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  #461  
Old Posted Apr 30, 2008, 4:06 AM
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Behind Runner.

Quote:
Originally Posted by arkhitektor View Post
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.


Tell me about it. That would have to be one of my worst commutes as well. My wife and I got on the frontrunner at about 6:30 in Salt Lake head up to Ogdan and then came back. But it took us about three hours just to make that full trip from there and back. And yes the train kept stopping for no reason. The part I love the most was when the cars on the I-15 were zooming pass us even when those cars were driving in a construction zone. I have a video of it I will have to show you guys once I put it all together.
Most of the people my wife and I were talking to told us that this would be their first and last time they would ever ride frontrunner. Most people felt that it's better to save time driving their cars, then to save money on gas. Those people do have a point. If this is how frontrunner is going to run then who the hell will want to ride it? I hope UTA can get these bugs worked out. I was talking to a lady and we were calling the "Frontrunner" the "Behindrunner" since it was going soooooooooooooo slow.
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  #462  
Old Posted Apr 30, 2008, 4:13 AM
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allow the kinks to be worked out... its a new concept for utah.. and a path in the right direction.. rome wasn't built in a day u know
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  #463  
Old Posted Apr 30, 2008, 6:25 AM
MetroFanatic MetroFanatic is offline
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I thoroughly enjoyed getting off at the new Old Greektown stop on TRAX and walking 10 feet to my work/internship as opposed to the two and a half blocks from arena. That was nice.
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  #464  
Old Posted Apr 30, 2008, 2:04 PM
arkhitektor arkhitektor is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SLC Projects View Post

Tell me about it. That would have to be one of my worst commutes as well. My wife and I got on the frontrunner at about 6:30 in Salt Lake head up to Ogdan and then came back. But it took us about three hours just to make that full trip from there and back. And yes the train kept stopping for no reason. The part I love the most was when the cars on the I-15 were zooming pass us even when those cars were driving in a construction zone. I have a video of it I will have to show you guys once I put it all together.
Most of the people my wife and I were talking to told us that this would be their first and last time they would ever ride frontrunner. Most people felt that it's better to save time driving their cars, then to save money on gas. Those people do have a point. If this is how frontrunner is going to run then who the hell will want to ride it? I hope UTA can get these bugs worked out. I was talking to a lady and we were calling the "Frontrunner" the "Behindrunner" since it was going soooooooooooooo slow.
Well, despite yesterday's nightmare, I rode the train again this morning. Everything was on schedule and I made it from Clearfield to Murray in just a few minutes more than it normally takes for me to drive. Everything seems go go smoothly in the morning, and then fall apart for the evening commute. I suspect that this is because every freeloading person in Utah has been riding the train in the afternoon/evening as a novelty since it is free, and I think that this should correct itself tomorrow once they start requiring people to pay. Anyway, here's hoping my ride home tonight isn't as bad as it was yesterday.
I'm seriously considering taking a bus home instead of Frontrunner.
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  #465  
Old Posted Apr 30, 2008, 8:31 PM
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Here is the video I did last night of the new Frontrunner.

Frontrunner video.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I0dj5xVsmGg


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1. "Wells Fargo Building" 24-stories 422 FT 1998
2. "LDS Church Office Building" 28-stories 420 FT 1973
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4. "99 West" 30-stories 375 FT 2011
5. "Key Bank Tower" 27-stories 351 FT 1976
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  #466  
Old Posted May 1, 2008, 2:37 AM
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UTA Launches Major Construction Program

http://www.kutv.com/content/news/loc...4-9b8bfc44e3c0
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  #467  
Old Posted May 1, 2008, 3:05 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SLC Projects View Post
Here is the video I did last night of the new Frontrunner.

Frontrunner video.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I0dj5xVsmGg




An excellent video. I must say Frontrunner looks disappointing. KSL also ran a piece last night showing not only is Frontrunner slower, but it actually costs more than driving a car that gets 25 MPG.

I'd say that wouldn't matter since fuel is going up in price, except UTA is rising their fares as fast as fuel prices go up.

In the end if commuter rail costs as much as my car, I'll keep driving.

Thanks again for the video!
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  #468  
Old Posted May 1, 2008, 6:10 AM
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"In two weeks, the Salt Lake Council will break ground for the Mid Jordan line to Daybreak development. And in June, construction for the West Valley line will begin."

That is awesome news. I live near 7800 and redwood and having a trax stop near west jordan city hall will just be down the street from me. Yay!
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1. "Wells Fargo Building" 24-stories 422 FT 1998
2. "LDS Church Office Building" 28-stories 420 FT 1973
3. "111 South Main" 24-stories 387 FT 2016
4. "99 West" 30-stories 375 FT 2011
5. "Key Bank Tower" 27-stories 351 FT 1976
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  #469  
Old Posted May 1, 2008, 7:08 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SLC Projects View Post
"In two weeks, the Salt Lake Council will break ground for the Mid Jordan line to Daybreak development. And in June, construction for the West Valley line will begin."

That is awesome news. I live near 7800 and redwood and having a trax stop near west jordan city hall will just be down the street from me. Yay!
Yeah, I'm excited too! I live very close to the proposed 4800 West station.
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  #470  
Old Posted May 1, 2008, 2:38 PM
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  #471  
Old Posted May 1, 2008, 2:51 PM
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Will Bluffdale or neighbor Draper get future FrontRunner station?



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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  #472  
Old Posted May 1, 2008, 2:55 PM
arkhitektor arkhitektor is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by i-215 View Post
An excellent video. I must say Frontrunner looks disappointing. KSL also ran a piece last night showing not only is Frontrunner slower, but it actually costs more than driving a car that gets 25 MPG.

I'd say that wouldn't matter since fuel is going up in price, except UTA is rising their fares as fast as fuel prices go up.

In the end if commuter rail costs as much as my car, I'll keep driving.

Thanks again for the video!
I'm still holding out hope that things are going to get better with time, especially now that the free ride is over. The morning commute has been flawless each day this week, its the afternoons that are messy. Again, I think that this is because the system has been overloaded with people trying it out for free.
It seems to me that Frontrunner's biggest flaw is that is runs on a single track for most of the alignment, with just a few sections of passing track. The problem that this creates is that if a train gets just a few minutes off schedule, it screws up all of the passing sequences, hence all of the stopping and waiting while trains pass each other since they have to share a track. My train home last night was stopped for almost 15 minutes between downtown and Woods Cross to let a SB train pass us, then we just kept getting further and further behind because we had to wait around 10 minutes in Farmington and 15 in Clearfield for trains to pass us.
Also, they do a terrible job at announcing what is going on and why the train keeps stopping, which is quite frustrating for passengers on their way home from work wondering why in the hell their train is just parked on the track going nowhere.

Regarding cost, KSL only considered the cost of gas, not any of the other incidental costs of driving. Also, I would guess that less than 30% of riders are actually paying full fares. Most, (like me) have ED passes, or ECO passes or some other reduced or completely free pass from schools, employers and the like. For me, Frontrunner takes about 15-20 minutes longer than driving to work, but it is completely free, so in the end it's worth the hassle.
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  #473  
Old Posted May 2, 2008, 12:01 PM
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It's a gas: Three-wheel Roadster gets 60 mpg on CNG alternative fuel - A Major New Employer for Salt Lake City?

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/1...275599,00.html

...The three-cylinder engine runs on compressed natural gas, making tooling down the road in the wedge-shaped Roadster a potential bargain for motorists accustomed to $3-plus-per-gallon gasoline guzzlers.

"When you figure you can buy a gallon of natural gas equivalent for 63 cents at the station and the car gets over 60 miles per gallon of natural gas, you're looking at for $3, you get five gallons and you can go 300 miles," ...

... Salt Lake City is being considered as a possible site for a Roadster manufacturing plant. He and other company officials were in town to demo the vehicle and talk to officials about financing and other matters. An exact site for a manufacturing plant in Utah has not been determined.
"I would say there's about a 90 percent probability of putting a plant right here in Salt Lake City," ...

...Green said a Utah facility could have 900 to 1,200 employees...

"If we can get the funding, which is not excessive, and we get a building and the cooperation from the community and the state, we could probably be in production (in Utah) in six months," he said...



Michael Brandy, Deseret News

Michael Brandy, Deseret News

.
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  #474  
Old Posted May 2, 2008, 2:59 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by arkhitektor View Post
It seems to me that Frontrunner's biggest flaw is that is runs on a single track for most of the alignment, with just a few sections of passing track.
Single track? I thought I saw three tracks. BUt maybe that was only a passing section. Well, that makes it seem even less attractive.

I'm starting to have an attitude that's "reverse-European" about Frontrunner. Most Europeans ride mass transit to work, and save the car for the occasional weekend trip.

Instead, it sounds to me that I'd rather drive to work, and save Frontrunner for that leisurely weekend trip when I'm not in a hurry.

Quote:
Also, they do a terrible job at announcing what is going on and why the train keeps stopping, which is quite frustrating for passengers on their way home from work wondering why in the hell their train is just parked on the track going nowhere.
That's has also REALLY bothered me. When I was in Portland, I noticed Tri-Met had the same attitude. It was especially scary for passsengers when the MAX train lost power in the tunnel west of downtown, and they were stuck in pitch black for 20+ minutes. They'd never hear a word as to why, and apparantly incidents like this happen all the time.

I do love the "freedom of information" that comes with highway jams. Given, they are a pain in the butt - but all you need to do it click on KSL 1160 or any of the FM stations during drive time and they'll tell you what's going on - or you can call them.

Who does UTA traffic reports?

Quote:
Regarding cost, KSL only considered the cost of gas, not any of the other incidental costs of driving.
True, but I figure I'm paying for the car anyway, so the insurance and other costs are negligible.

Quote:
Also, I would guess that less than 30% of riders are actually paying full fares. Most, (like me) have ED passes, or ECO passes or some other reduced or completely free pass from schools, employers and the like.
Does the ED PASS work for ridding Frontrunner? I got the impression commuter rail was "special" and required a Premium Pass (For example, ED only works on bus, TRAX, but not express bus).
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  #475  
Old Posted May 2, 2008, 3:30 PM
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I use my ED pass on the Provo-SLC express bus all the time. Where are you getting that information?
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  #476  
Old Posted May 2, 2008, 4:05 PM
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Things have gotten a lot better since Wednesday. Once they started making people pay, they haven't been as far off schedule. Overall, I am impressed with the service, and it seems like things are only getting better.

Quote:
Originally Posted by i-215 View Post
True, but I figure I'm paying for the car anyway, so the insurance and other costs are negligible.
I understand what you're saying since I'm not giving up my car entirely, but commuting by train instead of driving saves me over 18,000 miles of driving each year. The savings from not having to pay for the related maintenance that putting so many miles on my car costs adds up in addition to what I save on gas.

Quote:
Originally Posted by i-215 View Post
Does the ED PASS work for ridding Frontrunner? I got the impression commuter rail was "special" and required a Premium Pass (For example, ED only works on bus, TRAX, but not express bus).
I've been using my ED pass on Frontrunner and haven't had a problem so far.
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  #477  
Old Posted May 2, 2008, 4:22 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by arkhitektor View Post
Things have gotten a lot better since Wednesday. Once they started making people pay, they haven't been as far off schedule. Overall, I am impressed with the service, and it seems like things are only getting better.


Good to know. So has the train gone up to 79-80 miles per hour yet?
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1. "Wells Fargo Building" 24-stories 422 FT 1998
2. "LDS Church Office Building" 28-stories 420 FT 1973
3. "111 South Main" 24-stories 387 FT 2016
4. "99 West" 30-stories 375 FT 2011
5. "Key Bank Tower" 27-stories 351 FT 1976
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  #478  
Old Posted May 2, 2008, 8:27 PM
MetroFanatic MetroFanatic is offline
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Speaking of ED Passes, am I going to have to start paying to ride the bus and TRAX now that school is over? This was my first year, so I'm still learning these things.
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  #479  
Old Posted May 2, 2008, 8:43 PM
arkhitektor arkhitektor is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MetroFanatic View Post
Speaking of ED Passes, am I going to have to start paying to ride the bus and TRAX now that school is over? This was my first year, so I'm still learning these things.
Do you have an ED Pass?
Mine doesn't expire until September. If yours is the same, you can still use it until then and get a new one at the beginning of fall semester. At Weber at least, you get the pass each fall and its good for a year, whether you are taking classes during a given semester or not.

Last fall is when I started at Weber. I got my pass as soon as I had registered in the spring and used it all summer, even though I technically wasn't a student there until August.
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  #480  
Old Posted May 2, 2008, 11:20 PM
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As for paying for insurance on the car anyway. All insurance companies have a discount if you designate your car as a recreational usage and use mass transit to commute to and from work. It will save you some additional money on top of the savings you are getting on the wear and tear on the car by not driving it all those miles. So the cost savings are really more than simply the gas.
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