FrontRunner renews Pleasant View run after summer 2011 cancellation

PLEASANT VIEW — FrontRunner is coming back to Pleasant View after being canceled because of low ridership in summer 2011.

The Utah Transit Authority has announced that FrontRunner service in Pleasant View will start again later this year as part of the agency’s upcoming set of changes to rail and bus service.

UTA is implementing systemwide changes to service as it opens the second leg of FrontRunner, which runs from Salt Lake City to Provo.

On Dec. 10, UTA will run one southbound morning trip from Pleasant View to Provo and one northbound evening trip back to Pleasant View.

Exact schedules have not been finalized, but UTA spokesman Gerry Carpenter said the morning trip will likely leave Pleasant View around 5 a.m., while the evening trip back to Pleasant View will arrive around 7 p.m.

When FrontRunner was initially canceled in Pleasant View, UTA said it was because that portion of the line didn’t see enough riders to make it worth the operating cost.

While it was operating back then, FrontRunner ran through Pleasant View four times daily — twice in the morning, twice in the evening.

Carpenter said UTA is bringing back a scaled-down version of the service in Pleasant View because the agency expects ridership to pick up some with more southbound destinations now available.

“It’s always been our intention to go to Pleasant View,” he said.

“Now, with some of the new things we’ve got going on, we think this limited service is called for.”

When the service was canceled last year, UTA began running a bus route, the 616, to transport people to the Ogden Intermodal Hub.

Carpenter said Route 616 will still be in service, but scaled back.

The route will now operate three trips from 5 a.m. to 8 a.m. and five trips from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m.

As part of the new FrontRunner service, Carpenter said, more of a focus will be put on trains inbound to Salt Lake City during morning commute times and on outbound to Ogden and Provo during evening commute times.

During peak morning service hours, FrontRunner heading to Salt Lake City from both Ogden and Provo will now leave every 30 minutes instead of every 60 minutes, Carpenter said.

During the evening commute, trains will leave from Salt Lake City every 30 minutes.

The reverse commutes and off-peak hour trains will leave every 60 minutes.

As part of the changes, FrontRunner service on Saturday will be scaled back. Trains will leave every 90 minutes instead of every 60 minutes.

A new transfer station will also be available on North Temple in Salt Lake City, which will provide better connections to certain downtown areas and will eventually connect to the Salt Lake City International Airport when UTA’s TRAX line to the airport is finished in April.

Maps and a detailed final schedule of servicewide changes will be available at www.rideuta.com on Nov. 9.