While riding north from Provo this morning, my FrontRunner train passed a train at an unusual location (at Orem siding, roughly at 1680 N in Provo - we passed at full speed). I got on my UTA Tracker app, because that's just the kind of transit nerd I am, and I discovered that it was an extra train, apparently running on a 15 minute schedule.
The only thing I can think is that this being MLK day, UTA decided to take advantage of the reduced ridership to test out if 15 minute service is feasible. When they originally opened the south line they did have one train scheduled 15 minutes after the other - one of them was a Pleasant View train - and if I remember correctly that one train caused most of the delays that eventually caused them to lengthen the schedule by 17 minutes.
Really, though, UTA has very few options for increasing ridership on FrontRunner. They could lengthen the platforms (the sidings are all long enough for that already) and buy more bi-level cars, but that would take many months of construction and cost quite a bit (bombardier commuter cars are something like $2 million a pop). They could even double-track sections, but that would cost even more and take even longer to implement. Adding more cars right now doesn't work because the platforms are not built for it (the north section high-block is for 3 bombardiers and 1 comet), and the Warm Springs yard wasn't designed for longer trains (lots of tracks would need to be re-arranged, costing $$$).
So, as I see it, the only way to increase capacity on FrontRunner without any huge expenses is to run more frequent trains. But as I've said before in other posts, that would most likely require the schedule to be lengthened even more, perhaps another 15 minutes between Provo and Ogden. What will riders say to a longer schedule with more departures? It would be an interesting trade off.
But does UTA really have any choice? They're over 16,000 daily trips, which makes them either the 10th or 11th busiest commuter line in the country, depending on how you count. I ride the train that leaves SLC at 5:11 and gets to Provo at 6:12, and it is standing room only between Murray and Lehi every single day. And not just a few people; people are hanging onto each other to keep from tipping over at station stops. It reminds me of transit in Japan or China:
I'm glad UTA realizes that something needs to be done, and I really do favor more frequent departures... I just hope that 1) the schedule won't need to be lengthened too much, and 2) this will serve as a catalyst for some larger capacity improvement program, such as lengthening sidings or adding a second track.
In the long run, this is really a good problem to have.
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The supplies they used to keep in the locked restrooms will instead be stashed in little cabinets they have recently installed near the south door of every bombardier car (and in the north vestibule in the pullman/commet cars). I guess UTA got so many complaints over Christmas, when the trains are packed with families and kids, that they finally decided to do something about it. It just goes to show that UTA isnt uresponsive to suggestions . They're just slow.
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