inglish said. "We probably will always order more than we need, in order to get a good buy."
UTA will need the initial 77 cars and more to operate the four new rail lines, though, he said. And Bohnsack-Ware said the option gives UTA wiggle room if the rider response is bigger than expected, as was the case when TRAX first opened.
"If we see this huge crush of riders like we did on the Sandy-Salt Lake line and we need to buy more, then we can," she said.
UTA is scheduled to break ground on the new Mid-Jordan TRAX line today.
Siemens built 40 of the cars already in use on TRAX. They're the newer, sleeker cars as opposed to used cars purchased from other agencies. The new order is for Siemens' S-70, a more rounded model used in San Diego, Houston and Charlotte, N.C. It's also more accessible for those with disabilities because its floor aligns with the station platforms, eliminating the stairwells, Bohnsack-Ware said.
"Winning the Salt Lake City UTA contract demonstrates the confidence our customers have in Siemens and our products well into the future and further enables us to reinforce our long-term commitment to the riding public," Siemens Transportation Systems CEO Oliver Hauck said in a statement. The company has grown its Sacramento work force by 30 percent in the past two years.

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Photo Bump - Light Rail Boom in Salt Lake City :

photographer unknown

Transit: UTA, U.S. counterparts report more riders

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/1...232863,00.html

http://www.deseretnews.com/photos/midres/5601974.jpg
Travelers move between trains on Friday in Salt Lake City. UTA said that from April '07 to April '08 ridership for the average weekday was up about 9 percent, divided among buses, light rail and van pools. (Mike Terrry, Deseret News)

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Whhat subways in North America increase their prices during peak hours?

Don't quote me on this. But I think Washington DC METRO has rush hour fares.

In addition, Philly's SEPTA regional rail has rush hour fares.
Vancouver uses zone fares Mon-Fri, with one flat fare on weekends for the entire Metro region.
Edmonton use to have rush hour prices, but took those out a couple years ago.

Pittsburgh's T Light Rail has peak hour fares in the direction of downtown. So in the morning you pay more if you are riding twords the city. And more at night if you are coming from the city.

I'm excited for the new Light Rail Trains that have been ordered. While the current ones are to bad, except for the few really ugly monster trains (we all know which ones I'm talking about). These new trains will really spiffy the place up.

If you think about the frequencies, on average there is a train through downtown about every 7 minutes as the two existing lines come through. When the mid-jordan line is finished it will probably be about every 5 minutes through downtown and when the West Valley line is complete I would make sense for frequency downtown of every 2.5 to 3 minutes. That would result in an eventual 5 minute frequency between Gallivan and 2100 S and 7 minutes from 2100 S to 6400 S.

I think those increases in frequency will coincide with the increase in residents living in TOD's, especially those along the Sandy line that are popping up in Murray. I really anticipate other cities rezoning for TOD along the mid-jordan and WVC lines, it will increase their tax base without a huge impact on their existing street grid.

For the Metro's size it really seems to be aggressive, and successful with transit. :banana:

Me too Future Mayor, I really am liking the look of these new cars that are on their way. I wondor what the main color scheme will be. I guess white, with red and blue. I saw one that was mainly red and it was sooo cool looking!!

The New Siemens-S70 arriving soon in Salt Lake City
http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f3...s70-avanto.jpg

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If they painted the fronts to match the engine on Front Runner those new trains would look pretty sleek.

Yes, the DC Metro (it is not an acronym; no need to use all caps) has higher fares at peak periods and lower fares at mid day.

This is right, lived in DC, they have a base fare, but the fare increases by time of day, higher in morning and afternoon rush hours, then increases by distance traveled. If you limit your commute to just in the city, you pay just the base fare.

Look at their website for fares.

http://www.wmata.com/riding/hours_fa...etrorail_Fares

Regular fare (In effect on weekdays from opening to 9:30 a.m., 3-7 p.m. and 2 a.m. to closing)

$1.65 minimum
$4.50 maximum

I hope that the success of this system can be used to inspire more rail development in cities like LA! The NIMBY's here are unbearable. It's great to hear about a city rallying around public transit.