Commuter rail system speeding toward Utah

OCEANSIDE, Calif. — The morning commute is timed and precise.

At 7:15 a.m., a train speeds toward the Oceanside station, whistle blowing as more than 650,000 pounds of metal are cajoled to a stop. An officer checks tickets. Passengers board. Many sit on the train's second level, where tinted windows offer a glimpse of beach-front properties and the Pacific Ocean.

It's idyllic, in a sense, with the combination of train, scenic views and a "leisurely" commute.

California doesn't have density like New York City, but it's getting there. Population and housing prices continue to inflate. City centers are expanding outward. More people mean more cars, which translates into congestion and the construction of 22-lane highways.

Rail transit — specifically high-speed commuter trains — appears to make sense here.

"It all goes back to getting cars off the road and cutting down on smog," said Jeff Tucker, a California state employee. He sits on the Coaster train headed toward San Diego, legs stretched out and arms behind his head.

"You don't want to get like here where you're two miles away from an 11,000-foot mountain and you can't see it."

For daily commuters in Utah, TRAX is currently the only option for passenger rail service.

The system is ideal, passengers say, for those who live near stations. It fails in the outskirts, when the time to drive to the station, then ride the train, takes longer than a commute by car.

"That's when you lose your advantage," said Lehi resident Russ Carbon, who travels by express bus to his job in downtown Salt Lake City.

Enter commuter rail: a high-speed train designed to shuttle passengers from suburbs to metropolitan centers. Speeds can exceed 79 mph. Come 2008, residents in Davis and Weber counties will have the option of riding a commuter train into Salt Lake City, and vice versa.

Within days, the Utah Transit Authority anticipates federal approval to break ground on portions of the Davis and Weber segment. Full construction will begin when UTA receives final federal approval, expected this fall.

"We're anxious to get going," said Steve Meyer, UTA manager of commuter rail construction. "The public should start seeing some limited bits of activity."

In Utah and Box Elder counties, commuter rail extensions should be finished by 2030 — completing a train system that will extend 120 miles, from Brigham City to Payson. It will be comparable to TRAX, with trains scheduled every 20 minutes. Speeds are greater, as are the number of passengers a commuter train can hold.