Modern Forward-thinking....Utah?
If you've ever wondered why Salt Lake City is suddenly a transit renaissance, Mass Transit Magazine has an interview with the agency head that describes some nuts and bolts about how you build transit. Recommended.
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Amazing. Even TRAINS Magazine, in a piece they did for their CityRail Column in an edition last year mentioned that it was a miracle to get this done in Utah. Amazing what they did to lay the groundwork for FrontRunner, and the High-Frequency Schedule they want to run on it, especially when for all intents and purposes, Union Pacific, the most passenger-unfriendly railroad in the west, has a virtual monopoly on Utah, especially the Salt Lake Basin. Now don't expect FrontRunner trains to the original Golden Spike. First it's in a museum, and second, Southern Pacific relocated and abandoned the line through Prommotory Point 60 years ago! What the UTA did was buy an easement on the UP Right of Way, throughout the populated area of the Salt Lake Basin. Then they built their own track. Amazing. Now there is some in the Utah Legislature that are fighting the progress tooth and nail. One former critic of TRAX, the Mayor of West Valley City, is now on board.
Now one thing about our most anti-rail talk show host, Dori Monson. KIRO was recently re-aquired by Bonneville International, which is an arm of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. I wonder if SLC might ever try to tell the talk show hosts what to talk about on transportation? One station on TRAX is Temple Square. I doubt that would have been built if the Church was opposed to it.
This is a great piece. What's amazing to me is that we can point to so many light rail successes across America -- Denver (have you seen the plans for the amazing new Union Station?!), Salt Lake City, Phoenix, Portland, Charlotte, etc. -- and yet here in Seattle I feel like the onus is still on us transit advocates to "prove" that it's a good idea, wherease it should be on the naysayers to prove that it isn't.
One more thing: I forgot to mention the brilliant fact that TRAX operates as a freight carrier by night. How smart is that?!
Very great. Following in San Diego's footsteps on that one. Then again, San Diego is not exactly leaning the same way as LA and San Francisco, politically, and San Diego launched the Light Rail boom in the US.
As for Denver Union Station, it would be even better if they had another passenger train going in a different direction. AN Idaho Senator is working on that(the other one, not the one that has been in the news for his extra-cirricular activities. He stood by as the Pioneer was cut). Also, I wonder if they have ever thought of extending the Ski Train to DIA, to make for better connections with skiers flying in to go to Winter Park?
Also, as for Front Runner, too bad they did not put that on the Utah Quarter, the old and new. Have one of the two engines that met at the famous meet, facing the new generation.