SALT LAKE CITY : BACK ON TRACK IN THE WEST

A local sales tax referendum, matched with funding by the federal government, helped promote the first light rail line in Utah. The TRAX light rail system opened in Salt Lake City in December 1999, and has successfully proven itself as an important component of the region's transportation network. In fact, the biggest light rail challenge experienced by TRAX is is increasing its capacity to keep up with ridership demands. The article describes the roles that the 2002 Olympic Winter Games and traffic concerns at the University of Utah played in the development of the system. The article discusses expansion plans for TRAX and how the system has fostered a mass transit renaissance in the Wasatch Front metropolitan area.