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104-460: The Blue Line is a light rail line on the TRAX system in the Salt Lake Valley of Utah , in the United States, operated by the Utah Transit Authority (UTA). It is the first line of the TRAX system completed. The line opened on December 4, 1999, one year ahead of schedule after two years of construction. In addition to Salt Lake City , it also serves the communities of South Salt Lake , Murray , Midvale , Sandy and Draper . The line

208-535: A Free Fare Zone in Downtown Salt Lake City for transportation patrons that both enter and exit bus or TRAX service within the Zone. The Zone covers an area of approximately thirty-six city blocks and the boundaries are roughly North Temple, 200 East, 500 South, and 400 West. TRAX stations within the Zone include Arena, City Center, Courthouse, Gallivan Plaza (mistakenly identified as "Gallivan Center Station" on

312-724: A "light rail" vehicle (it is a heavy rail vehicle), and is only included for comparison purposes. Low-floor LRVs have the advantage of a low-floor design, allowing them to load passengers directly from low-rise platforms that can be little more than raised curbs. High-floor light rail systems also exist, featuring larger stations. Historically, the track gauge has had considerable variations, with narrow gauge common in many early systems. However, most light rail systems are now standard gauge . Older standard-gauge vehicles could not negotiate sharp turns as easily as narrow-gauge ones, but modern light rail systems achieve tighter turning radii by using articulated cars . An important advantage of

416-458: A bus, there will be even more capacity when there is a combination of cars and light rail. Table 3 shows an example of peak passenger capacity. The cost of light rail construction varies widely, largely depending on the amount of tunneling and elevated structures required. A survey of North American light rail projects shows that costs of most LRT systems range from $ 15 million to over $ 100 million per mile. Seattle's new light rail system

520-403: A chaotic breakdown inflow and a dramatic drop in speed (a traffic jam ) if they exceed about 2,000 vehicles per hour per lane (each car roughly two seconds behind another). Since most people who drive to work or on business trips do so alone, studies show that the average car occupancy on many roads carrying commuters is only about 1.5 people per car during the high-demand rush hour periods of

624-1102: A common right-of-way (however, Link converted to full separation in 2019). Some systems, such as the AirTrain JFK in New York City, the DLR in London, and Kelana Jaya Line in Kuala Lumpur , have dispensed with the need for an operator. The Vancouver SkyTrain was an early adopter of driverless vehicles, while the Toronto Scarborough rapid transit operated the same trains as Vancouver, but used drivers. In most discussions and comparisons, these specialized systems are generally not considered light rail but as light metro systems. Around Karlsruhe , Kassel , and Saarbrücken in Germany, dual-voltage light rail trains partly use mainline railroad tracks, sharing these tracks with heavy rail trains. In

728-416: A light rail train may have three to four cars of much larger capacity in one train under the control of one driver, or no driver at all in fully automated systems, increasing the labor costs of BRT systems compared to LRT systems. BRT systems are also usually less fuel-efficient as they use non-electrified vehicles. The peak passenger capacity per lane per hour depends on which types of vehicles are allowed on

832-435: A live rail. In outer areas, the trams switch to conventional overhead wires . The Bordeaux power system costs about three times as much as a conventional overhead wire system and took 24 months to achieve acceptable levels of reliability, requiring the replacement of all the main cables and power supplies. Operating and maintenance costs of the innovative power system still remain high. However, despite numerous service outages,

936-536: A longer distance. Light rail cars are often coupled into multiple units of two to four cars. Light rail systems may also exhibit attributes of heavy rail systems, including having downtown subways, as in San Francisco and Seattle . Light rail is designed to address a gap in interurban transportation between heavy rail and bus services, carrying high passenger numbers more quickly than local buses and more cheaply than heavy rail. It serves corridors in which heavy rail

1040-570: A lower capacity and speed than a long heavy rail passenger train or rapid transit system. Narrowly defined, light rail transit uses rolling stock that is similar to that of a traditional tram, while operating at a higher capacity and speed, often on an exclusive right-of-way. In broader use, it includes tram-like operations mostly on streets. A few light rail networks have characteristics closer to rapid transit or even commuter rail , yet only when these systems are fully grade-separated are they referred to as light metros . The term light rail

1144-631: A more diverse range of design characteristics than LRT, depending on the demand and constraints that exist, and BRT using dedicated lanes can have a theoretical capacity of over 30,000 passengers per hour per direction (for example, the Guangzhou Bus Rapid Transit system operates up to 350 buses per hour per direction). For the effective operation of a bus or BRT system, buses must have priority at traffic lights and have their dedicated lanes, especially as bus frequencies exceed 30 buses per hour per direction. The higher theoretical of BRT relates to

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1248-407: A result, has many of the operating characteristics of a metro system rather than a light rail system. A capacity of 1,350 passengers per train is more similar to the heavy rail than light rail. Bus rapid transit (BRT) is an alternative to LRT and many planning studies undertake a comparison of each mode when considering appropriate investments in transit corridor development. BRT systems can exhibit

1352-473: A thin strip of a park (Sandy Station Park), fits between the Blue Line and 150 East (Center Street). Beginning at East 8680 South, North 160 East also runs along the east side of the Blue Line until just after East 8500 South. Just north of East 8500 South the road still continues north along the east side of the tracks until it reaches East 8000 South, but is now designated as North 150 East. At about 8400 South, as

1456-530: A top speed of 55–71.5 miles per hour (88.51–115.1 km/h) depending on the system, while the trains on the all-underground Montreal Metro can only reach a top speed of 72 kilometres per hour (44.74 mph). LACMTA light rail vehicles have higher top and average speeds than Montreal Metro or New York City Subway trains. Many light rail systems—even fairly old ones—have a combination of both on- and off-road sections. In some countries (especially in Europe), only

1560-474: A tramway, a light metro, and, in a narrow sense, rapid transit. This is especially common in the United States, where there is not a popularly perceived distinction between these different types of urban rail systems. The development of technology for low-floor and catenary-free trams facilitates the construction of such mixed systems with only short and shallow underground sections below critical intersections as

1664-471: Is Ballpark , which provides service to the Smith's Ballpark . (Immediately north of this station is a non-revenue track that extends northwest to South 400 West at West 900 South and then north to West 600 South.) After Ballpark the three lines continue north in the center median of South 200 West, crossing under the 900 South/I-15 on and off ramps, until they reach the next station, 900 South . This station, which

1768-561: Is a form of passenger urban rail transit that uses rolling stock derived from tram technology while also having some features from heavy rapid transit . The term was coined in 1972 in the United States as an English equivalent for the German word Stadtbahn , meaning "city railway". Different definitions exist in some countries, but in the United States, light rail operates primarily along exclusive rights-of-way and uses either individual tramcars or multiple units coupled together, with

1872-462: Is a generic international English phrase for types of rail systems using modern streetcars/trams, which means more or less the same thing throughout the English-speaking world . Light rail systems can range from trams runnig in streets along with other traffic, to semi-metro systems having portions of grade separated track. People movers are even "lighter", in terms of capacity. Monorail

1976-565: Is a separate technology that has been more successful in specialized services than in a commuter transit role. The use of the generic term light rail avoids some serious incompatibilities between British and American English . The word tram , for instance, is generally used in the UK and many former British colonies to refer to what is known in North America as a streetcar , but in North America tram can instead refer to an aerial tramway , or, in

2080-602: Is a significant amount of overlap between the technologies; similar rolling stock may be used for either, and it is common to classify streetcars or trams as a subcategory of light rail rather than as a distinct type of transportation. However, some distinctions can be made, though systems may combine elements of both. Low-floor light rail lines tend to follow a reserved right-of-way and with trains receiving priority at intersections, and tend not to operate in mixed traffic, enabling higher operating speeds. Light rail lines tend to have less frequent stops than tramways, and operate over

2184-560: Is by far the most expensive in the US, at $ 179 million per mile, since it includes extensive tunneling in poor soil conditions, elevated sections, and stations as deep as 180 feet (55 m) below ground level. This results in costs more typical of subways or rapid transit systems than light rail. At the other end of the scale, four systems (Baltimore, Maryland; Camden, New Jersey; Sacramento, California; and Salt Lake City, Utah) incurred construction costs of less than $ 20 million per mile. Over

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2288-426: Is especially important for wheelchair access, as narrower gauges (e.g. metre gauge) can make it challenging or impossible to pass the tram's wheels. Furthermore, standard-gauge rolling stock can be switched between networks either temporarily or permanently, and both newly built and used standard-gauge rolling stock tends to be cheaper to buy, as more companies offer such vehicles. Overhead lines supply electricity to

2392-498: Is expensive. Similarly, the most expensive US highway expansion project was the " Big Dig " in Boston, Massachusetts, which cost $ 200 million per lane mile for a total cost of $ 14.6 billion. A light rail track can carry up to 20,000 people per hour as compared with 2,000–2,200 vehicles per hour for one freeway lane. For example, in Boston and San Francisco, light rail lines carry 9,600 and 13,100 passengers per hour, respectively, in

2496-575: Is hard to distinguish between what is called light rail, and other forms of urban and commuter rail. A system described as a light rail in one city may be considered to be a streetcar or tram system in another. Conversely, some lines that are called "light rail" are very similar to rapid transit ; in recent years, new terms such as light metro have been used to describe these medium-capacity systems. Some "light rail" systems, such as Sprinter , bear little similarity to urban rail, and could alternatively be classified as commuter rail or even inter-city rail. In

2600-549: Is impractical. Light metro systems are essentially hybrids of light rail and rapid transit. Metro trains are larger and faster than light rail trains, with stops being further apart. Many systems have mixed characteristics. Indeed, with proper engineering, a rail line could run along a street, then go underground, and then run along an elevated viaduct. For example, the Los Angeles Metro Rail 's A Line "light rail" has sections that could alternatively be described as

2704-508: Is just north of West 900 South, is an infill station and the last stop before the TRAX lines reach Downtown Salt Lake City . The three lines continue north in the median of South 200 West, crossing West 800 South, until they reach West 700 South. At West 700 South they turn east and proceed down the middle of that street for two blocks, crossing South West Temple Street ( SR-270 ). At South Main Street ,

2808-603: Is just south of West 2100 South ( SR-201 ). Central Pointe is the only TRAX station served by the S Line . The S Line platform is situated just southeast of the TRAX platform. (The S Line provides streetcar service east to the Fairmont stop in the Sugar House neighborhood of Salt Lake City.) Upon crossing West 2100 South the three TRAX lines leave South Salt Lake and enter Salt Lake City and continue north as they cross West 1700 South and West 1300 South. Just north of West 1300 South

2912-455: Is located just west of I-15.) Just after the junction the two lines cross West Winchester Drive and immediately reach Fashion Place West . From Fashion Place West, the Blue and Red lines continue north on the east side of South 300 West (Cottonwood Street) as they cross over I-215 and then cross West 6100 South and West 5900 South. Just prior to crossing over West 5400 South ( SR-173 /Spartan Street),

3016-480: Is one of the highest capacity ones, having been upgraded in a series of expansions to handle 40,000 passengers per hour per direction, and having carried as many as 582,989 passengers in a single day on its Line 1 . It achieves this volume by running four-car trains with a capacity of up to 1,350 passengers each at a frequency of up to 30 trains per hour. However, the Manila light rail system has full grade separation and as

3120-541: Is several blocks east of Sandy City Hall and the South Towne Center Mall. The Porter Rockwell Trail runs by the east side of this station and, as the trail heads north, it crosses over to the west of the Blue Line tracks at East 10000 South/East 9800 South and then runs north parallel to the Blue Line until it ends at East 8530 South. From Sandy Civic Center, the Blue Line heads north, crossing East 10000 South/East 9800 South (Sego Lily Drive) and, while running along

3224-465: The Clark Planetarium as well as the rest of The Gateway . At West 200 South, the Blue Line turns west again and continues down the median of that street. Just after crossing 500 West it reaches Old Greek Town . After that station, it turns south again, heading down the middle of South 600 West to West 300 South. At the intersection of South 600 West and West 300 South, it shifts from the median to

Blue Line (TRAX) - Misplaced Pages Continue

3328-535: The Cádiz TramBahia , where trams share track with commuter and long-distance trains from the main terminus in the city and curve off to serve cities without a railway connection. Some of the issues involved in such schemes are: There is a history of what would now be considered light rail vehicles operating on heavy rail rapid transit tracks in the US, especially in the case of interurban streetcars . Notable examples are Lehigh Valley Transit trains running on

3432-728: The Free Fare Zone , Courthouse . At West 400 South (University Boulevard/ US Highway 89 ) the Red Line turns east and heads toward Library and eventually the University of Utah while the Green and Blue lines continue north. After crossing West 300 South (West Broadway) the two lines reach Gallivan Plaza , which is just west of the Wells Fargo Center and the Gallivan Center . Continuing in

3536-735: The London Underground and the New York City Subway . Conventional rail technologies including high-speed , freight, commuter , and rapid transit urban transit systems are considered "heavy rail". The main difference between light rail and heavy rail rapid transit is the ability for a light rail vehicle to operate in mixed traffic if the routing requires it. The world's first electric tram operated in Sestroretsk near Saint Petersburg , Russia , invented and operated on an experimental basis by Fyodor Pirotsky in 1880. The first tramway

3640-800: The Mountain View Corridor . After crossing 5600 West, the route heads downhill within the Salt Lake Valley . It crosses the Savage Bingham and Garfield Railroad line to the Bingham Canyon Mine (ex- D&RGW ) at Welby , as well as Bangerter Highway and SR-68 before it reaches the Jordan River . After crossing the river, SR-209 begins climbing through the eastern part of the valley, passing through Sandy , and curving into 9400 South after crossing SR-71 . The route ends at SR-210 near

3744-624: The Netherlands , this concept was first applied on the RijnGouweLijn . This allows commuters to ride directly into the city center, rather than taking a mainline train only as far as a central station and then having to change to a tram. In France, similar tram-trains are planned for Paris, Mulhouse , and Strasbourg ; further projects exist. In some cases, tram trains use previously abandoned or lightly used heavy rail lines in addition to or instead of still in use mainline tracks. In 2022, Spain opened

3848-831: The O-Train Trillium Line in Ottawa, Ontario , Canada, the River Line in New Jersey , United States, and the Sprinter in California , United States, which use diesel multiple unit (DMU) cars. Light rail is different from the British English term light railway , long-used to distinguish railway operations carried out under a less rigorous set of regulations using lighter equipment at lower speeds from mainline railways. Light rail

3952-673: The Philadelphia and Western Railroad high-speed third rail line (now the Norristown High-Speed Line ). Such arrangements are almost impossible now, due to the Federal Railroad Administration refusing (for crash safety reasons) to allow non-FRA compliant railcars (i.e., subway and light rail vehicles) to run on the same tracks at the same times as compliant railcars, which includes locomotives and standard railroad passenger and freight equipment. Notable exceptions in

4056-530: The medians of roads . If run in streets , trains are usually limited by city block lengths to about four 180-passenger vehicles (720 passengers). Operating on two-minute headways using traffic signal progression, a well-designed two-track system can handle up to 30 trains per hour per track, achieving peak rates of over 20,000 passengers per hour in each direction. More advanced systems with separate rights-of-way using moving block signaling can exceed 25,000 passengers per hour per track. Most light rail systems in

4160-619: The 1970s was proven to have been a technical failure by the following decade. After World War II, the Germans retained many of their streetcar networks and evolved them into model light rail systems ( Stadtbahnen ). With the exception of Hamburg , all large and most medium-sized German cities maintain light rail networks. The concept of a "limited tramway" was proposed by American transport planner H. Dean Quinby in 1962. Quinby distinguished this new concept in rail transportation from historic streetcar or tram systems as: The term light rail transit

4264-403: The Blue Line heads north, with Porter Rockwell Trail (Sandy Rail Trail) once again on the east side of the tracks. Continuing north through residential neighborhoods, it crosses East 11000 South and East 10600 South. Beyond East 10600 South, the Blue Line heads north-northwest until it reaches Sandy Civic Center (the former southern terminus of the Blue Line, until August 18, 2013). This station

Blue Line (TRAX) - Misplaced Pages Continue

4368-441: The Blue Line inaccessible to them without operator assistance, and UTA policy does not allow passengers with strollers or luggage to use access ramps, forcing them to lift those items up the stairs of the train. Similar systems that use a mix of high-floor and low-floor vehicles, operate trains with both types of vehicles, which allow level boarding on all lines without needing mini-high platforms. The first phase of an extension of

4472-631: The Blue Line is one of the oldest in the state of Utah. It was first built by the Utah Southern Railroad in 1871, which was acquired by the Union Pacific Railroad and became their Salt Lake to Provo line. The line became largely unused after a 1985 track-sharing agreement between the Union Pacific and the Denver and Rio Grande Western . Both companies operated parallel lines in the area and

4576-561: The Blue Line leaves Sandy and enters Midvale, it begins to curve to the northwest as it crosses East 8000 South and then immediately over the Jordan Salt Lake City Canal before reaching South State Street ( US Route 89 ). After crossing over South State Street, but just south of West 7720 South (West Center Street), the Blue Line reaches Midvale Center . From that station it continues northwest, crossing West 7720 South and West 7500 South (6th Avenue), and then curves back toward

4680-792: The Blue Line to Draper opened August 18, 2013. Construction on the extension began in 2010 as part of UTA's FrontLines 2015 project, which also includes the West Valley extension of the Green Line , the Mid-Jordan extension of the Red Line , the southern extension of the FrontRunner commuter rail line and the Airport TRAX Line (now part of the Green Line ). The first phase of the Draper extension extended

4784-620: The Central Pointe Station at about 9:45 am and the Draper Town Center Station at about 10:00 am. The first southbound trains leave the Central Pointe Station at about 9:30 am and the Salt Lake Central at about 10:15 am. The first northbound trains leave the Central Pointe Station at about 9:30 am and the Draper Town Center Station at about 10:00 am. The last southbound train leaves Salt Lake Central Station at 8:12 pm and

4888-555: The D&;RGW line became the primary freight line between Provo and Salt Lake City. The former Union Pacific line was sold to the Utah Transit Authority in 1993 to eventually become the Blue Line's right of way. Since that time the line is not used for through freight traffic, however, there are freight customers that have a direct connection to the Blue Line, due to its origins as a freight railway. The Salt Lake City Southern Railroad

4992-509: The East Jordan Canal and immediately reaches Historic Sandy . Following Historic Sandy, South 150 East (South Center Street) once again parallels the west side of the Blue Line until that road ends at East 8530 South. As the Blue Line continues north it crosses East 8800 South, East 8720 South (East Main Street), East 8680 South, and East 8530 South. From East 8800 South north to East 8530 South

5096-535: The Free Fare Zone map), Planetarium, and Temple Square. In addition, the Free Fare Zone also includes the area of the State Capitol (north to 500 North), the bus stops on 400 South between 200 East and 300 East, and three additional TRAX stations: Library , Old GreekTown, and Salt Lake Central. In June 2012 UTA revealed plans to eliminate the Free Fare Zone, but by September 2012 it announced that it would continue

5200-491: The French city of Bordeaux , the tramway network is powered by a third rail in the city center, where the tracks are not always segregated from pedestrians and cars. The third rail (actually two closely spaced rails) is placed in the middle of the track and divided into eight-metre sections, each of which is powered only while it is completely covered by a tram. This minimizes the risk of a person or animal coming into contact with

5304-548: The Salt Lake Central at 11:28 pm and the last northbound train leaving the Draper Town Center Station at 11:40 pm. However, the last southbound train only goes as far as the Central Pointe Station; the last southbound train to the Draper Town Center Station leaves the Salt Lake Central Station at 10:43 pm. Also, the last northbound train only goes as far as the Midvale Fort Union Station; the last train to

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5408-482: The Salt Lake Central leaves the Draper Town Center Station at 10:33 pm. On Saturdays the first southbound trains leave the Central Pointe Station at about 6:00 am and the Salt Lake Central Station at about 7:00 am. The first northbound trains leave the Central Pointe Station at about 6:15 am and the Draper Town Station at about 6:30 am. The last southbound train leaves the Salt Lake Central Station at 11:32 pm and

5512-448: The Sandy area, a new alignment of SR-209 was defined east of SR-71 in 1987 to connect 9000 South directly into 9400 South, and SR-209 was extended west over this proposed roadway and SR-177 to SR-68. A 2005 change extended it farther west over a proposed roadway to meet SR-48 . As of 2008 , the extension was built to 5600 West, though it was not yet state-maintained, and the remainder, plus

5616-642: The US are the NJ Transit River Line from Camden to Trenton and Austin's Capital MetroRail , which have received exemptions to the provision that light rail operations occur only during daytime hours and Conrail freight service only at night, with several hours separating one operation from the other. The O-Train Trillium Line in Ottawa also has freight service at certain hours. With its mix of right-of-way types and train control technologies, LRT offers

5720-455: The US as a whole, excluding Seattle, new light rail construction costs average about $ 35 million per mile. By comparison, a freeway lane expansion typically costs $ 1.0 million to $ 8.5 million per lane mile for two directions, with an average of $ 2.3 million. However, freeways are frequently built in suburbs or rural areas, whereas light rail tends to be concentrated in urban areas, where right of way and property acquisition

5824-634: The United States and in North America . In Britain, modern light rail systems began to appear in the 1980s, starting with the Tyne and Wear Metro from 1980 and followed by the Docklands Light Railway (DLR) in London in 1987, continuing into the 1990s including the establishment of the Manchester Metrolink in 1992 and the Sheffield Supertram from 1994. Due to varying definitions, it

5928-583: The United States are limited by demand rather than capacity (by and large, most American LRT systems carry fewer than 4,000 persons per hour per direction), but Boston's and San Francisco's light rail lines carry 9,600 and 13,100 passengers per hour per track during rush hour. Elsewhere in North America, the Calgary C-Train and Monterrey Metro have higher light rail ridership than Boston or San Francisco. Systems outside North America often have much higher passenger volumes. The Manila Light Rail Transit System

6032-472: The United States, "light rail" has become a catch-all term to describe a wide variety of passenger rail systems. Light rail corridors may constitute a fully segregated corridor, a dedicated right-of-way on a street, an on-street corridor shared with other traffic, a corridor shared with other public transport, or a corridor shared with pedestrians. The most difficult distinction to draw is that between low-floor light rail and streetcar or tram systems. There

6136-717: The Zone, but with some minor adjustments, including when and how fares are collected. On weekdays the first southbound Blue Line trains (to the Draper Town Center Station) leave the Midvale Fort Union Station at about 4:30 am and the Salt Lake Central Station at about 5:45 am. The first northbound trains (to the Salt Lake Central Station) leave the Fashion Place West and the Draper Town Center stations at about 5:00 am. The last southbound train leave

6240-415: The ability of buses to travel closer to each other than rail vehicles and their ability to overtake each other at designated locations allowing express services to bypass those that have stopped at stations. However, to achieve capacities this high, BRT station footprints need to be significantly larger than a typical LRT station. In terms of cost of operation, each bus vehicle requires a single driver, whereas

6344-862: The case of the Disney amusement parks , even a land train . (The usual British term for an aerial tramway is cable car , which in the US usually refers to a ground-level car pulled along by subterranean cables .) The word trolley is often used as a synonym for streetcar in the United States but is usually taken to mean a cart, particularly a shopping cart, in the UK and elsewhere. Many North American transportation planners reserve streetcar for traditional vehicles that operate exclusively in mixed traffic on city streets, while they use light rail to refer to more modern vehicles operating mostly in exclusive rights of way, since they may operate both side-by-side targeted at different passenger groups. The difference between British English and American English terminology arose in

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6448-421: The closure of Glasgow Corporation Tramways (one of the largest in Europe) in 1962. Although some traditional trolley or tram systems continued to exist in San Francisco and elsewhere, the term "light rail" has come to mean a different type of rail system as modern light rail technology has primarily post-WWII West German origins. An attempt by Boeing Vertol to introduce a new American light rail vehicle in

6552-457: The current stations of the Blue Line, from north to south. Unlike the Red and Green Lines, the Blue Line uses high-floor vehicles without level-boarding. All Blue Line stations have mini-high platforms and train operators may need to assist riders with their use. These ramps are not used for the Red or Green Lines. Some riders have complained they can't roll their wheelchair up the steep ramps rendering

6656-415: The day. This combination of factors limits roads carrying only automobile commuters to a maximum observed capacity of about 3,000 passengers per hour per lane. The problem can be mitigated by introducing high-occupancy vehicle ( HOV ) lanes and ride-sharing programs, but in most cases, policymakers have chosen to add more lanes to the roads, despite a small risk that in unfavorable situations an extension of

6760-750: The direct translation, which is city rail (the Norwegian term, by bane , means the same). However, UMTA finally adopted the term light rail instead. Light in this context is used in the sense of "intended for light loads and fast movement", rather than referring to physical weight. The infrastructure investment is also usually lighter than would be found for a heavy rail system. The American Public Transportation Association (APTA), in its Glossary of Transit Terminology, defines light rail as: ...a mode of transit service (also called streetcar, tramway, or trolley) operating passenger rail cars singly (or in short, usually two-car or three-car, trains) on fixed rails in

6864-496: The east from Murray Central, the Blue and Red lines cross West Vine Street (West 5090 South) and over Little Cottonwood Creek before continuing directly north as they cross West 4800 South and the 4500 South Frontage Road. After crossing over West 4500 South ( SR-266 ) the lines reach Murray North at about 4300 South. After crossing West Fireclay Avenue the lines curve slightly to the west as they continue north and cross over Big Cottonwood Creek. Upon crossing over Big Cottonwood Creek,

6968-486: The last northbound train leaves Draper Town Center Station at 8:49 pm. However, the last trains only go as far as the Central Pointe Station. The last southbound train to the Draper Town Center Station leaves the Salt Lake Central Station at 7:52 pm and the last northbound train to the Salt Lake Central Station leaves the Draper Town Center Station at 7:09 pm. Blue Line trains run every fifteen minutes on weekdays and every twenty minutes on weekends. The following table lists

7072-409: The last northbound train leaves the Draper Town Center Station at 11:49 pm. However, the last trains only go as far as the Central Pointe Station. The last southbound train to the Draper Town Center Station leaves the Salt Lake Central Station at 10:52 pm and the last northbound train to the Salt Lake Central leaves the Draper Town Center Station at 10:29 pm. On Sundays the first northbound trains leave

7176-453: The late 19th century when Americans adopted the term "street railway", rather than "tramway", with the vehicles being called "streetcars" rather than "trams". Some have suggested that the Americans' preference for the term "street railway" at that time was influenced by German emigrants to the United States (who were more numerous than British immigrants in the industrialized Northeast), as it is

7280-524: The latter is described as light rail. In those places, trams running on mixed rights-of-way are not regarded as a light rail but considered distinctly as streetcars or trams. However, the requirement for saying that a rail line is "separated" can be quite low—sometimes just with concrete "buttons" to discourage automobile drivers from getting onto the tracks. Some systems such as Seattle's Link had on-road mixed sections but were closed to regular road traffic, with light rail vehicles and buses both operating along

7384-399: The light rail concept was the "Shaker Heights Rapid Transit" which started in the 1920s, was renovated in 1980-81 and is now part of RTA Rapid Transit . Many original tram and streetcar systems in the United Kingdom , United States , and elsewhere were decommissioned starting in the 1950s as subsidies for the car increased. Britain abandoned its tram systems, except for Blackpool , with

7488-647: The line south from Sandy Civic Center Station to the Draper Town Center Station . While there are currently no plans to extend the Blue line south of Draper Town Center, UDOT has plans to build a new light rail line at the former Utah state prison site. Plans to make a non-revenue connection back to the Blue line, using the available right of way in Draper, have been considered. This would allow for vehicles to travel to UTA maintenance facilities for scheduled maintenance activities. Light rail Light rail (or light rail transit , abbreviated to LRT )

7592-492: The lines also leave Murray and briefly enter unincorporated Salt Lake County. Continuing north and slightly to the west, the lines cross West Central Avenue and then West 3900 South. At West 3900 South the lines leave unincorporated Salt Lake County and enter South Salt Lake. Immediately north of West 3900 South is Meadowbrook . From this station, the lines head directly north until they cross West 3300 South ( SR-171 ) and immediately reach Millcreek . Continuing north from Millcreek

7696-570: The lines cross West Gregson Avenue, West 2950 South, and West 2700 South, before crossing under I-80 . From I-80 the lines continue north and cross West Haven Avenue before the junction with the TRAX Green Line . The previous station for the Green Line is River Trail , having originated in West Valley City . Just after the junction all three lines head north and reach Central Pointe , which

7800-701: The lines curve slightly to the east as they cross under Cottonwood Street (which curves more sharply to the east). At about 5150 South, the lines reach Murray Central . This station is located just west of the Intermountain Medical Center . It is one of only three joint TRAX/ FrontRunner stations and one of two served by the Blue Line. The FrontRunner platform is located directly west of the TRAX platform. (The FrontRunner provides commuter rail service between Pleasant View in north Weber County through Davis County and Salt Lake County to Provo in central Utah County .) Heading north and slightly to

7904-671: The lines turn north and continue down the center median of that street and cross West 600 South (Martin Luther King Jr Boulevard/ SR-269 eastbound), pass between the Grand America Hotel and the Little America Hotel, and then cross West 500 South (Cesar E Chavez Boulevard/SR-269 westbound). Just north of West 500 South and slightly west of the Scott Matheson Courthouse , is the first station within

8008-401: The median of South Main Street, the Green and Blue lines continue north crossing West 200 South and West 100 South before reaching City Center . This station is in the middle of the new City Creek Center commercial and residential development. At the north end of South Main Street the two lines turn west down the middle of West South Temple Street for a little more than a block before reaching

8112-607: The median of West South Temple Street the lines reach Arena (formerly Delta Center). This station is immediately north of Vivint Arena , east of the Union Pacific Depot , and south of LDS Business College . Arena was formerly the terminus of both the Sandy/Salt Lake and the old University Line . However, an extension opened on April 16, 2008, which provided access to the Salt Lake City Intermodal Hub and

8216-673: The mouth of Little Cottonwood Canyon , where the valley gives way to the Wasatch Range . East of the SR-111 junction, SR-209 is included in the National Highway System . State Route 177 was designated in 1965 along 9000 South between SR-68 and US-89 in Sandy , in order to provide access to the new I-15 . A second route - State Route 209 - was added in 1969, following 9400 South from US-89 east to SR-210 . Due to increased traffic in

8320-606: The new FrontRunner commuter rail train. Eventually the Sandy/Salt Lake Line was renamed the Blue Line and the University Line was renamed the Red Line and routed south. About this same time the Green Line was created and its route continued, along with the Blue Line, on to Salt Lake Central (Salt Lake City Intermodal Hub). However, with the rerouting of the Green Line to accommodate the Airport Extension, Arena became

8424-705: The next station, Temple Square . This station is just southwest of Temple Square (home to the Salt Lake Temple , Salt Lake Tabernacle , and other notable buildings of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints ). It is also just south of the Family History Library , about two blocks south of the LDS Conference Center , and immediately north of Abravanel Hall and the Salt Palace . Continuing down

8528-586: The north until it reaches Midvale Fort Union , just south of West 7200 South. After crossing West 7200 South, it heads directly north (passing from Midvale into Murray) until it reaches the junction with the TRAX Red Line, which is immediately south of West Winchester Drive. The previous station for the Red Line is Bingham Junction , having started in the Daybreak community of South Jordan . (The Red Line also provides access to UTA's Lovendahl Rail Service Center which

8632-465: The old and new systems. Since the 1980s, Portland, Oregon , has built all three types of system: a high-capacity light rail system in dedicated lanes and rights-of-way, a low-capacity streetcar system integrated with street traffic, and an aerial tram system . The opposite phrase heavy rail , used for higher-capacity, higher-speed systems, also avoids some incompatibilities in terminology between British and American English, for instance in comparing

8736-610: The peak direction during rush hour. Utah State Route 209 The road begins at the gate to the Bingham Canyon Mine and heads northeast as a two-lane undivided highway on the Bingham Highway. The road enters the town of Copperton and turns east. After exiting the town, the Bingham Highway splits into the Old and New Bingham Highway, with SR-209 turning northeast on the latter. The highway enters West Jordan and widens to four lanes as it curves east into 9000 South, just before crossing

8840-540: The required clearance height can be reduced significantly compared to conventional light rail vehicles. Reference speed from major light rail systems, including station stop time, is shown below. However, low top speed is not always a differentiating characteristic between light rail and other systems. For example, the Siemens S70 LRVs used in the Houston METRORail and other North American LRT systems have

8944-432: The right-of-way that is often separated from other traffic for part or much of the way. Light rail vehicles are typically driven electrically with power being drawn from an overhead electric line via a trolley [pole] or a pantograph ; driven by an operator onboard the vehicle; and may have either high platform loading or low-level boarding using steps." However, some diesel-powered transit is designated light rail, such as

9048-415: The road network might lead to increased travel times ( Downs–Thomson paradox , Braess's paradox ). By contrast, light rail vehicles can travel in multi-car trains carrying a theoretical ridership up to 20,000 passengers per hour in much narrower rights-of-way , not much more than two car lanes wide for a double track system. They can often be run through existing city streets and parks , or placed in

9152-401: The roads. Typically roadways have 1,900 passenger cars per lane per hour (pcplph). If only cars are allowed, the capacity will be less and will not increase when the traffic volume increases. When there is a bus driving on this route, the capacity of the lane will be higher and will increase when the traffic level increases. And because the capacity of a light rail system is higher than that of

9256-613: The same as the German term for the mode, Straßenbahn (meaning "street railway"). A further difference arose because, while Britain abandoned all of its trams after World War II except in Blackpool , eight major North American cities ( Toronto , Boston , Philadelphia , San Francisco , Pittsburgh , Newark , Cleveland , and New Orleans ) continued to operate large streetcar systems. When these cities upgraded to new technology, they called it light rail to differentiate it from their existing streetcars since some continued to operate both

9360-531: The southwest side of the Porter Rockwell Trail to cross East 12000 South and then South 700 East ( SR-71 ). Immediately after crossing South 700 East it reaches Kimballs Lane . Continuing northwest (with the Porter Rockwell Trail running along the southwest side) it runs between residential neighborhoods until it crosses East 11400 South. Upon crossing East 11400 South it leaves Draper and enters Sandy and immediately reaches Crescent View . From this station

9464-408: The standard gauge is that standard railway maintenance equipment can be used on it, rather than custom-built machinery. Using standard gauges also allows light rail vehicles to be conveniently moved around using the same tracks as freight railways. Additionally, wider gauges (e.g. standard gauge) provide more floor clearance on low-floor trams that have constricted pedestrian areas at the wheels, which

9568-551: The system was a success with the public, gaining up to 190,000 passengers per day. Automatic train operation is employed on light rail networks, tracking the position and speed of a train and hence adjusting its movement for safety and efficiency. One line of light rail (requires 7.6 m, 25' right of way) has a theoretical capacity of up to 8 times more than one 3.7 m (12 foot) lane on a freeway, excluding busses, during peak times. Roads have ultimate capacity limits that can be determined by traffic engineering , and usually experience

9672-587: The temporary terminus of the Green Line from December 9, 2012, to April 13, 2013. Following Arena, the two lines continue on to 400 West where they divide paths. The Green Line turns north down the middle of North 400 West towards North Temple Bridge/Guadalupe and eventually ending at the Salt Lake City International Airport , while the Blue Line turns south. Heading down the median of South 400 West, just after crossing West 100 South once again, it reaches Planetarium , which provides access to

9776-499: The trams, making it safe on city streets. Several systems in Europe and a few recently opened systems in North America use diesel -powered trains. When electric streetcars were introduced in the late 19th century, conduit current collection was one of the first ways of supplying power, but it proved to be much more expensive, complicated, and trouble-prone than overhead wires . When electric street railways became ubiquitous, conduit power

9880-455: The vast majority of light rail systems. This avoids the danger potentially presented by an electrified third rail . The Docklands Light Railway uses an inverted third rail for its electrical power, which allows the electrified rail to be covered and the power drawn from the underside. Trams in Bordeaux , France, use a special third-rail configuration where the power is only switched on beneath

9984-617: The west side of South 170 East, passing the east side of both Jordan High School and the South Towne Exposition Center . Just after crossing East 9400 South the Blue Line reaches an infill station , Sandy Expo , which provides service to Rio Tinto Stadium in addition to the Mountain America Exposition Center. After Sandy Expo, the Blue Line continues north on the east side of South 150 East until it crosses East 9000 South ( SR-209 ). Then it crosses over

10088-719: The west side of the street where it immediately reaches the last station on the Blue Line, Salt Lake Central (Salt Lake Intermodal Hub). From August 23, 2009, to October 31, 2009, the terminus was truncated to Arena station. Salt Lake Central provides access to the FrontRunner , as well as the Amtrak California Zephyr , and Greyhound Lines . Many TRAX stations include free Park and Ride lots, with some lots having as few as six parking spaces and others having nearly 1200. However, there are certain restrictions for all lots (for example, no 24-hour parking). UTA currently has

10192-434: The widest range of latitude of any rail system in the design, engineering, and operating practices. The challenge in designing light rail systems is to realize the potential of LRT to provide fast, comfortable service while avoiding the tendency to overdesign that results in excessive capital costs beyond what is necessary to meet the public's needs. The BART railcar in the following chart is not generally considered to be

10296-527: Was coined in 1972 by the U.S. Urban Mass Transportation Administration (UMTA; the precursor to the Federal Transit Administration ) to describe new streetcar transformations that were taking place in Europe and the United States. In Germany, the term Stadtbahn (to be distinguished from S-Bahn , which stands for Stadtschnellbahn ) was used to describe the concept, and many in UMTA wanted to adopt

10400-543: Was formed to serve these customers and manages the freight traffic over the Blue Line. The Blue Line starts at Draper Town Center in northern Draper. This station is northwest of the Draper City buildings, northwest of the Draper City Park, and immediately north of East Pioneer Road (East 12400 South). From this station, the Blue Line heads west-northwest to cross Draper Parkway (East 12300 South) and then northwest along

10504-662: Was introduced in North America in 1972 to describe this new concept of rail transportation. Prior to that time the abbreviation "LRT" was used for " Light Rapid Transit " and " Light Rail Rapid Transit ". The first of the new light rail systems in North America began operation in 1978 when the Canadian city of Edmonton, Alberta , adopted the German Siemens-Duewag U2 system, followed three years later by Calgary, Alberta , and San Diego, California . The concept proved popular, with there now being numerous light rail systems in

10608-679: Was known as the North/South Line or the Sandy/Salt Lake Line until color names were adopted for each TRAX line in August 2011. An extension of the line to Draper began service on August 18, 2013. As of 2019, The Utah Transport Authority has begun restoring the Siemens SD 100 and 160s that run on the line, the first restored unit placed into service on April 8, 2019. The TRAX Blue Line is designated as UTA Route 701 . The right of way used by

10712-610: Was the Gross-Lichterfelde tramway in Lichterfelde near Berlin in Germany, which opened in 1881. It was built by Werner von Siemens who contacted Pirotsky. It initially drew current from the rails, with overhead wire being installed in 1883. The first interurban to emerge in the United States was the Newark and Granville Street Railway in Ohio, which opened in 1889. An early example of

10816-517: Was used in those cities that did not permit overhead wires. In Europe, it was used in London, Paris, Berlin, Marseille, Budapest, and Prague. In the United States, it was used in parts of New York City and Washington, D.C. Third rail technology was investigated for use on the Gold Coast of Australia for the G:link light rail, though power from overhead lines was ultimately utilized for that system. In

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