Salt Lake Transit News Thread - Page 23

DENrising · #**441** Posted **Apr 27, 2008, 2:48 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by delts145

SLCrising, Woooow!!! What great pics!!! You make me really proud of our beautiful Capital.

Hey Everybody Be sure to go over to the SkyscraperPage Forum, "under Urban Environments/Transportation." There's a new thread there with SLCrising's new pics.

Delts, again thank you, and the new thread over in Transportation looks great, hope people are looking at it and see just how awesome our transportation system is (and still improving).

It is a beautiful Capital city, and this addition is just what was needed. Not only will it get people and their cars of I15 (north) it will have a positive affect on the new part of downtown that opened today. I think downtown just grew out to the west end today, thanks to TRAX and FR.

While walking down 2nd South today, there is a coffee shop there that had a sign out, it said, "Congrats UTA". I think businesses and residents (there will be more future residents) in this area along 5th West, 2nd South, and surrounding areas will benefit from this new section of TRAX. Go to the Old Greek Town station, look around, and just know that it will really start to take off now, and in the near future. This is going to be the biggest TOD area in the state and it will take off!

BTW, I wish Orbit Cafe hadn't closed down during the TRAX construction. Hope something takes its place.

arkhitektor · #**442** Posted **Apr 27, 2008, 3:00 AM**

We went to the Grand Opening in Clearfield and then rode the train to Ogden and back later in the afternoon. People were waiting in line for hours just to board since they were only letting 50 people onto the platform at each arrival. I was glad to see so much excitement, but hope that I never have to wait in line just to get on to go to work.
The ride was much smoother than TRAX, it was like gliding on butter at 75 mph.

DENrising · #**443** Posted **Apr 27, 2008, 3:23 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by arkhitektor

We went to the Grand Opening in Clearfield and then rode the train to Ogden and back later in the afternoon. People were waiting in line for hours just to board since they were only letting 50 people onto the platform at each arrival. I was glad to see so much excitement, but hope that I never have to wait in line just to get on to go to work.
The ride was much smoother than TRAX, it was like gliding on butter at 75 mph.

Yes Ark, I hear you, it will be fine while commuting to work. This was a novelty for people (that don't normally use mass transit) here in Utah to see and be awed at. It's the USA equivalent of the Bullet Trains, lol.

What was the original estimate of daily riders, something like 5000 daily, I forget, but judging the excitement I saw at Central, it will end up much higher than those estimates (thanks to gas prices) and continue to grow. I know it will be very successful for UTA and for our community.

DENrising · #**444** Posted **Apr 27, 2008, 3:40 AM**

Check out this video of a FrontRunner preview that someone posted on youtube.

I'm impressed there is a can on board, and I still haven't heard the official word on wifi on board. Anyone know?

If it catches on way beyond belief (I do hope so) and UTA starts adding cars (the platforms can accommodate up to 10 cars) maybe they'll add a cafe car as well.

Think about it, have your morning joe, danish, wifi and a crapper on the way to work.

Just a thought!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nanRJ...eature=related

arkhitektor · #**445** Posted **Apr 27, 2008, 4:08 AM**

Frontrunner will have Wi-Fi.

http://www.rideuta.com/mediaRoom/pressReleases.aspx

The last line of the press release says "UTA will also offer free WiFi service on FrontRunner Commuter Rail."

I also noticed while riding that the tables on the upper level have electrical outlets as well.

DENrising · #**446** Posted **Apr 27, 2008, 5:07 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by arkhitektor

Frontrunner will have Wi-Fi.

http://www.rideuta.com/mediaRoom/pressReleases.aspx

The last line of the press release says "UTA will also offer free WiFi service on FrontRunner Commuter Rail."

I also noticed while riding that the tables on the upper level have electrical outlets as well.

Thanks Ark, that is nice to know, I'll take my laptop on my trip, I'll have to post something here while in route. LOL...

WASDEN · #**447** Posted **Apr 27, 2008, 8:54 AM**

SLCrising- good call on riding Front Runner on a latter date. I think I'm gonna take my student pass to next week to get a feel of just how long the trip is. I did wait over 3 hours downtown to finally board- standing room only all the way to Ogden and back! Ugg! But on a positive note, it was like riding on smooth butter- best part was the few segments where the actually train accelerates enough to be passing freeway traffic. Doesn't even feel like 75mph. I think this thing is going to be more popular than predicted, just like TRAX (and we won't even need inflated numbers

). Can't wait until Provo is on the list of destinations as well.

delts145 · #**448** Posted **Apr 27, 2008, 12:20 PM**

Natural-gas vehicles hot in Utah where the fuel is cheap

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/1...274154,00.html

Honda Civic GX

...Anderson was paying 63.8 cents per gallon equivalent for compressed natural gas,...

.

delts145 · #**449** Posted **Apr 27, 2008, 12:30 PM**

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

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

( Keith Johnson, Dereret News)

(Keith Johnson, Deseret News)
A FrontRunner Commuter-rail train arrives Saturday at the new intermodal hub in Salt Lake City. ( Keith Johnson, Dereret News)

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)

.

jedikermit · #**450** Posted **Apr 27, 2008, 1:06 PM**

Well, this thread answered some questions...we took our boys downtown on TRAX Friday to go to the Children's Museum, and I was wondering when the rest of the TRAX line (Arena - Intermodal Hub) would open. Good to know that it will all be open the next time we go down.

Also nice to see TRAX ticket machines that accept debit/credit cards...the one where we boarded only took cash, which I found...unbelievable. In any case, good to see some progress.

Commuter Rail still seems like a gamble here, but I hope all the best for it. One of these days we'll have to take a little ride on that too.

jmonkey · #**451** Posted **Apr 28, 2008, 5:31 AM**

I think I'll ride it up to Ogden on Tuesday or Wednesday. It's free through the 30th. Take the train up, and have lunch on 25th St.

Where should I eat? Any suggestions?

arkhitektor · #**452** Posted **Apr 28, 2008, 4:28 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by jmonkey

I think I'll ride it up to Ogden on Tuesday or Wednesday. It's free through the 30th. Take the train up, and have lunch on 25th St.

Where should I eat? Any suggestions?

Rooster's:

http://www.roostersbrewingco.com/ogden/main.html

One of the best restaraunts in Utah, certainly the best in Ogden.

gbb · #**453** Posted **Apr 29, 2008, 6:30 AM**

Roosters is a great choice. I would also recommend a new restaurant that has opened at The Junction. It is the Sonora Grill, located just east of the new Megaplex Theater and Salomon Center. They have great Mexican food, and not what you would expect from your typical Mexican food either.

delts145 · #**454** Posted **Apr 29, 2008, 11:09 AM**

Train packed as Wasatch Fronters check out FrontRunner

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

Michael Brandy, Deseret News

Related Story:

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

.

SLC Projects · #**455** Posted **Apr 29, 2008, 7:12 PM**

Does anyone know how late frontrunner stays open till?

DENrising · #**456** Posted **Apr 29, 2008, 7:40 PM**

It depends on where you are going to.

I saved a printable schedule at the following link:

http://cid-ad7dfd305c57d287.skydrive...erschedule.pdf

SLC Projects · #**457** Posted **Apr 29, 2008, 7:45 PM**

Nevermind I found the hours on their website.
Thanks anyway SLCrising.

Weekday Hours of Operation

* The first train leaves Ogden at 5:08 a.m.
* The last train leaves Ogden at 12:38 a.m.
* The first train leaves Salt Lake City at 4:25 a.m.
* The last train leaves Salt Lake City at 11:25 p.m.
* Trains run every 30 minutes from start of service to approximately 6:30 p.m., then every 60 minutes until closing.

arkhitektor · #**458** Posted **Apr 29, 2008, 9:15 PM**

I rode Frontrunner in to work today for the first time. The train was pretty packed this morning, but there was at least room that everyone got a seat.

The ride home is what I'm worried about. I heard from several people this morning that the commute north yesterday was awful and some had to wait hours just to get on a train. It seems that a lot of families took advantage of the free ride and rode the train into the city, then instead of getting off downtown, they just stayed on board to go right back home.
Basically, the trains were already full before anybody leaving the city even had a chance to board.

I think things should settle down a bit once revenue service begins on Thursday.

SLC Projects · #**459** Posted **Apr 29, 2008, 11:36 PM**

My wife and I are heading downtown now to get on frontrunner to try it out. I will take the camera.

arkhitektor · #**460** Posted **Apr 30, 2008, 1:14 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by SLC Projects

My wife and I are heading downtown now to get on frontrunner to try it out. I will take the camera.

Good Luck.............

I just got home from a commute from hell on FrontRunner.
The train was supposed to leave SL Central at 5:25 and arrive in Clearfield at 6:07.
Instead, we left at 5:30 and arrived in Clearfeild at 6:30, over twenty minutes late.
How does a train on a dedicated track end up 23 minutes off schedule????

They have got a lot of bugs to work out of the system before it will be worth riding again. I'm hopeful that once the free period is over there won't be hundreds of families and screaming kids running all over the place. The train was late leaving and since there is only one track, if a train gets off schedule it really screws everything up because it messes up the usual pattern of trains passing each other at stations. The train stopped at least 5 times in addition to all the stops for passing or other unknown reasons.

Seriously, we would just randomly stop in the middle of the tracks for several minutes even though we were miles from any station and no other trains were passing us.

The icing on the cake was when the train stopped for 5 minutes just 500 feet short of the station. I was tempted to pull the emergency door open switch and just walk to my car from there.

That, combined with the hundreds of rowdy children crawling all over the place made it one of the worst commutes I can remember. I could have gotten home four times as quickly by car or twice as fast on a bus.