UTA’s orange line could be operational in time for 2034 Winter Olympics. Here’s its likely route
Oct 21, 2024, 6:00 AM
A TRAX train displays an Olympic-themed wrap as it travels through Salt Lake City on April 10. A TRAX train displays an Olympic-themed wrap as it travels through Salt Lake City on April 10. (Kristin Murphy, Deseret News)
(Kristin Murphy, Deseret News)
SALT LAKE CITY — The future of light rail within Salt Lake City may soon include more service on 400 West and at the University of Utah, as state transit officials seek to expand access in Utah’s growing capital.
One of the four possible scenarios for the future fourth TRAX line outlined in Utah Transit Authority’s TechLink TRAX Study has risen to the top largely because of its benefits. If all goes to plan, agency officials say it could be operational in time for the 2034 Winter Olympics and Paralympics in Utah.
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“This project is a priority for UTA with respect to the Olympics,” said Patti Garver, UTA’s manager of environmental compliance and sustainability, as she provided Salt Lake leaders an update on the study during a meeting on Tuesday.
Shaking up TRAX
All four scenarios in the project call for a new orange line running from the University to Utah’s Research Park to Salt Lake City International Airport, adding new stations along Mario Capecchi Drive and Arapeen Drive by the campus. All four options also call for new service downtown via 400 South and 400 West.
However, all signs point to an option called Alternative 3 since those options were unveiled in March, according to Alex Beim, manager of long-range and strategic planning for UTA.
It calls for an expansion of the line along 400 South that currently turns south when a train coming from the university reaches Main Street. The line would instead continue west to 400 West, where the trains would go in opposite directions.
Read the full story from KSL.com here.
