The Utah Transit Authority (UTA) in Salt Lake City celebrated the opening of FrontRunner commuter rail service between Provo and Salt Lake City with ceremonies in both cities. Passengers had their first opportunity to ride the new line on Dec. 8, with regular service beginning Dec. 10.

“Building transit is building your neighborhood,” UTA General Manager Michael Allegra said at the event at Salt Lake Central Station. “At the end of the day, this is for future generations. People are going to look back and thank everyone here.”

During the Provo event, Utah Gov. Gary Herbert added: “The vision is the reality as we’ve become the fastest-growing state in America, and the need to have mass transit capability is part and parcel of having a good quality of life. I applaud the UTA for what they’ve done to get us to this point. It’s two years under time in its completion and 10 percent under budget, which is kind of the Utah way.”

The new line is 45 miles long with seven new stations, bringing the length of the entire FrontRunner  system to 89 miles from Provo to Pleasant View. It cost $850 million, funded completely through local sources.

Passengers on Dec. 8 rode free by donating non-perishable food items through a “Food for Your Fare” drive; they brought in more than 10 tons of food for the Utah Food Bank and Community Action Services and Food Bank. UTA reported about 32,300 boardings that day, compared with 6,800 projected average weekday boardings, and approximately 6,700 boardings on the first day of regular service, Dec. 10.

Crowds gathered at the Provo Station for UTA’s FrontRunner grand opening ceremonies.

 

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