Salt Lake City’s Light Rail and Streetcar are Strangely Similar…

Salt Lake City has a light rail and a streetcar. At first glance, they may seem very similar. At second glance, they may still seem similar. So what is the difference between Salt Lake City’s expansive light rail system and its small little Streetcar? Find out!
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Trains Are Awesome!
Chapters:
0:00 Intro
0:29 Hostel Tour
1:21 Exploring SLC
1:54 Mormons
3:09 Riding TRAX from Courthouse to City Center
5:51 Riding TRAX from City Center to Library
7:41 Frequency issues
8:24 Riding TRAX from Library to Stadium
9:32 East High School
10:41 Poorly Designed Platforms
11:29 Trolley Square
12:10 Quick TRAX Recap
12:54 Sharing tracks with freight trains
13:41 Riding the S-Line
17:39 Thoughts on the S-Line
20:41 Last TRAX rides, the Rio Grande Plan
22:30 Salt Lake Central Station

[@rockym9981]

It's ironic that the "street"car runs on a dedicated right of way, while the light rail actually runs in the STREET lol

[@Thom-TRA]

Very ironic indeed

[@brianhenderson9124]

The Trax does have its own rights of way in places, though. The blue, red and green lines past 900 South, the Airport line past 1940 West N. Temple, and the Red Line on the Daybreak branch.

[@mtylerw]

The street car runs on a pre-existing/abandoned light rail that previously ran cargo from the main railhead to Sugarhouse. Street car may be a better name than “abandoned easement car”

[@KenanTurkiye]

you killed it lol

[@MegaLokopo]

You also drive in a parkway and park in a driveway.

[@freednighthawk]

Did you notice anything else about the Trax stations? They have absolutely no paid advertisements. The trains do, but not the stations.

[@jonahsmith3346]

The Red line is also nice because it ends at the University of Utah Hospital to the north and a University of Utah clinic to the south. Both of which have primary care clinics and emergency rooms if you need medical care.

[@Thom-TRA]

And the trains even have ambulance colors!

[@milesbowen9433]

Ehh, it stops close to them. They’re still a bus ride or a walk up a hill away

[@jonahsmith3346]

@@milesbowen9433 Not the one in Daybreak. It's across a parking lot. But a hill is doable.

[@Civil_Maniac]

There’s also a hospital about dead center. The amount of medical staff I see on the train every day is impressive

[@joelpartee594]

It’s less important for urgent care and more for employees and students because U of U has very insufficient parking.

[@wolfperson883]

The reason the platforms are so long is because during rush hour, they run four car trains usually.

[@zyoninkiro]

Also for special events like University of Utah football games, the twice yearly LDS General Conference, Pride, Christmas, etc. At those times those four car trains can be become sardine cans.

[@soniccookie655]

@@zyoninkiroCan Confirm! It was crowded but we got a spot.

[@DesertDwight]

Regarding FrontRunner, there are plans to double track the line, and eventually electrify. This would allow for trains every 15 minutes during rush hour and 30 minutes the rest of the day. And it would also allow for Sunday service!

[@FrederickJenny]

Yes that is the plan, and hopefully it will also have the Rio Grande Plan in it.

[@Thom-TRA]

I’m planning to include this in my future if SLC transit video I’m making!

[@StefanWithTrains3222]

So the entire network upgrades will include: double tracking, quad tracking, introduce (B)EMU's and electrify, introduce 15 minute all day service and have express trains.

[@FrederickJenny]

@@StefanWithTrains3222 That sounds amazing! And hopefully the Rio Grande Plan as well!!!

[@articcircleado]

Breh you serious??? That’s awesome news.

[@BigKy-Mart]

I used to live in Salt Lake City, and it was a nice place to live. Lots of public transit options. The mountains were probably my favorite part though.

[@Thom-TRA]

The mountains are very impressive

[@FrederickJenny]

@@Thom-TRA been here for 7.5 years and I still stare at the mountains

[@jessehughes8274]

Been here 20 years and still stare at the mountains. Really wish that mountain rail was implemented here to improve public access, solve traffic in the canyons, and make for even more scenic riding, especially for skiers.

[@PARK-sy3tf]

@@jessehughes8274I could totally see it happening in the next few decades.

[@kpdvw]

But just like California it is being destroyed by misguided DemocRATs....!

[@Tindog81476]

So from Salt Lake City here, I ride these trains basically every day, and yes our mountains are BEAUTIFUL! We got the really pretty purple kind! So a bit of history the Blue line was constructed as an experiment for the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympic Games as a way to take riders downtown for the Olympics. It was one of three new transit lines built in the USA after most were demolished in the 1960s. As you mentioned because Salt Lake City use to have a trolly system the train lines largely follow in the downtown area where the trolly lines use to run, or roundabout where they use to be. In fact some of the streets are as wide as they are, because they use to have multiple trolly lines on them which would pass each other but were later demolished for 'car infrastructure'. This isn't the only reason for the wide streets but can explain some of them. As a result the only line that runs the older trains is the blue line as it is the oldest line, and so is the only one that has the old light rail trains. However they won't be around for much longer, as they are now nearing 25 years old, they are looking to replace them, and just got the federal funding to do so, so they won't be around much longer. The main reason for wanting to replace them though is that they aren't very compatible for those in wheelchairs or bicycles. They are in fact the only trains to use those ramps you see on the stations, If you ride on a part where only a green or red line run, you won't see those ramps. Also, each station is designed to fit 4 train cars, so they always go to the front of the station they are on, during rush hour they actually run more cars, so the whole station is used during rush hour, but not on off hours. That's why it feels like only half the station is getting used. You can actually see typically on the fence there will be #s that say 1,2,3,4 and designate where the cars go based on how many there are. Also the stickers on the ground always line up with the doors (pro tip). As for why is the S-line so different, the main reason is that it is not run by the state, it's paid for by Sugarhouse (which is the neighborhood) it's just managed by UTA. You see Sugarhouse used to be a "Sugarhouse" It was a factory that made sugar out of sugarbeets. So it used to have a rail that was used to export the sugar. When the sugar factory closed the rail became unused and abandoned, although was still used for some small rail services to other businesses, eventually when the Trax lines were built the mayor of Sugarhouse asked if they could extend the UTA line into Sugarhouse using its old rails (as it ran right through the middle of the city, as the city was built around the sugar factory), after agreeing the old rails were removed and replaced in what eventually became the S-line. As for the 15min wait times... yes they are an issue. Each train only runs once every 15 minutes, the main reason why is because the three different trains (red, blue, and green) use the same rails. They are going to add more tracks eventually in fact near the Murry Central Station they have already started doing this, but they have to acquire the land, and it's a bit expensive. The main reason they haven't done it yet is because they want to double-gage the Front Runner first as it only runs every hour which is REALLY bad for riding. My sister had to take the Front Runner and if you miss your train and you're waiting AN HOUR for the next one, so by double gaging the line it will dramatically increase the frequency. So it's considered a worse problem than the fact the red green and blue only run every 15min. The goal eventually is to get the green line its own set of tracks so that only red and blue have to share. It would be easier as the Green Line only briefly goes into the city. The plan I think eventually is to move the green line west and have it run down a separate set of tracks near the Front Runner. When that happens the trains will be able to run at 7-8min intervals. As for why so many stations are called "Central" it's because the stations are based on where they stop, so like Murry NORTH, Murry CENTRAL, and Murry SOUTH. It's the location of the station in relation to the location of the city. The red line was an old line that was used to transport ore from the Bingham Copper Mine, there is in fact the foundations of an old roundhouse just off the north of the line, where the steam locomotives used to be kept. The station was removed a long time ago (in the era of steam) but if you ride the redline out to a place called Historic Gardner, if you stop by the "Chocolate Covered Wagon Shop" (free to visit) it's the old train station that they moved from the town of Welby (an old train town that no longer exists but was used to service the steam trains). Murry Central was the ore refinery for the copper but was eventually torn down and turned into the hospital. If you look at that station's pictures and art you can see it references the old refinery which was where the station and hospital are now. If you are ever interested you can watch the KZbin channel " Bingham Canyon and Copper King Mine" he goes into a lot into the history of the old trains of the Salt Lake City Area and has a lot of videos on them. If you ever manage to come this way again, I would recommend as a train fan, that you ride the Blue Line all the way until its end. I won't tell you what is down there you can find out for yourself, (you can read about it when you get there), a little fun thing to explore if you ever come this way again. Also, get a ride out to the city of HEBER UTAH they have some old steam trains and things you can ride. Have fun! Thanks for stopping by!

[@Thom-TRA]

Thanks for your clarifications on many of these things!

[@nutellafoxvideos7350]

The "only 15 min intervals because 3 lines share the same set of track" is a bit of a BS reasoning on their end. The timing is still one train arrives or uses a section every 5 minutes on average at best. I've seen metro stations elsewhere with a train arriving every 60-90 seconds. They could easily have a 2.5 min/train at the sections with all 3 running for a 7-8 minute wait time per line. Edit: It is also suspect for the frontrunner having 30 min times between trains as well. Really, the timing just needs to be so that each engine meets its opposite at the next station about 5-10 minutes away. The general rule is one train per each segment on those one-line tracks. I think the real reasoning is they don't have enough working engines for the frontrunner or at least staff to run them and keep maintenance schedule up. As for the Trax it's definitely likely a staffing issue. Even at rush hour when I'd use Red, most of the time it could get by with just 1 car instead of 2-3. Only some Monday mornings in 2019 was it crowded enough to use all 4 cars.

[@pineberry212]

​@@Thom-TRA dont forget to stop by dairy keen if you end up visiting the heber creeper, its a train themed fast food restaurant, very popular in the area.

[@andmicbro1]

What would be really cool is if we had more lines running East/West from the west side of the valley. There just aren’t many great ways to go East/West, even by car. I grew up on the west side and it always felt like a chore trying to get to the freeway. We definitely need more routes to get people from the newer high growth areas to the city. But having more rail lines connecting to the valley center would be awesome too! Can you imagine living out in Daybreak for example, and being able to hop on a train and get almost anywhere in the valley? That would be amazing!

[@hassanalabbas5767]

@@andmicbro1you kinda Can! I use the daybreak parkway station at e very end of the red line, and it takes a while, but it can (eventually) get you most places, especially in they city!

[@oddityscrash]

The S-Line shows that you don’t have to choose between public transit and bike lanes when it comes to repurposing freight ROW

[@Thom-TRA]

Exactly. Pro rail trail but only if they keep the rail!

[@wilfstor3078]

Was this a stab at Vancouver BC seemingly axing the light rail plan from the Arbutus Greenway?

[@kinezumi]

SMART north of San Francisco too, it's got a path which will (when complete) run beyond the eventual northern terminus of Cloverdale. It's a pretty well used path considering it's basically a modern interurban line.

[@jessehughes8274]

They're working on pedestrianizing and making several parts of the city more bike friendly which is always exciting. Pairs beautifully with the FrontRunner and Trax systems.

[@Hdu3u3he83be]

Like how they redid 200 s since it’s one of the most used bus roads and they made it very transit and pedestrian friendly

[@SupremeLeaderKimJong-un]

Well, after that pilgrimage to East High, I guess you can say when it comes to urbanism advocacy, we're all in this together. We gotta get our, get our, get our, get our head in the game! That diorama at Trolley Square is so adorable and I love the detail! Though the fact you didn't have a quarter to see it in action....I felt that. The barns of Trolley Square were built back in 1908, the streetcar system was dismantled in 1945, and it became a shopping center in 1972. Light rail in the Salt Lake Valley was first seriously discussed in the late 1980s to provide an alternative to traffic congestion on I-15, but the idea was met with criticism (surprise to no one). Construction for TRAX began in 1997. Protesters at the groundbreaking insisted light rail would be dangerous and a waste of money. Public opinion remained divided and businesses on Main Street in downtown Salt Lake City suffered during the construction period. After the north-south line opened in late 1999 with sixteen stations, ridership expectations were quickly met. The system was enthusiastically embraced by valley residents, to the surprise of many, and once-skeptical communities soon began clamoring for extension. Gee, it's like if you actually GIVE THINGS A CHANCE, they might end up great!

[@Thom-TRA]

Light rail is only as dangerous as the bad drivers that cross in front of a train…

[@gospelaccordingtojohn8959]

The population of 200,000 is just the downtown area. The Greater Salt Lake area with suburbs is 1,500,000 and then you have Ogden 25 miles north and Orem/Provo 30 miles south and they’re all connected. Its about 70 miles of sprawl. Totaling around 3 million people. It’s one of the top ten most urbanized states. Due to the massive mountain, deserts and lakes making the rest of the land.

[@josieMayday]

omg hey! I used to work for UTA. The S-Line is so weird because it originally started as a partnership between Salt Lake City and Salt Lake County, separate from UTA. It stalled for a long time before it was decided that it would be best handled by UTA, who completed it and opened the line. As you point out, the rolling stock are functionally identical, and you’ll even occasionally see a TRAX LRV on the sline. You should give the FrontRunner a ride next time you’re here, it’s got even better views than the S-Line!

[@Thom-TRA]

A TRAX LRV on the S-Line, I bet that’s a weird sight to see!

[@thewi2kbug]

not as wierd as seeing a red electric bus on the (Ogden Express) OGX Bus Rapid Transit system

[@asl4life443]

To be fair, the OGX is fantastic, and it was redesigned for better disability access.

[@jacksongaskill9339]

I left Utah in 202, but TRAX was one of my favorite parts about living there. There were short periods of time I was car-free, and it was very possible even if not as convenient as Chicago where I am now. At one point, I lived, worked, and went to school all along the red line and used my car so infrequently that it sometimes struggled to turn on. The city is also doing a lot to density around the transit stations and has plans to increase service, extend routes, and potentially add new lines. I don’t think there are any cities of a similar size in the US with transit that good, and it’s only getting better.

[@AverytheCubanAmerican]

Exactly, the light rail having a retractable ramp makes a huge difference! Also, something cool at a TRAX station: At Arena station, there is a countdown clock from the 2002 Winter Olympics! The countdown clock is in the shape of an arrowhead to commemorate those found during construction of the station! During the 2002 Winter Olympics, the station was closed as it was within the Olympics Medals Plaza. In 1988, Congress approved five million in funds to preserve land around the proposed TRAX corridor. After they won the right to host the Olympics in 1995, UTA used this as acceleration for funding. Like how the 2010 Winter Olympics bid motivated Vancouver to build the Canada Line. Though it had a huge flaw when it opened for the 2002 Winter Olympics, when it opened, there wasn't even a station at the airport! The airport wouldn't get one until 2013! TRAX ended up borrowing 29 Kinki Sharyo LRVs from Dallas to handle overcrowding during the Olympics! And another thing Utah did for the 2002 Winter Olympics for transport was for those heading to Soldier Hollow (for biathlon, Nordic combined, and cross-country), the Heber Valley Railroad offered a special train service to Wasatch Mountain State Park on steam locomotives, and then horse-drawn sleighs took spectators to the venue.

[@himbourbanist]

I love SLC's light rail, it's just a solid network. It's a great example of a city that went from having basically 0 transit to having some of the best in the region in less than 20 years. Also, it's awesome that they're running the S-Line more grade-separated along a ped trail. That's so cute. I would love to have that little train in my backyard

[@killfuck7544]

After seeing it a ton in sugarhouse and south salt lake I finally rode the street car for the first time and it was pretty sweet.

[@AverytheCubanAmerican]

The addition of the organ music at 2:39 was a nice touch! The livery on the UTA vehicles is aesthetically pleasing! Part of getting people to take transit is to make it appealing, and they've succeeded in doing that! The sculpture at 4:31 is the top of the Salt Lake City and County Building, or SLC's city hall (what you saw at 7:36; not a courthouse)! The building is in a Richardsonian Romanesque style and was designed by the architectural firm of Monheim, Bird, and Proudfoot, a firm specifically formed for the building. It was designed to purposefully mimic the Salt Lake Temple, and the building's clock tower and statues were designed to mimic the temple's spires and statue of the angel Moroni. Besides East High by Stadium station, you can also see the 2002 Winter Olympics cauldron to the right at 9:37 since that was where the opening and closing ceremonies were held! The cauldron was lit by the Miracle on Ice hockey team! The Hoberman Arch, an arch inspired by Utah's stone arches which expanded and contract like a Hoberman sphere, was used during the medals ceremonies downtown and was moved to the stadium after the Olympics. It has since been removed in 2014, put in storage where 29 pieces were stolen, and then restored by the Gordon Huether Studio in August 2023 as an installation by the exit road of the airport.

[@Vaeloron]

Interesting note on City Creek Center. The ceiling that was briefly shown is actually moveable. I can't remember the details on when they open it though.

[@beardalaxy]

it is closed during the cold months and when weather is bad. during the spring and summer though, it's open.

[@tomjones3113]

Ride trax almost everyday. The reason why you didn't see 100/160s because of the SGR(State of good repair). UTA was fixing some grade crossings and signals. 100/160s were running south of the SGR and the 70s north. As for why the trains pull to the end of the platform, the platforms are designed to handle four car consists during peak hours. S-Line cars are the same, but without the couplers. Enjoy watching your videos. Can't wait to see the Rio Grande video. As for the timing of the trains, might have been delayed due to a break down or construction related.

[@Thom-TRA]

Thanks for the explanation. It makes sense, the Red Line trains were only going as far south as Fashion Place

[@chandelier944]

you happened to be in town during a massive maintenance project that messed with all the schedules and cut off the midvale yard from the north end of the network which is why you saw none of the older trains and the frequencies were all bad.

[@Thom-TRA]

That makes a lot of sense

[@chaysefox]

10:41 The U of U Rice-Eccles stadium is where the Opening and Closing Ceremonies for the 2002 Winter Olympics were held. That brief glimpse of the cauldron is one of the many remnants of that.

[@MicahAnimates]

As a Utahn, I’m happy to see that you guys had a great time here. I love seeing people show hospitality, and it’s a truly beautiful state. Outside of SLC, there are so many amazing natural wonders! Hope you guys get to come back, and have a great time wherever you are!

[@Thom-TRA]

We hope to tour some of the natural parks next time!

[@asl4life443]

​@Thom-TRA we have more State parks than any other state. You could spend a year here and not see the entirety all of them.

[@michaelb9629]

I never knew there was both a light rail and streetcar in Salt Lake City with a similarity. They sound the same as the light rail in Minneapolis, including the doors closing chime. Everything I got to learn about this city makes me want to go for those reasons, and which ever other ones I can come up with.

[@Vibe69909]

I enjoyed this video, thanks for sharing. New Subscriber as well👍🏽

[@Thom-TRA]

Thanks for subbing!

[@ataricom]

The biggest difference between the Trax network and the S Line is that one gives me migraines when I get stopped by them and the other gets the absolute right-of-way and I go about my day. Your comment on awful traffic signaling hits home. I'm glad you got to visit on a beautiful day!

[@Thom-TRA]

It really was an absolutely gorgeous day!

[@jstephens2758]

Love your videos. I have been to Salt Lake City several times and missed the opportunity to ride the transit system, but I will ride the next time.

[@Robbi496]

This video was awesome, including the short city tour!

[@Thom-TRA]

Thank you!

[@halodisciple8459]

I used to put quarters in that same train diorama at Trolley Square when i was a kid. That was in the 80s. It's been there a while.

[@haj8579]

Most of places covered by this video are familiar to me, and that makes me happy! The train system of SLC is quite amazing for the size of the city. I am happy, that it seems that you enjoyed the city! P.S. By the way, you pointed out that the S-Line is pretty short, but I recall a fact that it is still longer and have more stations than Berlin U4, the shortest U-Bahn line in Berlin.

[@Thom-TRA]

Glad you enjoyed! I had a good time, even if it was only for a day.

[@BrianMonroe]

Good video. Glad you also are planning on covering Christian Lenhart's The Rio Grande Plan. Looks like a great idea from what he has outlined on his videos.

[@kirkmangaming]

Thanks for visiting us! I’m proud of our little rail system. I just wish more people used the S Line (and just Trax in general). I wish you had talked about FrontRunner too! It will take you north and south to a few other great cities in the Wasatch Front!

[@Thom-TRA]

Guess what. You can actually visit the channel, and you’ll find a video about the FrontRunner.

[@kirkmangaming]

@@Thom-TRA Awesome! I have only seen this one video of yours so far.

[@zacer-qn1sw]

I appreciate you highlighting my comment you’re awesome. Keep your videos going. They’re good.

[@FlightAndTrack]

What a great vid! I never knew much about salt lake city. Know I do! I like how you do some videos about things that are lesser known. You are a great content maker. Keep up the awesome work 👍😀

[@Thom-TRA]

Appreciate it!

[@PBTTOfficial]

It was really interesting seeing someone make an entire KZbin video on a subject which I see nearly everyday Great Work!

[@Thom-TRA]

Where did you find this video? It’s gotten A LOT of comments the past week or so

[@matthiasice]

Salt Lake resident here. The stations are long because they extend the trains whenever there's an event in town or during rush hour. Like this weekend was the Pride Festival and I believe I saw an extra car or two on a lot of them.

[@ck4426]

Thanks for all of the information on the SLC light rail. The trains looked clean and efficient. Your hostel looked very nice. Can’t wait for you to get back on the Zephyr! Go Lindsey and UIC! Awesome!!!

[@Thom-TRA]

2 weeks and the Zephyr is back!

[@CityPete]

I’m a Salt Lake local attending the U of U and I take the trains and buses nearly everywhere. Glad to hear your thoughts on the system! The spacing between trains is usually 15 minutes, but recently the timing has been off.

[@wafus101]

Great job on this video! You’ve earned my sub. As a resident of suburban SLC, I’m very happy to see Trax and the S-Line get the attention they deserve. They are a great rail system. I would have liked to see you ride/talk about the front runner a little more as it is the connection through all of the wasatch front but great job anyway!

[@Thom-TRA]

Thanks! What if I told you I have a separate front runner video? Check it out!

[@tommarino1056]

Enjoyed the video. Lots of information about Salt Lake City.

[@Thom-TRA]

I’m glad!

[@Galastin]

13:15 You're correct about the freight trains, they only run after midnight when there are no LRVs on the mainline. So that prevents running later service

[@londonwhaley8690]

I enjoyed the video👍👍

[@bc-mv5se]

Also. I've done sl history. The Trax to sugar house line IS an interesting story involving the development of both western us railroadt and mining history. If I remember right. The s line was tapping a sugar line but also a line up to mines in park city. Good job

[@anthonywarrener1881]

Thank you for this fascinating video which I thoroughly enjoyed. It is surprising that Salt Lake City, with a population of just 200,000 people can support such a fine system as the Trax and Streetcar. I was hoping you might have had chance to ride on the Front Runner service, and was pleased to see a tantalising shot as you arrived back at the Amtrak depot. Maybe next time !

[@dsarmy1]

Trax serves Salt Lake County and not just Salt Lake City. The county has a population of around 1.2 million. UTA which also includes the bus system and the Frontrunner commuter trains serve the Wasatch Front and the MSA and CSA areas.

[@Hdu3u3he83be]

Yes the city uses it a lot but the whole system extends into the whole valley and the suburbs so everyone uses it and so many schools on the lines, even the regional commuter frontrunner has high ridership l

[@joelpartee594]

It generally makes more sense to think of Salt Lake County as one city, and the TRAX certainly reinforces that.

[@JIKwood]

I know it seems awkward to have the longer platforms for short trains. But in the fall on Saturdays those trains will get long enough to fill those platforms. They need the high capacity to fill that 53-4,000 capacity stadium

[@SleepTrain456]

I've heard of TRAX and the S-Line, but I learned a lot more from this video! Now, I know why the S-Line is separate from TRAX (platforms and track differences), as well as just how scenic the S-Line is! Also, I'm looking forward to learning more about the Rio Grande plan in a future video. For now, thanks for the information!

[@Thom-TRA]

I’d recommend a trip out there!

[@RealConstructor]

For a city of 200,000 it is a great rail system. In my country, in Europe, the cities with 200,000 till 300,000 have no tram system. Only cities with 350,000 and more have trams. So, a plus for SLC.

[@Thom-TRA]

What country is that? Because there are plenty of smaller European cities with trams.

[@Brett-fm4fm]

the metro is something like 1.2+ million people, the city just has small boundaries

[@brandtjustensen4379]

The Salt Lake City/Wasatch metro area has a population of 2.7 million.

[@kc3302]

Great explanation of the system. It is definitely one of the top light rail systems in USA. I visited there in 2019 and the S-Line is still carrying lots of fresh air! The reason that the platforms are so long is that in peak hours they build train size up to 4-cars. The timetable is a consistent 15 minutes all day and they manage peak loadings by doubling the vehicle size and not increasing frequency. From the look of everything it seems like you were visiting there on a weekend and they were using all the low floor trams. In 2019 they were using the high floor SD100/160's on all Blue Line services (I think I was only there on weekdays). I got a couple of nice photos with a backdrop of the ice-capped mountains. It is one of very few cities where you can catch a normal route bus to snowfields - so we did! It was an interesting afternoon.

[@Thom-TRA]

It was actually a Tuesday when I was there

[@kc3302]

@@Thom-TRA Oh really. Post-pandemic lower patronage maybe??? Would explain not building up trains as much which means don't need to use high floors.

[@utahrailfan1946]

​@@kc3302He was there when there was construction going on that blocked the older high floor vehicles from going north of 6200 South. During this time, the low floor vehicles were the only ones available.

[@kc3302]

@@utahrailfan1946 Thank you! Very unfortunate for Thom that he visited during the construction work.

[@jedendwatrzy4189]

I was in Salt Lake City in 2017 and I don’t remember seeing streetcars at all. How did I miss that? Overall I was impressed the city, though. And yes, those mountain views are also awesome! Thanks for another fun video!

[@Thom-TRA]

You have to go out of the city a little bit to see the streetcar. And they’re not really on any maps!

[@MadamLava094]

As a lifelong Wasatch Front resident who is plenty familiar with SLC, I didnt know the streetcar line even existed

[@Thom-TRA]

You learn something new every day!

[@sbossinger]

I loved your quip about Centraal. 😂 So appropriate. (Caught Lindsay in a yawn, too. The things our partners put up with for our railfanning habits is awesome.)

[@Thom-TRA]

Not pictured is all the shopping we do in between haha

[@bensonjarvis5025]

I find it very funny that I’m watching this video while I’m riding on the train of the topic.

[@Thom-TRA]

Nice!

[@asl4life443]

Inception

[@Blueyzachary]

My friend lives in an apartment complex right on the s-line-it’s honestly so convenient and makes doing anything when hanging out with her so much fun!

[@Thom-TRA]

That’s so cool!

[@misterphayulirr]

(slc native here lol) “It’s like Rome but for Mormons” had me cackling! 🔥

[@Thom-TRA]

It’s funny I got like two comments saying the same thing 12 minutes apart

[@salemnightlark8161]

I found this whole sitting on the trax train

[@mustrook1]

Great video. Wish you would have included the Frontrunner train as well.

[@Thom-TRA]

This video isn’t about the front runner though. To see the front runner, try clicking on my dedicated front runner video.

[@CrownCoastYT]

i'm glad we have public transit back in the city because back in the day the shopping mall trolley square was the trolley station before big car ruined it.....and then that mass shooting pretty much killed the vitality of that mall.....at least we still have the spaghetti factory.

[@utahrailfan1946]

When were you here? UTA was doing some construction last month and in May, in Murray that blocked the SD units from going north of 6200 South. Lasted 10 days, and the S70 units were the only units available during this time. Also, because of this construction, trains were often delayed. Frequency is every 15 minutes. The seemingly random timing was because of the construction.

[@Thom-TRA]

That must have been it!

[@asl4life443]

My husband has lived on both sides of the Rockies, and he swears our mountains are the best version. Love the comment! Also, thanks for trying on the "Church of Latter-Day Saints" in the voice over. I've seen government sanctioned documentaries that never use the correct name. Hubs and I agree it deserves at least partial credit! 😊

[@jezzarisky]

I'm not an expert on this, but my understanding with the S-Line "streetcar" compared to Trax has a lot to do with a federal grant program specifically for streetcars, leading to separate branding, though the low-speed corridor likely helps differentiate it from the higher speed Trax lines as well.

[@Thom-TRA]

That is a very realistic possibility. Federal funding is funny like that.

[@jeffkunce8501]

Your guess is probably more realistic than mine. As an outsider, my guess was that the S Line concept was a concession to make it more palatable to nimbys along the route. Where I live, much of the anti-transit sentiment focuses on fears that "those people" from the city will ride transit to "our neighborhoods" and pick our flowers [or whatever your worst fear is.] The separate designation, and lack of direct route downtown, may have helped with the community buy-in.

[@asl4life443]

​@@jeffkunce8501 A lot of places, states, counties, etc think buses and public transport is a "poor/disabled" only program. Like it's charity work cause, "ar least you can ride the bus" so it doesn't get funding.

[@kweejee]

I love the view of the WinCo shopping carts from the S-Line.

[@teecefamilykent]

Brilliant video:-)

[@Thom-TRA]

Thank you!

[@MachoSquatcho]

I recommend renting a bike or scooter there everywhere and all you need is the app and a cc for payment. Scooters are awesome to cruise downtown with.

[@tateseely]

I LOVE the S line! My wife lived along it when we were dating so that was how I'd go visit her. We would skateboard along the path next to the train. So cool to see it from an outside perspective!

[@Thom-TRA]

That’s so cute!!

[@713davidh42]

Good explanation on the difference between the TRAX Light Rail and the Sugar House Streetcar even though they both use the same vehicle.

[@Thom-TRA]

Thank you!

[@brianhubert8418]

It looks like Salt Lake City has some good things going for it in terms of transit overall, but it does look like a mixed-bag when it comes to land-use near higher order transit. I like the vibes of the S-Line/trail together, good way to make both things more useful. Thanks to you two for bringing us along on your journey!!

[@Hdu3u3he83be]

I do want to say that the clips in this video didn’t show very well the development around the stations. It is much better and denser. Not sure why he chose the clips or filmed them how he did (the ones of the city) and he didn’t visit the best stops with stuff around them. But we could do better. There’s plans right now along the city center two new skyscrapers that are resedntial will finally boost some housing on the system. And more is filling up all along the routes past the city. They are also going to add a new station called the point where a prison used to be and it’s going to be a large somewhat transit oriented community

[@FrederickJenny]

What a great video, it is like Rome but for Mormons (yeah I live here). Glad you did a video on SLC and even mentioned the awesome Rio Grande Plan. I like that you showed all the system has to offer. It can get you a lot of places and has some really good bones, but as you mentioned as it being still car centric. We really need more S-Lines in the city to connect more people into the main system. For example, you walked down 1300E to East High, that road would be perfect for a street car. They just redid that road and found old trolley tracks and tore them out. Going back to the Rio Grande Plan I cannot wait to see your video on the Rio Grande Plan!!! It is the logical next step on how to fix the rail system in the city and the state and remove the barrier between the east and west side of the city. Freight trains constantly stop and block the rail lines. There is a planning team working on how to release the Feasibility Study for the Rio Grande Plan. Maybe you can even come back for that! We really need to get the word out about the Rio Grande Plan and how great it can be for the city and people!! Thanks for mentioning SLC and the Rio Grande Plan.

[@Thom-TRA]

I’m glad you enjoyed the video so much! I will definitely recruit your help for the rio grande video, when the time comes.

[@FrederickJenny]

@@Thom-TRA happy to help and take any videos of the area you need!

[@BrookieCooki84]

As a person that has had to rely on UTA many times before for daily transportation, it’s easy to give them lots of credit when traveling downtown. The problem lies in having to rely on multiple vehicles, when one runs behind you could end up being an hour late (or longer) due to no fault of your own. For getting around on vacation, I’m sure it’s great. But relying on it to get yourself to work? Not so much. And don’t get me started on how far away some stops are from where you are starting. And not to mention how early the services stop on Sunday, or sometimes not at all. In the case of Feontrunner.

[@beardalaxy]

UTA also now has a Rideshare app similar to Uber that has the same fare as Trax does. It's ridiculously cheap, but being in a car with random people isn't exactly my cup of tea haha. The fact that it exists at all though is ridiculous, people don't believe me when I tell them that's an option here. Our public transportation is really good.

[@asl4life443]

Hold up, WHAT? I need to know about this!

[@beardalaxy]

@@asl4life443 UTA Rideshare. One of my coworkers uses it to get to and from work.

[@Vaeloron]

I did not know that a separate streetcar system even existed and I have lived here all my life. I even shop at that Best Buy on a regular basis.

[@TtimeXP]

My favorite thing to do is ride the trax just to anywhere. The most scenic is the Frontrunner. Going from Provo to Ogden is a good 2 hour ride, but so beautiful, especially in the upper part of the train. I ride the trax everyday and its just so nice. Ive seen some plans on what they wanna add to the trax and im excited if that comes true.

[@michaelgormley2294]

I’ve recently been introducing more & more friends to the trax & they are always mind blown. An easy, convenient ride to downtown without worrying about driving or parking for a concert or going to some bars. Plus for a lot of common events it’s totally free. I do wish it had a broader connection to Millcreek and the south east side of the city in general.

[@Thom-TRA]

It’s really crazy when people “discover” a centuries-old technology haha. But more power to you for introducing them!

[@Mrmcspicey]

Not sure if you'd find this interesting, but when I was younger, my friends and I would use trax at the stadium and take it up to the top of the UofU campus. We would then longboard through campus (at night, when it wasn't populated). Since the campus is near a mountain it naturally flows downhill and you could choose different paths down campus eventually to the bottom of the stadium. We would then get back on trax "at the bottom of the run" and hop back on and do it again. The timing of the light rail was perfect. We considered it our free summer ski runs and we did this all the time. This video brings back some of those memories :).

[@Thom-TRA]

That sounds like a lot of fun!

[@tkPuncake]

Great video! My only problem with the S-line is that it is made a little redundant by the 21 bus line that runs parallel just a couple blocks north that runs from Central point station all the way to the U of U hospital. While I do agree that it is a wonderful green space it didn’t provide much use for getting to the east side of Sugar House park and Highland High. Sometimes I still take it home from work and I love it but it’s just too short for what it could do for the eastern side of the valley.

[@Thom-TRA]

I’m hoping it’s just phase 1 of something longer. And the transfer to TRAX is convenient probably, at least to people living on the corridor.

[@richkurtz6053]

Great Video! We saw you purchase the day pass, but how was it collected/scanned as you changed trains? I saw no turnstyles or scanners on the trains.

[@Thom-TRA]

They checked it a few times on the train

[@jezzarisky]

They have officers who will occasionally come by to check tickets. There are scanners at the stations, but are mainly for long term cards and not for one way/all day tickets.

[@electrictractiontrainsandt3063]

Grobartig video! 👍

[@FlightAndTrack]

You should see the tram ( light rail) in Toulouse France. It looks so cool. But when you go inside it is packed to the brim and it stinks. Then, it is slow and noisy on the curves. It does go very fast on straights but when it hits the brakes, it throws you forward violently. The way back from where I came from though was none of that nonsense.😅

[@Thom-TRA]

My favorite French trams are the ones in Tours. Very futuristic look. Marseille are cool too.

[@FlightAndTrack]

The Toulouse metro is very nice. It kinda reminds me of an airport transit train from Chicago o hare. The trains used on this route are Siemens val 206 and 208s. They run by themselves. You should try it if you have the chance to go or go on a Siemens val.

[@smallboislumpo7759]

sad you didn't see any of the frontrunner and love the shout out to the rio grade plan

[@ZakhadWOW]

Ive often wondered why certain hostel like places wouldnt offer the same discount to single senior citizens, many of whom also dont have much income, and dont want to pay for a whole hotel room when they just need a place to sleep.

[@Alex-kn7cb]

I like the idea of the S line connecting more neighborhoods to the Trax, but it feels like an unfinished concept that should expand much farther.

[@Kevbot6000]

3:55 you likely never saw them because on days where there is reduced service (weekends, holidays), they use all newer cars from what I’ve noticed. If you visited on a weekend or local/national holiday, that might be why. Also I actually went to East High, graduated in 2019. Glad you enjoyed your time in SLC!

[@Thom-TRA]

That’s so cool! Thanks for the info about the trains!

[@andrew_ray]

Have you seen the Mattapan High-Speed Line in Boston/Milton MA? The S line reminds me of that.

[@Thom-TRA]

Yes I’ve been on that

[@atomic32205489]

The thing about SLC is its size. The city proper is not hugely populous but the metro has over 1 million people. And you are right, the mountain views are amazing.

[@kr46428]

I travel to SLC quite often and have ridden the UTA buses, TRAX and FrontRunner. The mountain views from FrontRunner are pretty great if you ever go back and have enough time to ride. I do appreciate a good multi-modal transit agency, whatever they want to call their vehicles 😏. Having the same transit agency run all modes across 3 counties seems like a big benefit to scheduling and multi-mode integration. Surprised they were only running 2-car trains on TRAX, I could have sworn it was a 4 car system (thus the long platforms), but my memory might be wrong. What was the fare enforcement like while you were there?

[@Thom-TRA]

It was a very quiet day when I was there, for whatever reason, even though it was on a Tuesday.

[@Dimewick21]

Great vid as always. I just got to spend a few days in SLC for the first time in 25 years. Spent much of my time riding the Trax around. Good experience overall. The good: 1) It’s definitely an expansive rail system given the size of Salt Lake. The bus system seems pretty good as well with a decent amount of well depicted frequent routes. The commuter rail is far better than what most much larger cities even have. These nodes all seem to integrate quite well at many locations. 2) the system was very clean. I’m glad to see a US transit agency keeping their vehicles clean and tidy. 3) It seems like the trains weren’t a place for the un-housed to keep out of the elements. Don’t get me wrong, I have zero disdain for those in unfortunate circumstances, quite the opposite, I think we need a national housing first policy. I just feel that if the unhoused are basically allowed to essentially live on transit vehicles and at stations, people that would otherwise use transit will be put off. Also I didn’t see open heavy drug use like I’ve seen in on transit in Minneapolis, Denver, San Jose, Portland, LA, SF, etc, though SLC sadly did seem to have its share of homeless and addicted. 4) the street car is pretty cool and unique. The bad: 1) you’re right about the lack of signal priority. Any street running LRT should have full, aggressive (yes, that’s an official descriptor) signal priority. Charlotte is an example of a place that does this well. 2) even transit oriented developed stations didnt seem to be executed very well. It seemed like in many cases you had the station and sometimes a bus facility adjacent to the station. Surrounding these, a moat of parking. And finally, on the fringes of the parking, there were apartments, condos and shops. Every us city/transit agency should have to visit Orenco station in Portland to see TOD done pretty much perfectly. 3) Daybreak on the SW end of the red line was just sad. I really love new urbanism/ modern TODs, etc, so I was thoroughly excited to check out Daybreak in Jordan. I was sorely disappointed. The developers had a blank slate to make a very innovative new urbanist neighborhood, but fell sadly short. The rail station was on the fringe of the neighborhood, a good mile walk from the retail/commercial center. The streets followed the SLC pattern of being egregiously wide, park space wasn’t abundant. Sadly I just wasn’t impressed. Overall I did thoroughly enjoy SLC and feel they’ve done a good job with their transit. A note about the Rio Grande project. As cool as this project would be, I don’t see it happening, at least the train box portion. 5 billion dollars to move the rail lines 1.5 blocks east and underground just doesn’t seem like reality in todays USA. I do see large scale redevelopment in the neighborhood happening and the station building being repurposed and having a nice promenade along 300s to the current rail tracks where there will likely be a new train shed. I could also see 500s, 600s, and University somehow being merged and placed below grade to get rid of the viaducts. Sadly I just don’t see the powers that be and voting public justifying the cost of the train box. What I personally think would actually have some legs would be turning the Union Pacific Depot back into a train station and building some kind of concourse through the Gateway Center to the current tracks which would have a new train shed and other facilities.

[@Thom-TRA]

I really like how you worded point 3. Compassionate and practical. You write this whole comment with an insight that makes me hope you are in city government or planning somewhere.

[@davidlipscombe916]

At the 10:57 mark the tower looks like it's dumping tower for old bicycle Wheels

[@steamymemes7946]

If you go to LA, hop on the A line towards Azusa and theres a really good view of the mountains

[@ZakhadWOW]

assuming you can see them thru the massive smog blanket....

[@officialmcdeath]

Thanks for highlighting the orange flags - first heard about them from 99% Invisible podcast. Just wondering, did you ever witness 2 TRAX services bunching up, one after the other, on the same platform? \m/

[@dantheminigolfwizard860]

Definitely need to take the Frontrunner next time, the views are incredible!

[@Thom-TRA]

Join the choir haha

[@qwerpiez]

fun fact: my dad's the city engineer for salt lake

[@Thom-TRA]

Cool!

[@AllieThePrettyGator]

Those are nice looking Trams

[@zacer-qn1sw]

I’ve lived in Utah my whole life. The reason why they stop at the front of the train station. It depends on how many cars there are on the train. If there’s four cars in total, it will take up the entire platform from and end if it was only one car, it would stop at the very front. The front car always starts at the front of the station.

[@Brambrew]

I really hope Amtrak + Utah Rail Passengers Association commits to their LinkUtah plan and expand rail connections between Utah cities and connect to California Zephyr

[@lunchbox997]

13:11 they do run during the day, but its less frequent. There's Freight that runs all the way from SLC, down past to Provo and further south and either heads west or east depending on the destination. Those freight trains are also REALLLY long, like they're so long that you have to wait up to 10-20 minutes for the train to pass at a crossing. UTA also planned or scrapped a plan they had of extending trax to be in Provo, or having it connect into the other surrounding cities like American Fork, Lehi, Orem, Pleasent Grove, and 1 other. They did implement frontrunner train that runs from the Trax central station, down into Provo and further up into Roy, Utah.

[@MrCateagle]

S-track sounds like the West Lake extension of the South Shore/NICTD down the old Monon right of way that parallels the state line.

[@flowrebaz6189]

Being from London and having moved to Utah, I’ve not found the public transit system to any good in anyway. It’s nice it exists but the stops aren’t in the right places and only take you to very specific points with long walks to the more interesting places.

[@SerenityForschen]

I am also a local in SLC and transit is only good if you live and work in very specific parts of the city. I used to commute downtown via bus and trax but it eventually cost more to buy a monthly pass than it did to just drive and pay for a parking lot monthly downtown. Not that I work from home I only take trax if I am going to an event downtown.

[@ajmccorristin1125]

I actually Operated TRAX For 8 years and am a Trainer at UTA. I loves seeing this video :) I would love to talk to you more about our system and our trains if you're interested. Also you REALLY need to visit the Ogden FrontRunner station if for no other reason than to see the rail museum.

[@Thom-TRA]

I’d love to come back some day!

[@ajmccorristin1125]

i hope you are able to.

[@GuyPerson-jt9tv]

Salt Lake City is cool, but I also like that I can take the frontrunner from Ogden to Provo, basically across the entire Wasatch Front. Since I'm a student, I get to ride for free. Sometimes, I just go down to SLC just for fun. The only downside is that I have to drive my car to the station. 💀

[@Thom-TRA]

If I had free transit like you, I’d be doing that all the time too

[@sebastianjoseph2828]

I went to SLC this spring. I was impressed with their light rail system, especially coming from Baltimore. True they could have better signal priority but I was fairly impressed with how a lot of LR stations seemed to have TOD or apartments going up nearby, even if the city is still mostly sprawling. I liked the S-Line the first time I took it but then I realized that I didn't like it quite as much as the Light Rail. The reason being, with the path right there it made more sense to just rent a bike or scooter most of the time because the S-Line isn't particularly fast or frequent enough and it's a short spur route. I think it's a good service but we should prioritize building fast transit over anything else in order to get sustained ridership. That means I'd be up for more center-of-the-avenue style Light Rail where they can get up to 30 mph on average (50 mph rolling) which wouldn't be safe on a corridor where pedestrians and cyclists are so close, much less the number of crossings. That being said, that's just my nitpick. S-Line could honestly be extended SE along Highland Dr and become more useful that a spur corridor.

[@Thom-TRA]

The advantage of the s-line is it feeds into TRAX. It might not go far or fast itself but it’s much more convenient to take the S-Line to Central Pointe and transfer than to bike to a busy station.

[@coreywilkey2]

Also just to note, the current terminus is the S line is only the first phase of the total planned route. What is there now was built simply because funding was available and the study completed, so they proceeded. Next year will see ground break on an extension another block east, and then it will branch into two spurs. One north through sugarhouse, past Westminster college, the 9th&9th neighborhood, and then connect to the Red Line on 4th south. The second spur would go south along highland drive into the neighboring city of Holladay. Those spurs plan to be operation by the end of the decade.

[@drdewott9154]

The system seems quite nice, It should just fix its signal priority (and maybe have fully level boarding instead of needing retractable ramps to begin with) but otherwise its good. But the S-line streetcar really should just be integrated into the TRAX system brandingwise, maybe it can then be called the Silver line. The difference between it and the other lines seem like they dont exist at all apart from a weird branding decission.

[@parkerbond9400]

The stations are long because when it's busy they are 4 cars long. And normally trains run every 15 minutes.

[@trdewey7323]

We need streetcars on the west side of the valley near 5600 West, the industrial areas, Magna, and Tooele. Those populations are usually lower middle and working classes that rely on the trains to get around. Sugarhouse is upscale and predominantly upper middle class citizens. Its more a novelty on the east side of town, whereas on the west side multiple train routes that service that area would be practical.

[@AsiaUnscripted]

I know the SLC hostel owner, Arthur is a great dude.. Lived at his property in the early 2000's and again in 2021.

[@Thom-TRA]

Yes, Arthur was great!