Thousands push UTA for late-night rail service in Salt Lake City

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beautifulplanet

beautifulplanet

Lead Service Attendant
Joined
Jan 29, 2014
Messages
337
Many might think Salt Lake City provides an example of smart planning decisions by bringing into service - just within the last 2 decades - three light rail lines and one commuter rail line, with good ridership respectively. On an average weekday in Q4 2013, recently expanded Front Runner commuter rail had a ridership of 17,400, and the 3 light rail lines had a combined ridership of 68,100.

Some might think the organization behind the system, Utah Transit Authority (UTA), and the city of Salt Lake City seems to have made a lot of good decisions, f.e. the whole commuter rail corridor being a quiet zone (so neighbors and riders of commuter rail don't perceive it as loud and annoying), good alignment choices including connecting the airport as well as several academic institutions to light rail, modern rolling stock in the form of Siemens light-rail vehicles, and mostly attractive operating times and frequencies.

Now those operating times and frequencies are subject of public discussion, as there is a petition to re-introduce late-night service, which once existed but was cut when ridership dropped during the recession.

Currently, on weekdays the Front Runner commuter rail service operates hourly from about 4:30 am to just after midnight, and even with some half hour runs during rush hours. Saturday commuter rail service takes place every hour and a half from about 6:00 am to 1:30 am the next morning. Currently, there is no commuter rail service on Sundays (which repeatedly surprised visitors to town, f.e. for the annual conventions in the city).

TRAX light-rail runs seven days a week, roughly 6:00am to 11:00pm on weekdays, with a 15 minute headway from the start to end of each day's operation. On Saturdays TRAX runs from about 7:00am to 10:00pm, and Sundays from approximately 10:00am to 7:00pm with a 20 minute headway all weekend.

More than 2,000 people already expressed their desire for rail and bus services to operate longer, here is the link to the petition:

http://petitions.moveon.org/sign/utah-transit-authority

Here is a TV news report and article about the recent efforts:

Thousands push UTA to offer late-night services

08/09/2014 05:45 PM

by Ali Monsen

http://www.good4utah.com/story/d/story/thousands-push-uta-to-offer-late-night-services/25133/COevJ2FtvEmS9d9i-9B-oA

Many might wish for UTA, the city of Salt Lake City as well as surrounding governmental entities to continue to make good decisions for rail operations in the region so that residents and visitors can reap the full benefits, as well as good luck for all future planned rail expansions and additions. :)
 
Too bad SLC is highly-dangerous at night. I was out at the Intermodal Station 11:00 PM on refuel layover and the surrounding streets were swarmed by druggies, drunks, and suspicious people. Police came and took them away. Glad I hightailed to Reno overnight.

Oh by the way, there was no light rail by that time. Service had stopped.
 
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Thank you very much for your response.

Swadian Hardcore said:
Too bad SLC is highly-dangerous at night. I was out at the Intermodal Station 11:00 PM on refuel layover[.]
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As one could see in the TV news report or read in its transcription linked above, some think that introducing late-night service will actually decrease crime rates, and make the city and traveling through it safer for those still out at that time of day:

"I also think it would decrease crime rates, because… there are people who can't take public transportation after certain hours, and then they have to find different ways to walk home in the dark..." said Annika Quist, a concerned UTA rider.
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source, as linked above:

http://www.good4utah.com/story/d/story/thousands-push-uta-to-offer-late-night-services/25133/COevJ2FtvEmS9d9i-9B-oA

Swadian Hardcore said:
Oh by the way, there was no light rail by that time [11.00pm]. Service had stopped.
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Exactly, the fact that there currently is no light rail service roughly after 11:00pm on weekdays, after 10:00pm on Saturdays, and after 7:00pm on Sundays in the reason why already more than 2,000 signed the petition for more late-night service.

Many will be curious to see if by re-introducing it UTA will improve a system that otherwise is already pretty good. :)

In the same news article above, there is also a response by UTA to the petition:

UTA did send us this statement about the petition: "UTA is happy that our service is in demand, but we also have to consider requests for Sunday, holiday and additional mid-day service. We are continually evaluating how to best add service as revenues increase"
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Especially the last sentence might sound good to many, as it doesn't seem to be a question anymore of if additional service is being added or not, but only how it is being added. ;)
 
Swadian Hardcore said:
Too bad SLC is highly-dangerous at night. I was out at the Intermodal Station 11:00 PM on refuel layover and the surrounding streets were swarmed by druggies, drunks, and suspicious people. Police came and took them away. Glad I hightailed to Reno overnight.

Oh by the way, there was no light rail by that time. Service had stopped.
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The neighborhood around the intermodal and Amtrak stations is pretty sketchy. There are other areas of downtown Salt Lake City that are quite nice and very safe later at night. Of course, Salt Lake is a really, really quiet city at night: a classic case of taking up the sidewalks at 6pm. If someone wants some late night fun, heading to Reno is not a bad idea.
 
I think the sketchiest part is a little north of the station by the Old Greek Town TRAX station which is in the vicinity of a homeless shelter or some such. Frankly, I walked around the train and bus station at 3am and did not feel particularly threatened by anything. I also walked the length from Planetarium through Arena to Guadalupe/North Temple Bridge, basically the area around the hotel I stayed at, and found it to be pretty safe. The only stretch I felt some reservations about was around the aforementioned area between Planetarium and the station.
 
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As an operator and user of the transit system here, I would love to see 24 hour service. Even if said service is reduced to hourly. The sad fact is, I dont think the ridership is there. Trains pretty empty on average, there are hot spots but not consistent. Being a red state I doubt people would want a tax increase, but one never knows.

Agreed, central station is not a place to hang out late.
 
strangebrew said:
As an operator and user of the transit system here, I would love to see 24 hour service. Even if said service is reduced to hourly. The sad fact is, I dont think the ridership is there. Trains pretty empty on average, there are hot spots but not consistent. Being a red state I doubt people would want a tax increase, but one never knows.

Agreed, central station is not a place to hang out late.
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Why is the place so dangerous? The rest of SLC seems fine.
 
Swadian Hardcore said:
strangebrew said:
As an operator and user of the transit system here, I would love to see 24 hour service. Even if said service is reduced to hourly. The sad fact is, I dont think the ridership is there. Trains pretty empty on average, there are hot spots but not consistent. Being a red state I doubt people would want a tax increase, but one never knows.

Agreed, central station is not a place to hang out late.
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Why is the place so dangerous? The rest of SLC seems fine.
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I didn't think it to be dangerous at all in the way certain parts of Bed-Stuy used to be back in the days, and perhaps still is (not been that way in a decade or more). It is just not a very welcoming environment, shall we say. And as I said, it is not the station area itself, it is a little north of it which is the worst area around there.
 
jis said:
Swadian Hardcore said:
strangebrew said:
As an operator and user of the transit system here, I would love to see 24 hour service. Even if said service is reduced to hourly. The sad fact is, I dont think the ridership is there. Trains pretty empty on average, there are hot spots but not consistent. Being a red state I doubt people would want a tax increase, but one never knows.

Agreed, central station is not a place to hang out late.
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Why is the place so dangerous? The rest of SLC seems fine.
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I didn't think it to be dangerous at all in the way certain parts of Bed-Stuy used to be back in the days, and perhaps still is (not been that way in a decade or more). It is just not a very welcoming environment, shall we say. And as I said, it is not the station area itself, it is a little north of it which is the worst area around there.
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I agree the station itself isn't bad but a few yards away were druggies and homeless. Then again, Reno is besieged by similar homeless. They line the Truckee Riverwalk.

jis said:
jimhudson said:
Green Maned Lion said:
No place is dangerous if you are carrying an Uzi. Remember that next time.
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Ever been in the Middle East Lion???
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He meant to say an Uzi and some RPG :p
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I guess one better wear a Kevlar vest and drive in a Merkava.
 
Well, no particular reason but there is this thousand year old conflict between the Muslim Palestinians and the Jews (with Christian involvement)that involves terrorist attacks against Israel! Its been in the News!
 
It was that way when I lived there. It hasn't changed that much over the years. You are fairly safe (much safer than in almost any American city) as long as you don't

Walk into the crossfire. Contrary to the picture painted by the news, 95% of both sides think the other 5% are children and wish they would grow up.
 
Actually, it mostly depends on where you are in Israel. I have never felt unsafe when I go out there on business for weeks at a time. OTOH, I would not go to Gaza or even Lebanon at present. But Eilat should be fine, and AFAICT Jordan valley is mostly fine too. North of the Sea of Galilee gets dicey as you approach Syria.
 
Back on topic UTA is the only rail system in the country which operates seven days a week, that doesn't operate on holidays. (Metrolink/SCRRA, a commuter rail, comes close but they run two Antelope Valley trains in addition to the regular Amtrak service on the Ventura and Orange County lines.) I'd like to see that rectified first before light night service on exurban commuter rail, which is what Frontrunner is, is implemented.
 

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