Commuter rail to roll by '07

Like a whistle in the distance, there are already signs that commuter rail will arrive in Salt Lake, Davis and Weber counties within the next three years or so.

In a grassy field just west of I-15 in Farmington, lazy cows graze near a sign advertising prime "Farmington Station" commercial land. In other cities along the proposed route, plans for residential and economic development are banking on commuter rail stations to attract customers.

Chug-chug.

UTA commuter rail engineering manager Steve Meyer said that by 2007, the first leg of the commuter train system should be up and running. The 43-mile stretch of track will include nine stops from Salt Lake City to Pleasant View in Weber County.

Trains are expected to make about 48 trips daily on weekdays between 5:30 a.m. and 11 p.m., with trains arriving every 20 minutes during rush hours and every 40 minutes during off-peak hours. UTA isn't talking fares yet, but officials said the fare is likely to be distance-based, unlike TRAX, which has a fixed fare.

Before it can happen, a lot of work needs to be done, Meyer said. Last year, UTA purchased a 20-foot right-of-way corridor from Union Pacific. The100-foot-wide corridor runs parallel to I-15 from Payson in Utah County north to Weber County. UTA plans to eventually extend the commuter rail system to Provo, possibly by 2012 and up into Brigham City in years to come, but no date has been projected.

New rail track must be laid for most of the corridor in Salt Lake, Davis and Weber counties. Power line poles, which are currently in the train's expected path, also must be moved. In addition, train station platforms and parking lots will have to be constructed.

The $500 million project will be funded from a variety of sources. Federal transportation funds may match as much as 50 percent of the project cost with the rest coming from voter-approved quarter-cent sales tax revenues from Weber, Davis and Salt Lake counties. Other funding will come in the form of local station improvements made by cities.

Already city planners are hatching plans in anticipation of rail-riding commuters.

In Salt Lake City, construction on the city's intermodal center is already under way. The center will tie in bus, light-rail, commuter rail and taxi services. A walkway will be built from Rio Grande Avenue to the station.