FrontRunner, Utah’s first commuter rail service, is celebrating its 15th anniversary. On April 26, 2008, FrontRunner service began between Salt Lake City and Ogden. Currently the service serves cities along the Wasatch Front, from Ogden to Salt Lake City to Provo.
"FrontRunner’s history is a history of courageous investment in Utah’s future," said Carlton Christensen, chair of the UTA Board of Trustees. “FrontRunner has become the backbone of UTA’s system throughout the Wasatch Front, helping elevate Utah’s quality of life by increasing access to education and economic opportunity, decreasing dependence on personal vehicles, all while reducing traffic congestion and clearing the air we breathe.”
FrontRunner hosted a Rider Appreciation Event on April 26 celebrating its milestone. The service says the event is dedicated to its riders who have made FrontRunner a huge success over the past 15 years.
In honor of its anniversary, FrontRunner shared 15 facts about its service:
UTA’s commuter rail was named "FrontRunner" because its route runs nearly the length of the Wasatch Front.FrontRunner is Utah’s only commuter rail service and one of only a few in the western United States.FrontRunner has 16 stations that run from Ogden to Provo, covering a distance of 83 milesUTA constructed all 83 miles of the system in less than seven years, with Ogden to Salt Lake City opening in 2008 and an extension to Provo in 2012.The maximum speed of the FrontRunner is 79 mph.FrontRunner has carried more than 48 million passengers since its launch in 2008.As of the first quarter of 2023, FrontRunner has an average weekday ridership of approximately 12,100 per weekday.
FrontRunner uses bi-level passenger cars that can accommodate about 134 passengers each. With three cars, FrontRunner can carry 402 passengers per train.FrontRunner’s boarding door is level with the station platform, allowing riders using mobility devices and strollers to easily board.FrontRunner trains are equipped with free Wi-Fi, power outlets, restrooms, and tables for passengers to use while traveling.In 2018, UTA began upgrading each FrontRunner locomotive from EPA Tier Zero to Tier Two air emission standards, reducing air pollution by 29 percent. So far, half of the locomotives have been upgradedThe more passengers that ride, the more air pollution is reduced along the Wasatch Front. In 2018, it took the emissions of 55 passenger cars to equal one locomotive at EPA Tier Zero emission standards. Today, 50 percent of the locomotives have been upgraded to EPA Tier Two emission standards. It takes only 26 passenger cars to equal one locomotive that has been upgraded to Tier Two. In 2022, FrontRunner averaged 71 passengers per locomotive mile, saving 12,000 pounds of air pollutants.FrontRunner trains are serviced and maintained at Warm Springs Rail Service Center, which was purchased from Union Pacific in 2003.FrontRunner trains face north regardless of the direction of travel—trains going south are actually driving in reverse.Tuesdays are the busiest day of the week on FrontRunner, with an average daily ridership of about 13,000 passengers.
