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  #3741  
Old Posted Nov 26, 2011, 8:25 AM
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I also use Google maps for schedules and bus routes. One thing I notice sometimes it is useless for looking up bus routes. It does not give you all the available routes that you can use. The schedule differs from the uta website, sometimes by more then 10 minutes on most bus lines. On another note. Today I was train hopping and I notice tsa agents and dhs police on several of the lines. UTA police were with them. I was curious because I had never heard of dhs police before (department of homeland security police). Do you guys think that trax could be targeted by terrorist or is too vulnerable? It just got me thinking why was there tsa and dhs agents on the trax lines.
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  #3742  
Old Posted Nov 26, 2011, 11:37 AM
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^
I heard a rumor through the grape vine, that there was an attempt during the olympics.
But there is no way for me to know for sure.
I don't think SLC is important enough now to be targeted, but I could see the olympics being a target.
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  #3743  
Old Posted Nov 26, 2011, 4:35 PM
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High Speed rail connecting Salt Lake and Vegas (and LA)?... Yes, please.

http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/home2/5...-lake.html.csp
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  #3744  
Old Posted Nov 26, 2011, 6:04 PM
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How wickedly great would it be to take a bus from your house to the TRAX station, TRAX to the airport, and then from there board an intercity train to Las Vegas and beyond? No car necessary. Total pipe dream though; my hopes are low for any decent rail connection between Salt Lake and Vegas to be built in my lifetime.
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  #3745  
Old Posted Nov 26, 2011, 6:55 PM
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Oh don't be such a lemon
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  #3746  
Old Posted Nov 26, 2011, 7:21 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by CountyLemonade View Post
How wickedly great would it be to take a bus from your house to the TRAX station, TRAX to the airport, and then from there board an intercity train to Las Vegas and beyond? No car necessary. Total pipe dream though; my hopes are low for any decent rail connection between Salt Lake and Vegas to be built in my lifetime.

For something like the interstate freeway to happen or an interstate high speed rail, you need a kind of unjadded trust in the Federal and State Governments, a pre-Watergate, pre-Internet, and pre-Cable News Network kind of trust.
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  #3747  
Old Posted Nov 26, 2011, 8:42 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by s.p.hansen View Post
For something like the interstate freeway to happen or an interstate high speed rail, you need a kind of unjadded trust in the Federal and State Governments, a pre-Watergate, pre-Internet, and pre-Cable News Network kind of trust.
And a lot of money. Post WWII booming economy kind of money. And a willingness to invest the public good (oh...how socialist of me.)
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  #3748  
Old Posted Nov 27, 2011, 2:19 AM
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I love rail travel, and I hate the airlines industry. Real high speed rail does sound enticing. But i just don't think high speed rail to Vegas would even begin to cover its operating cost. I think they should definitely start acquiring rights of way now while the economy is in recession, but wait until there is more demand. Really it would be nice to wait and see it the Desert Express (connection between LA and Vegas) is successful. Those 2 cities are much more economically and demographically intertwined than Vegas and SLC.

I guess I can sort of understand having the station at the airport, but would that be better than downtown?
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  #3749  
Old Posted Nov 27, 2011, 2:35 AM
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Downtown would be a much better location for a station than the airport.
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  #3750  
Old Posted Nov 27, 2011, 3:23 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SLCdude View Post
Downtown would be a much better location for a station than the airport.
I disagree, high speed rail in the states is not going to replace long distance flights, with the stops at every major city along the route and not being able to go 'as the crow flies', it will always be faster to fly long distance and while the train may have a cheaper price, 'time is money'. The high speed rail is going to be convenient for replacing/alternative to flights that are only 1-2 hours or less. Thus, it would be hugely convenient to have rail stations located at major airport hubs. Like the SL Trib article mentioned, people could fly into the Delta hub at SLC and then jump on a train to get to other locations, for example down to Vegas, St. George, etc.

Additionally, since the SL Airport is only a few minutes from downtown by car, and shortly by TRAX as well, it is still very convenient. Plus the airport will have the ability to have the long term parking and additional services that people generally look for in travel (car rental, booking other travel, etc.)
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  #3751  
Old Posted Nov 28, 2011, 4:35 AM
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Just an observation I felt the need to share:

In a few weeks we're going down to see the lights. Much to my dismay, I discovered the last Blue Line train that travels all the way to Sandy leaves the Temple Square station at 10:59 pm on Saturdays. There is an 11:39 pm train but that only goes down to Central Pointe. It's not like we can't modify our schedule so we get back to the Trax station by 10:59, but then I think of the people in bars, or maybe at a late-running concert... Who ends their night at 11 pm? I mean, even for us we'd like to be in downtown for a good while into the night just walking around. Back in rosier times, as this schedule from 2006 indicates, the last train from downtown to Sandy left at 1:11 am. Isn't that wonderful?

I realize that many things have happened since then that have made service that late a luxury, but my philosophy is that as a public conveyance the UTA should still offer at least one train past that current 11 pm run that goes all the way to the end of the line. We talk here of making downtown a twenty-four hour kind of place; well, if our light rail service ends at 11 pm on Saturday nights, making that a reality is harder. The UTA will say that in their five years of offering late-night service not enough ridership was garnered. To heck with that. If anyone thought they could get trains to be packed at 1 am, well, what a fantastic thought. I can't see why adding one more trip past midnight would be such a big deal.

Just as a point of comparison, on Saturday nights the last train to leave from downtown to the EOL in other cities:

Salt Lake (Blue Line): 10:52 pm
Denver (E line): 1:42 am
San Jose (Convention Center to Santa Teresa): 1:48 am
Phoenix (Jefferson/3rd to Mesa): 2:26 am
Charlotte: 1:00 am
Portland (Blue Line, Pioneer Sq South to Gresham): 1:43 am

Well folks, there you have it.

Last edited by CountyLemonade; Nov 28, 2011 at 6:09 AM.
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  #3752  
Old Posted Nov 28, 2011, 3:48 PM
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Lightbulb

Quote:
Originally Posted by CountyLemonade View Post
Just as a point of comparison, on Saturday nights the last train to leave from downtown to the EOL in other cities:

Salt Lake (Blue Line): 10:52 pm
Denver (E line): 1:42 am
San Jose (Convention Center to Santa Teresa): 1:48 am
Phoenix (Jefferson/3rd to Mesa): 2:26 am
Charlotte: 1:00 am
Portland (Blue Line, Pioneer Sq South to Gresham): 1:43 am

Well folks, there you have it.
Why not look what all American light rail cities trains leave downtown on weekdays?
Baltimore > around 0000
Buffalo > around 0000
Dallas > around 0030
Houston > around 0000
Los Angeles > around 0000
Minneapolis > around 0100
New Orleans > around 0100
Norfolk > around 0030
Pittsburgh > around 0030
San Diego > around 0000
Saint Louis > around 0000 or 0030
Seattle > > around 0030
And I probably overlooked a few cities too.

None remain in service until the bars close. I'll admit Salt Lake Trax trains close earlier - but not by as much as you suggest...........
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  #3753  
Old Posted Nov 28, 2011, 5:51 PM
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I've said similar things recently, CountryLemonade, and I agree completely. The Red Line, which serves SLC proper, and especially the young crowd from U of U, also is done running around 11, which is absurd on weekends. I learned this the hard way when I had some out-of-town friends with me, and was taking them out for a night on the town, showing them SLC, and then found that the trains weren't running late anymore and had to walk the 11 blocks home.
Now I don't bother. When I go out, I drive. I hate it, I wish I didn't have to, but that's the city we live in.
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  #3754  
Old Posted Nov 28, 2011, 7:31 PM
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UTA needs money to operate later. There's also the issue of safety and vandalism at non-peak hours. I think UTA is more focused on geographic coverage than service frequency at this time. I'd really like to see late transit service of some kind, as I fell asleep at the Marriott Library last night and had to sleepwalk home at 1AM. It's also very difficult to go downtown at night knowing I won't be able to take a bus or train home later.

San Francisco has "owl" bus routes that run from 1AM to 5AM, seven nights a week. Something like this would be great for any city.
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  #3755  
Old Posted Nov 28, 2011, 9:21 PM
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Again?

TRAX train and vehicle collide in Midvale
http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=1826...ide-in-midvale


Seriously people? Are we really that retarded? Can't we got a WEEK without this happening.
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  #3756  
Old Posted Nov 28, 2011, 9:59 PM
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I wonder if UTA would respond at all if enough people requested later service. I've been curious about when the airport line opens. A lot of people on late flights...
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  #3757  
Old Posted Nov 29, 2011, 2:11 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by electricron View Post
Why not look what all American light rail cities trains leave downtown on weekdays?
Baltimore > around 0000
Buffalo > around 0000
Dallas > around 0030
Houston > around 0000
Los Angeles > around 0000
Minneapolis > around 0100
New Orleans > around 0100
Norfolk > around 0030
Pittsburgh > around 0030
San Diego > around 0000
Saint Louis > around 0000 or 0030
Seattle > > around 0030
And I probably overlooked a few cities too.

None remain in service until the bars close. I'll admit Salt Lake Trax trains close earlier - but not by as much as you suggest...........
I used those cities because they were in the same region, or they had a similar metropolitan population. The bar example was just one example; I'm not saying it's absolutely necessary to keep service operating until last call, but life in downtown in other regards does not end at 11. Besides, those closing times for other cities that you provided implies just as much as those that I provided that Salt Lake is lacking.
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  #3758  
Old Posted Nov 29, 2011, 6:17 PM
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Bars
Clubs
Concerts
Movies
Theater, Dance, Music rehearsals and performances

These are all things that I've participated in downtown (or at the U) where it would have been nice to have Trax running so I could get home. I'm pretty sure many of the hundreds of people also there would agree. Just to add a few additional examples beyond bars.
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  #3759  
Old Posted Nov 29, 2011, 7:50 PM
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Here's some exciting news from the Trib regarding bus services (http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/politic...ice.html.csp):

"UTA plans mostly routine tweaks to schedules to improve reliability and make transfer connections easier.

He also says a few changes are bigger and more noteworthy. They include:

• Ski buses expand to all-day service, seven days a week in Big and Little Cottonwood Canyons. That will continue through April 14. Also on change day, ski bus service to Sundance resort in Utah County begins.

• Buses between Salt Lake City and Park City will expand service to run on Saturdays, Sunday and holidays with three trips up in the morning and three back in the afternoon. On weekdays, the new schedule also adds an extra trip up in the morning and an extra trip down in the afternoon.

• A new Route 2X, the 200 South Express, will be created to run buses with limited stops from the Salt Lake City Central Station (the terminal for Ogden FrontRunner buses) to the University of Utah. These buses may be faster than taking TRAX and transferring trains to travel to the U.

• Santaquin will receive its first bus service since joining the UTA service district a year ago. Route 822 between BYU and Payson will be extended to Santaquin with limited trips.

• Route 811, the Utah Valley shuttle to TRAX in Sandy, will have reduced stops. The route also will end at 1230 North Canyon Road and will not continue to south Provo."


Everyone has been wondering how the new Park City line is doing. Well, if I were going to take any guesses from this report, it is doing pretty good. They are adding an extra trip each way every day (thats 7 altogether. Just as a reference, the fast bus to Utah Valley on has 3 trips per day, although there are several slower buses that run throughout the day, like the 811 that is also referenced in the article. I will be glad that that trip will be getting a little quicker) and service on the weekends. Also it is cool to hear about the ski buses and the new bus for Santaquin.

The changes will take place on December 11th
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  #3760  
Old Posted Nov 29, 2011, 8:55 PM
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Is this new 200 south bus a BRT line? That's kind of what it sounds like.
I've noticed UTA doesn't seem to run articulated buses anymore. I think they could help out on the 200 south route during rush hour and on the 3500 south MAX line as that one can get crowded during rush hour.
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