Light rail giving UTA ridership a major lift

Light rail is a hit. The ridership numbers prove that.

In fact, mass transit ridership combined for the Utah Transit Authority hasn't been as high for the Salt Lake area since the 1940s, a time of light rail's first incarnation in Utah.

Today's version of light rail, TRAX, has played a major factor in boosting UTA's overall numbers.

But plans for at least three new light-rail spurs are going to have to wait a few more years as they take a back seat to UTA's next big project, commuter rail.

It was once thought that spurs into West Valley City and the southwest portion of the Salt Lake Valley would be on line somewhere between 2008 and 2010.

"I think now we're realistically looking at 2012, 2013, in that range," said John Inglish, UTA general manager.

A planned spur to Salt Lake City International Airport could be put off even longer.

That's because it's going to take about $350 million to $400 million to build a 40-plus-mile commuter-rail — faster than light rail — line between Salt Lake City and Pleasant View in Weber County, with at least seven stops in between.

Some of that money has already been spent in the landmark acquisition of rail right of way from Union Pacific, with the first 40 miles worth an estimated $75 million.

And in the next round of federal transit allocations, Utah is looking for another $25 million just for commuter rail.

Funding for commuter rail will end up at a 50/50 federal-to-local match — UTA's first light-rail spur saw the government kicking in 80 percent of the $312 million cost.

Despite uncertain, limited federal transit funds, the plan is still to have commuter rail in sooner than later.

"We set a goal for 2007, and we intend to keep it," Inglish said.

In the meantime, light rail's popularity is expected to keep gaining speed while UTA tries to stay ahead of the crowds by adding more and more rail cars.

But some would argue that TRAX has merely stolen riders from UTA buses. While that's true, overall ridership throughout UTA's system has increased.

Mike Allegra, UTA director of transit development, said UTA is averaging more than 100,000 trips a day on weekdays (some people use UTA more than once a day) "in a system where we were never carrying that many before."