TRAX is fixing a weighty woe

In October, some 52,500 riders boarded TRAX trains, an all-time high for the Utah Transit Authority. While UTA said the increase is welcome, the additional bodies have created service issues, including how to provide enough cars to accommodate riders.

Recently, a unique ridership-related challenge has arisen: heavy passenger loads.

With increased ridership, the combined weight of passengers on TRAX trains has also risen. The extra weight compresses some cars onto the tracks, causing doors to catch on the train platform and not close, making riders late for work and other appointments.

While it has only happened two or three times, Jim Price, UTA manager of rail vehicle maintenance, said any issue that impacts customers and safety is important. Friday, he had UTA electro-mechanic Harold Seeley working to fix the door problem, using a giant wrench and a lot of muscle to turn bolts that jack the car up higher.

The fix should work, he said, and hopefully riders won't experience delays. UTA, he said, has a goal for 100 percent on-time performance, meaning cars should arrive at a station at least three minutes before or after they are supposed to.

The transit agency's on-time performance is about 99 percent. But when a glitch happens, that affects hundreds, he said.

And that matters.

"My purpose," said Price, "is to provide clean, reliable, safe transportation to the residents of this valley."