About

This project will replace the existing aging and undersized Central bus facility, housing up to 150 alternative and standard fuel buses with the ability to expand to 250 buses in the future. This will allow for the growth of bus service to 5,000 additional daily riders by the year 2050. The initial phase of the project constructed the CNG Fuel & Fare Collection building on the site. 2019 activities will include building demolition, structural stabilization of the roof of the old locomotive building that will be repurposed for the bus maintenance shop, construction of the wash building, addition of the diesel fueling system, and site canopies and full site work. Construction activities in 2010 through 2021 will include the final construction of the maintenance building and operations building, as well as solarization and microgrid power system. Impact on Operating Budget: The project is projected to decrease the operating budget by about $400,000 annually. The state legislature has appropriated $2.5M per year to fund the project

When TRAX made its debut in 1999, a fleet of Siemens SD100 light rail vehicles began transporting thousands of Utahns along the Wasatch Front each day. As UTA’s light rail service grew, UTA added 17 Siemens SD160 light rail vehicles. UTA is in the midst of an extensive overhaul program designed to sustain the life of both the SD 100 and SD 160 vehicles as required by the Federal Transit Administration. This will enable UTA to safely operate the fleets up to its projected 30-year lifespan.

Establishing an overhaul program is an industry-best practice that will significantly impact most of the vehicles’ systems and components for the purpose of improving safety, efficiency and passenger comfort.

To begin the project, UTA evaluated every system in each fleet to determine the appropriate time and cost for overhauling/replacing components. Whenever possible, UTA will perform the work in-house enabling us to create several full time positions to compete the overhaul. Developing the employees skill set enables UTA to build a solid foundation for future long term maintenance needs. UTA has also set up specific maintenance shops for overhaul implementation. These shops will help sustain our light rail fleet throughout its useful life.

In conjunction with six counties, two metropolitan planning agencies, and dozens of Utah cities, UTA was notified in late 2016 that it had been awarded a $20 million grant which will be matched with local funding to improve transit access as well as trails and bikeways feeding into the transit system over the next five years. Projects in 2019 are estimated at approximately $15 million. However, this yearly budget consists of the local government match combined with the Federal grant. The UTA cost will be specifically for the UTA projects that are part of the TIGER grant.

Salt Lake City International Airport is undergoing an almost $3 billion renovation, including the relocation of its terminal building. In order to provide front door light rail service to the new terminal building, UTA will be required to relocate a portion of its light rail track as well as the Airport TRAX station at an estimated cost of $22.9 million. Proceeds from the 2018 bond issue will be used to pay for this improvement. Materials procurement will occur in 2019 and construction in 2020 through 2021.