FrontRunner has been serving Utahns for 15 years — but not on Sundays.
The Utah Transit Authority’s commuter rail system serves riders from Ogden to Provo, but only operates Monday through Saturday. The train provides service every 30 minutes during peak travel times on weekdays — and every 60 minutes on Saturdays — but the agency does not currently have the infrastructure to run service on Sundays, a spokesperson said.
However, Sunday service could be added after the ongoing ”FrontRunner Forward” project is completed. The train currently operates on a single track over the majority of its length, according to documents from the Federal Transit Administration, and the project will add an additional track running parallel to certain portions of the 83-mile corridor — which will increase service frequency and help avoid delays.
The Utah Legislature invested $300 million into the plan in 2021, and the Biden administration recently approved an additional $316 million to help fund the project.
Though “FrontRunner Forward” doesn’t currently call for implementing Sunday service, UTA project manager Janelle Robertson said during a May 2 update that it could be made possible through the project’s planned double tracking. Officials said during the meeting that the project’s construction will begin in 2025 and finish by 2029.
“Double tracking is necessary for us to be able to perform our preventative maintenance requirements on our rail infrastructure,” UTA spokesman Carl Arky said in an email. “This work currently occurs on Sunday or during the short window of time between the end of FrontRunner’s regular service at night and the start of service the next day (about 3 hours).”
Historically, FrontRunner has only conducted Sunday service during special events, including the Hill Air Force Base air show each June, and the recent NBA All-Star Weekend in February. Arky said UTA currently does not have any plans to provide Sunday FrontRunner service for other events, such as the annual Utah Pride Festival.
(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Commuters board the FrontRunner train at Salt Lake Central Station on Monday, May 8, 2023.
Utah Transit Riders Union executive director Curtis Haring said the union has not provided any input on the FrontRunner Forward project, other than general advocacy and hopes for a speedier timeline.
“Increased services are always a good thing. People’s needs don’t stop on Sunday,” Haring said. “There may be some logistical issues that they need to figure out. And I can respect that. But we shouldn’t have to wait to have double tracking in order to at least have some service on Sunday.”
UTA officials said in a September 2021 meeting that community leaders often inquire about Sunday FrontRunner service opportunities.
Several FrontRunner riders who spoke with The Salt Lake Tribune on Tuesday evening at Salt Lake Central Station said Sunday service likely wouldn’t affect them, since they only use it for their weekday commutes.
But many added that they wouldn’t be opposed to using the train as a cheaper option if they needed to be in Salt Lake City on a Sunday.
“I imagine it would be similar to the traffic you would get on Saturday, probably a little less,” said Kegan Penovich, who takes FrontRunner from Orem to Salt Lake City twice a week for work.
Marcy White, who takes the train on weekdays to Salt Lake City from Lehi for her job, quipped, “It would help if I wanted to work on Sundays.”
