A UTA Trax train travels through Salt Lake City on Thursday, April 18, 2024. (Photo by Spenser Heaps for Utah News Dispatch)
Expect a switch of the older rail cars to a new generation of trains on some of Utah Transit Authority’s TRAX lines, featuring low floors and all-accessible boarding starting in 2028.
The change comes after the UTA Board of Trustees approved an initial $129 million contract with the passenger train design and manufacturing company Stadler.
$61 million in federal funding en route to improve Utah transit
The new vehicles will comfortably carry 14% more passengers than the authority’s current fleet, UTA executive director Jay Fox said in a news release.
“The location of Stadler’s manufacturing facility in Utah provides a unique opportunity for UTA to work directly with our equipment supplier and fast track adjustments that develop throughout the build process,” Fox said in the statement.
Overall ridership has increased by 17% this year, Fox said. The updates are expected to modernize the light rail system that has operated in Utah for 25 years and that has seen aging trains in routes such as the blue line.
This is far quicker than trustee Beth Holbrook anticipated, she said, especially with the 2034 winter Olympics on the horizon.
“Hopefully we’ll have the opportunity to do the rest in the near future,” Holbrook said. “So I’m excited to see this. I think that this is a great opportunity.”
A grant by the Federal Transit Administration is partially funding the initial contract, which is enough for 20 new “Stadler Citylink” light rail cars. The authority also has the option to direct additional funding for 60 more vehicles.
Rendering of the new Stadler light rail cars coming to the Utah Transit Authority system. (Courtesy of UTA)
The federal government is providing about $60 million as part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to support different transit agencies.
About 800 Citylink light rail cars have been sold in various countries across Europe since 2003, according to the release. This Utah order is the first large Citylink order outside of Europe.
The company, originally from Switzerland, established its U.S. headquarters in Salt Lake City in 2016 and is planning on growing its workforce from its current 500 employees.
“Salt Lake City is our home in the U.S., and the opportunity to build trains for our community is a massive honor,” Martin Ritter, CEO of Stadler US, said in the release. “Most of our workforce and their families live in and around Salt Lake City and will ride these new trains, so the excitement can be felt throughout our entire facility today.”
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