History

Commuter rail along the Wasatch Front isn’t a new idea. In fact, passenger trains were a very common mode of transportation in this region during the first half of the 20th century. The emergence of automobiles in the 1940s and 1950s gradually led to the dismantling and demise of much of the public transportation infrastructure. Now, the public transportation is seeing a resurgence as growing communities and increasing traffic congestion has created a need and desire to find alternative modes of transportation – including commuter rail.

Initial studies for a potential commuter rail project on the Wasatch Front began in 1997. The Weber County to Salt Lake Commuter Rail project was included in the Long-Range Transportation Plan adopted by the Wasatch Front Regional Council (WFRC) in December 2001. The Long Range Plan was developed to address population needs along the Wasatch Front.

The population in the region is expected to grow by almost one million people over the next 20 years. Historically, travel demand along the Wasatch Front has grown at a compounded annual rate of four percent each year. If this rate of growth continues, the number of daily trips in the year 2020 will be more than double the number of daily trips today.