by Bill Anderson/photos by the author
In the mid-19th century, hundreds of wagon trains were heading west across the United States. Unlike nearly all of the other wagon trains looking for fertile soil in Oregon or gold in California, one group wanted nothing to do with those popular destinations. These wagon trains forged a detour to the south of the Oregon and California trails through the mountains in what is now northeastern Utah. When these pioneers first sighted the Salt Lake Valley on July 24, 1847, the leader of that group, Brigham Young, declared, “This is the right place, drive on.”
That “right place” is now generally characterized as the Wasatch Front, an area that extends 120 miles in a north-to-south orientation with a population of 2.7 million — 80 percent of the total population in the state of Utah. The state’s population growth rate ranks it near the fastest nationally. That population has also led to challenges, including routine heavy congestion along I-15 and associated arterial roads. This is despite up to 10 lanes in key segments of I-15 along with supporting limited-access highways. Salt Lake International Airport (SLC) seems to be continuously outlined with construction cranes.
ABOVE: Night approaches as a FrontRunner train makes its stop at Salt Lake Central station in June 2024.
Urban rail along the Wasatch Front
Similar to other cities that eliminated legacy urban rail systems decades earlier, by the last quarter of the 20th century the cities within the Wasatch Front were seriously revisiting rail technology. In the 1990s, the regional transportation entity, Utah Transit Authority (UTA), began a planning process that evolved into what are now three rail systems: A 45-mile light-rail system (TRAX) in the greater Salt Lake City area that began operation in 1999. A two-mile streetcar (S-Line) route in South Salt Lake that began operation in 2013. An 89-mile commuter-rail route (FrontRunner) that was intended to operate between Provo and Pleasant View. It opened in 2008 north of Salt Lake City and 2012 south of Salt Lake City.
The active FrontRunner route since August 2018 is six miles shorter, with no rail service between Ogden and the northernmost stop at Pleasant View. Unlike most commuter rail services that share tracks with Class I or short line freight railroads for all or much of their route(s), UTA built its own dedicated main line between Ogden and Provo. The exception was the six miles north of Ogden to Pleasant View. In this segment, the FrontRunner trains used the Union Pacific (UP) main line. However, after nearly 10 years of experience with low ridership and facing increased incremental cost to operate on this northern segment, Front-Runner service north of Ogden ended in August 2018.
ABOVE: As evening arrives, so does the day’s last northbound FrontRunner at Ogden, Utah. The train is crossing the flyover of the Union Pacific yard south of the FrontRunner station.
The deciding cost factor was related to the advanced signaling technology called Positive Train Control (PTC). UTA would be responsible for the entire cost of in-stalling and then maintaining PTC, because UP’s activity on this segment does not require PTC. While there has been no FrontRunner service north of Ogden for more than six years, a dedicated connecting bus service is available.
Intercity rail along the Wasatch Front
Intercity rail passenger services in the Salt Lake area were minimal even leading up to Amtrak’s debut in May 1971. Of the four Class I railroads serving the Wasatch Front on the eve of Amtrak, Western Pacific was freight only. Denver & Rio Grande Western operated the tri-weekly Rio Grande Zephyr, a remnant of the California Zephyr, and had the unique status of serving all three key Wasatch Front cities (Provo, Salt Lake City, and Ogden). Southern Pacific had a tri‑weekly City of San Francisco at Ogden. Union Pacific continued its dominant position, but only by comparison. UP had one daily train, informally called the “City of Everywhere,” and a tri-weekly Butte Special, both serving Ogden and Salt Lake City. At one point in the late 1970s and early ’80s, there were more rail passenger frequencies than existed just prior to Amtrak’s creation. Amtrak ran three daily trains: San Francisco Zephyr, Pioneer, and Desert Wind. At this time, Rio Grande also maintained its tri-weekly Rio Grande Zephyr, although Ogden was served with a van to and from Salt Lake City.
ABOVE: Having disembarked the CZ, arriving passengers cross the FrontRunner main line at Salt Lake Central and pass those waiting to board the Amtrak train.
The first frequency to fall was the combining of the Rio Grande Zephyr with the San Francisco Zephyr in 1983 into a resurrected California Zephyr (CZ) bypassing Ogden. Over the next 14 years, the Pioneer and Desert Wind gradually became victims of budget cuts…
