Model Trains

Salt Lake City’s TRAX and FrontRunner rail system is something truly special. It not only conveniently connects the city’s downtown to neighboring communities, but riders are treated to some of the most spectacular views of the snow-peaked Wasatch Mountains along the way.

While Utah’s mountainous skyline might be difficult for most metropolitan areas to replicate, the visionaries that delivered one of the most successful and ambitious U.S. passenger rail networks created an ideal template for transportation agencies considering a similar program for their regions.

Nearly 12 years ago, the Utah Transit Authority (UTA) completed its FrontLines 2015 transit program, establishing a network featuring three passenger rail lines and two bus rapid transit lines, including the 90-mile FrontRunner commuter rail line connecting Ogden to the north and Provo to the south. It transformed the accessibility and economic vitality of the Salt Lake Valley beyond expectations.

WSP provided multiple design and planning services to UTA for FrontLines 2015 — most notably serving as its program manager — from 2005 through its 2013 completion.

With current average daily ridership over 17,000, FrontRunner has proven so popular that expansion is already under way. Under a nine-year contract, we are providing the Utah Department of Transportation with program management services to design and install a second track and purchase ten additional trainsets that will double the frequency of trains, from every 30 minutes to every 15 minutes.

When Salt Lake City hosts the 2034 Winter Olympic Games, the infrastructure for efficient people moving will be firmly in place.

Today, no matter where you want to travel in and around Salt Lake City, you’re never too far from a reliable transit option. In fact, 85 percent of Utah’s population resides within five miles of the FrontRunner line.

Amazingly, that dynamic is almost identical in Colorado, where 85 percent of the state’s population — and 90 percent of its jobs — are within the same distance from the proposed Front Range Passenger Rail program.

Front Range is a similarly ambitious initiative to develop a passenger rail line between Fort Collins to the north of Denver and Pueblo to the south — a 173-mile corridor covering 11 counties. Its population of about five million is expected to increase by 34 percent by 2050.

Considering the geographical similarities of both regions, UTA presents a successful blueprint that can be effective for the Front Range Passenger Rail District and the Colorado Department of Transportation as they collaborate to further this vision.

Can it succeed? The 21 million trips recorded by the Regional Transportation District-Denver light rail system in 2023 suggests public support will be strong. Current projections expect annual Front Range ridership to exceed 2.2 million annually. 

FrontLines 2015 demonstrated that when three key factors are addressed early and often, success is far more likely: Public support, thoughtful funding and constant collaboration.

UTA was keenly aware of the need to secure public support to successfully pursue an expansive — and expensive — transit program. Between 1999 and 2006, we worked with Utah officials on four successful ballot initiatives that ensured public involvement was never in doubt.

Earning voter support required two things from UTA: confidence they would deliver on promises and successful communication of the plan. Fortunately, the agency already had a long-established record of project success, so precedent was well established that what was proposed would be what UTA delivered if approved.

But would they want it? UTA’s public awareness efforts to outline the transit system’s benefits were thorough and transparent — and in one media campaign, cleverly self-aware.

Acknowledging that many people will never give up their car, the campaign introduced the tagline, “Even if you don’t use it, you use it.” This message resonated with transit-resistant drivers: More people riding trains and buses means less vehicle congestion on your commute.

Messages like this are durable and would work well for coalition building in Colorado, where a ballot initiative is on the horizon which would establish a local-option sales tax to fund the program.

Drumming up local support for sales tax and funding referendums positioned UTA for the next important step — securing federal grants. UTA leveraged its rapid constituent support into three substantial Federal Transit Administration grants.

The grant application process is complicated by continually changing federal policy developments and requirements. Partnering with an organization like WSP, experts focused on those details who can locate opportunities that align with the project, ensures nothing is overlooked.

Developing strategies centered around a project’s financial feasibility and seizing every viable opportunity prepares an agency to build an airtight case that their project is worth the investment.

Coordinating contractors and consultants for complex programs is daunting. Tiger team meetings help, but UTA felt this program required something even closer.

UTA co-located all FrontLines 2015 participants in one central office throughout design and construction. Everyone became part of one organization, providing continuous opportunities to cross-pollinate ideas.

Impressively, work on this massive $2.5 billion program was completed nearly two years ahead of schedule, concluding in August 2013 with the 3.8-mile Draper TRAX extension.

With Colorado leaders motivated to roll out the first phase of a passenger rail line as early as 2028, they will need to have a partner who has been there and delivered on aggressive promises.

Partners like WSP bring experience on board to help transit authorities find the most feasible, cost-effective path to achieve their vision, and ensure they always stay in control of the project.

This approach proved tremendously successful for UTA. It’s a strategy that will work in Colorado, too.

Matt Sibul, PE, is a senior vice president and Mountain Pacific business line leader for Transportation at WSP, based in Salt Lake City. Previously, he served as chief planning officer for UTA during the design and construction of the FrontLines 2015 program.

Natalie Stiffler, AICP, is a vice president and the Transportation business line leader for Colorado at WSP, based in Denver.