Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Transit topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
UTA outlines five‑year plan and Davis–Salt‑Lake connector, including electric 470x route
Summary
Utah Transit Authority trustee Beth Holbrook told the South Weber City Council UTAhas prepared an internal five‑year service plan that would add about 1,000,000 service miles across four counties, create the Davis–Salt‑Lake Connector ("470x") with roughly 18 electric buses, and target increased frequency on key routes beginning with a service change on April 13, 2025.
Utah Transit Authority trustee Beth Holbrook told the South Weber City Council on Feb. 25 that UTA has created an internal five‑year service plan designed to respond to regional growth and improve connectivity across Davis, Weber and Box Elder counties. "Altogether in 5 years, we're gonna add about 1,000,000 miles worth of coverage," Holbrook said.
Holbrook said the plan includes a Davis–Salt‑Lake community connector—referred to in the presentation as the "470x"—that would run from Farmington City and the FrontRunner station to the University of Utah Research Park, serving Farmington, Centerville, Bountiful, North Salt Lake and central Salt Lake City. The presentation said the connector would use about 18 electric buses with overhead fast chargers and depot plug‑in chargers and that the service would aim for 15‑minute frequency on core corridors.
The trustee said 2025 changes for Davis County are substantially set and would take effect on April 13, 2025, with further structural changes planned in 2028. Holbrook described complementary projects such as FrontRunner double‑tracking, which the presentation says would enable 15‑minute commuter rail service in peak periods and 30‑minute off‑peak service.
Holbrook said the project is currently a federal funding request with a local match identified and paperwork due in August; she noted the city and region are also considering operational logistics for large events including the 2034 Olympics. "This is currently a federal request project. We do anticipate submitting all of our paperwork by August," Holbrook said.
Councilmembers asked whether existing Park‑and‑Ride service in South Weber would continue; Holbrook said routes that currently serve the city's Park-and‑Ride (including the 455 and 470) would continue to serve the facility or be replaced with localized connector routes and that South Weber should not expect major routing changes, though frequency adjustments are possible.
Holbrook also addressed vehicle and rolling‑stock plans, saying UTA would both purchase additional bilevel cars and add new vehicles over the longer term, and described ongoing vehicle contracts (Stadler for light‑rail vehicle replacement) and vehicle electrification studies. She invited council members to follow up with questions and introduced Chandler Buehler, UTA's government relations manager, who was present at the meeting.
The presentation provided the council with schedule targets, system‑level changes and a high‑level summary of anticipated costs and funding processes; councilmembers did not take formal action on the item. The packet and presentation materials are available from city staff.
