Students commuting from Davis County will be able to save time and money starting in late April when the Utah Transit Authority opens its Ogden commuter rail line.
The U recently announced that students will be able to use their Ed Passes to ride the new rail system, called FrontRunner. U students get a pass every year to ride all UTA buses and trains. Student fees will pay for the cost of the pass.
“We want our students, faculty and staff to have as many commutive options as possible rather than driving a single occupancy vehicle to campus,” said Norm Chambers, assistant vice president for auxiliary services at the U. “Currently under 30 percent commute by mass transit, but we certainly hope to see it increase.”
The FrontRunner will run from Salt Lake City to Ogden, passing by Weber State University. The commuter rail will leave every half hour except for a one-hour period in the early morning and late afternoon when the rail will leave every 15 minutes.
The current North-South 470 bus that travels daily from Ogden to Salt Lake City stops every 10 to 30 minutes at certain stops.
The FrontRunner will stop at seven stations along the route. The train will travel alongside the freeway at approximately 80 to 85 miles per hour, shortening the 60- to 90-minute commute to 40 to 45 minutes, said Carrie Bohnsack-Ware, spokeswoman for UTA.
“People who are used to being stuck around Bountiful will find it very useful,” said Alma Allred, director of U Commuter Services.
UTA expects about 5,900 people to use the commuter rail on weekdays.
There should be about 12,600 people riding the commuter rail on a weekday by 2025, Bohnsack-Ware said.
“When the light rail opened, we estimated that 20,000 people would be riding each weekday,” she said. “We’ve doubled it now and see 40,000 to 50,000 on a weekday.”
The commuter rail will have free Wi-Fi service. Only express buses currently offer free wireless Internet.
On the commuter rail, people will be on the bus or rail for a longer period of time and could have time to work if they wished, Bohnsack-Ware said.
Students said FrontRunner will make commuting cheaper.
Justin Williams, a junior in biology, drives from Centerville to school and back every day and spends $200 a month on gasoline.
“It would be nice to skip that drive and have time to sit and study,” he said.
UTA is also creating a new pass-reading system. Instead of showing a pass to the driver, commuters will press passes against a card reader. The card will be attuned to records and show whether a student, staff or faculty member is still a part of the U.
UTA will start using the pass readers in two to three years.
The computer chips could also reduce what the U pays UTA for student, staff and faculty bus passes.
“UTA charges a certain amount to universities and colleges who then charge students through their fees,” Bohnsack-Ware said. “With the (new passes), we’ll know exactly how many people are riding and can charge the universities less.”
UTA also plans to develop a fast bus system that will run along 3500 South in Salt Lake County. The system will cover 10 miles and include 23 bus stops on the way from Magna to the light rail stop at 3300 South.