UTA lays track for 2034 Games and beyond

SALT LAKE CITY — The 2002 Winter Olympics brought the games to Salt Lake City and the Wasatch Front has been welcoming in the world ever since.

Now, 25 years after the Utah Transit Authority first unveiled the TRAX system for public transportation on the light rail, transit in the Beehive State could get a big boost leading to the 2034 Games.

If you’re one of the millions who step onto the buses, TRAX cars or FrontRunner trains every day of every year, you already know what others may be just learning.

This mode of public transportation that dominated the 19th century is laying track for the future here in the 21st.

Salt Lake City is officially the place for the 2034 Winter Olympics

“I think it’s a great problem to have such demand.”

Jay Fox is pretty fond of riding the rails. After all, he’s been UTA’s executive director for the better part of the last three years.

And in that short time, ridership has gone up 13 and 14% each year since 2022 respectively.

“You can do whatever you want on transit. You’re not in traffic. For a student, they can study,” Fox said. “You’re going to work, you can listen to music. If you’re after work you can get a snooze.”

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More: Exclusive news, stories and highlights from the Paris Olympics on KSL TV and KSL Sports.

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So with the 2034 Winter Games now set for less than 10 years and ticking, how confident is Fox that our method of moving around the masses here in the mountains of Utah will be ready to host yet another international event?

He said the “Warriors Over the Wasatch” airshow was a great success as people decided to leave the driving to UTA to get to Davis County.

And the 2023 NBA All-Star Game was a good warm-up, if not a small one — compared to you know, all of the nations of the world flocking to our state.

“It was a mini Olympics to show the versatility of our system today as opposed to 2002.”

Fox’s confidence isn’t out of bounds.

He pointed to Chicago as an example with its well-known “L” train moving a population at least four times as large as the Wasatch Front.

Would you believe our 13 trips per person per year actually beats the Windy City for our size?

“We’re getting to a place where in the not-too-distant future we’re going to hit capacity and we want to make sure we can continue to move people,” Fox said.

And that means investment over the next decade will be necessary.

That plan is already laid out

Right now you can ride the FrontRunner every 29 minutes or so, but with plans to double track the rails in the coming years, that time will be slashed to just 14 minutes.

Another TRAX line will be added, connecting the SLC airport straight to the University of Utah.

The Mid-Valley Rapid Express will add bus routes from Murray to places in the West Valley City, like the Maverik Center.

And new level boarding cars will be added within the next four to five years allowing all access for those living with disabilities.

The bottom line?

Fox is looking forward to UTA’s enhancements that lie just beyond the bend, over the horizon, toward the next Olympic Games. But not because of them.

When asked where Fox thinks Utah’s transit systems rank on a podium, he said we’re destined for a title.

“We’re gold. And I’ll tell you we’re already gold,” Fox said. “There’s no platinum medal but I will tell you that by 2034 we’ll be platinum.”

Check out more information about the future of our public transit system here in Salt Lake City on www.rideuta.com