History

Commuter rail along the Wasatch Front isn’t a new idea. In fact, passenger trains were a very common mode of transportation in this region during the first half of the 20th century. The emergence of automobiles in the 1940s and 1950s gradually led to the dismantling and demise of much of the public transportation infrastructure. Now, public transportation is seeing a resurgence as growing communities and increasing traffic congestion have created a need and desire to find alternative modes of transportation – including commuter rail.

Initial studies for a potential commuter rail project on the Wasatch Front began in 1997. The Weber County to Salt Lake Commuter Rail project was included in the Long-Range Transportation Plan adopted by the Wasatch Front Regional Council (WFRC) in December 2001. The Long Range Plan was developed to address population needs along the Wasatch Front.

The Utah Transit Authority broke ground on the first phase of the commuter rail project traveling through Weber and Davis counties to Salt Lake City on August 30, 2005. UTA opened the project—called FrontRunner because it speedily runs along the Wasatch Front—on April 26, 2008.

While constructing the FrontRunner North project, UTA prepared the environmental study on the FrontRunner South project which would extend commuter rail service to Provo. Voters in Salt Lake and Utah County approved a sales tax to fund road and mass transit projects including four light rail lines in Salt Lake County and the FrontRunner South line. Grouped into the FrontLines 2015 project, these four light rail lines and the FrontRunner South line will be completed by 2015 or earlier.

UTA completed the draft environmental study report (ESR) in August 2007 and the final ESR in October 2007. UTA broke ground on the FrontRunner South project on August 12, 2008.