UTA Press Release

Image by Steven Vance via Flickr

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Gerry Carpenter, 801-859-6095

Date: March 31, 2010 Press Release





UTA To Adjust Bus and Rail Services

Service changes include the end of seasonal ski service



Beginning Sunday, April 4, Utah Transit Authority will make a number of changes to its bus and rail services. UTA will also end regular ski service to resorts in Big and Little Cottonwood canyons. Major changes are given below by service type. The reductions in service are a result of significantly reduced sales tax revenues due to the economic recession. For a full list of changes, go to www.rideuta.com/changeday.



Bus



In Davis and Weber counties, express routes 474 and 476 will be eliminated. Route 472 will not be discontinued as originally proposed; it will continue with seven trips in the morning and seven trips in the afternoon. The number of stops will be reduced to serve the three park-and-ride locations not conveniently located near a FrontRunner station: Riverdale, Layton Hills Mall and Kaysville.



In Salt Lake County, Sunday service will be eliminated on routes 39, 45 and 72. Saturday service will be eliminated on routes 9, 11, 17, 228, 232 and 248. Route 551 will be eliminated.



Other service changes are being made to increase efficiency and reliability, or to eliminate individual low-ridership trips. Several routes currently using North Temple will be rerouted in anticipation of the North Temple viaduct closure on April 18. See the UTA website for a full list of changes by route.



UTA’s regular seasonal ski service will also be discontinued effective April 4. Limited off-season worker trips in the morning and evening will continue to serve Little Cottonwood Canyon.



FrontRunner



Effective April 4, mid-day FrontRunner service will be reduced to hourly during off-peak hours. For northbound travelers, trains will run hourly between approximately 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. For southbound travelers, trains will run hourly between approximately 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. FrontRunner will continue to run at 30-minute frequency during peak commute hours. One new early morning trip will be added on weekdays, departing Ogden at 4:16 a.m. Evening FrontRunner service will shift to hourly after approximately 7 p.m. northbound and 8 p.m. southbound. The last northbound trip will be at 10:57 p.m.



Other changes include a schedule adjustment on Saturdays to improve connection times and a change to southbound trips from Pleasant View in the afternoon, which will require a transfer at Ogden station.



TRAX



As previously proposed, a reduction in the number of trips for direct Sandy-to-University trains will go into effect May 3 to coincide with the end of the semester at the University of Utah. UTA will continue to provide 15-minute TRAX service to the U of U and Sandy all day, but riders travelling during off peak hours will need to transfer at Gallivan Station.



For more information, visit www.rideuta.com/changeday.





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Established in 1970, UTA has become a multi-modal transportation leader that is 100 percent accessible with 69 light rail vehicles, 35 commuter rail cars and more than 600 buses. UTA’s TRAX light rail system is currently averaging more than 40,000 riders a day along its 15-mile Salt Lake-Sandy line and the 4-mile University Line. UTA is an ISO 14001:2004 9001:2000 certified agency. During the 2002 Winter Olympic Games, UTA’s transit system was declared a great success on the international scene - carrying more than four million Olympic riders.



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