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Officials say 5th could help pay FrontRunner "double tracking" and more frequent service
Summary
WFRC and county officials said the 0.10% transit subaccount could be used for strategic FrontRunner double‑tracking and to increase train frequency; funds placed in the state-managed TTF must benefit Davis County and would supplement UDOT and federal funding.
Presenters told commissioners the transit subaccount within the 0.10% share could be used to invest in strategic ‘‘double tracking’’ of FrontRunner segments inside Davis County to enable more frequent service and higher ridership.
Andrew Gerber said the funding would go into a state account managed by UDOT but emphasized that "they have to be improvements to the benefit of Davis County, the county that imposes the tax." WFRC staff described how targeted double-tracking on key segments can reduce delays, allowing peak-period train frequency to improve from roughly every 30 minutes to as often as every 15 minutes. Gerber added that double-tracking would be expected to increase ridership "by as much as doubling the ridership as time goes on." The presenters noted the county's funds would supplement state and potential federal grants, and that UTA and county governments would need to coordinate on project priorities and costs.
Commissioners and city officials asked whether commuter-rail subaccounts are capital-only (answer: capital) and how the county would negotiate service changes with UTA. Presenters said there would be a dialogue—"a dialogue between the county and UTA"—and the county could express preferences rather than automatically handing funds to UTA. There was discussion of pending federal funding and the region's Olympic planning context as additional reasons to prioritize FrontRunner improvements.
