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New yet old FrontRunner cars made their official debut this week, and today riders let us know what they think. Earlier this week UTA added six new cars called comet cars to the FrontRunner track.
UTA purchased and refurbished the cars as a way to accommodate the growing number of riders using FrontRunner. The reaction from riders is mixed. Some really like the historic feel inside the comet cars, but others thought UTA should have done something a little more updated.
From the outside they look new and have the same blue, white, and red paint jobs. But passengers quickly learn these new FrontRunner cars have some historic charm. "It looks new, and then you get in and it's obvious that it's from the 80s or something," rider Dianna Sperry said.
Another rider, Don Eisenbarth, said, "It's pretty cool. It's got, well it's kind of almost retro 70s- 80s type. It's all brown inside."
UTA Purchased 15 comet cars from the New Jersey Transit Commuter Rail System after ridership on FrontRunner skyrocketed.
UTA spokeswoman Carrie Bohnsack-Ware said, "We were expecting roughly about 5,900 people to ride it on an average weekday. Right now we are seeing anywhere around 8,400 people riding it on an average weekday."
The original comet cars were built in the 1970s, and UTA estimates the ones they purchased are about 25 to 30 years old. The name comet car comes from their aluminum cover and their end to end power.
To buy one of them new would cost $2.2 million, but refurbished, they're only $400,000. Each car can hold up to 102 people and is equipped with wireless Internet. They also have bigger seats, which riders seem to like.
Rider Sam Hess said, "I like it better than the other one, it has more room to stretch out."
James King said, "It's really comfortable and really spacious."
And Sandy Bunn told us, "It was nice and quiet and comfortable."
And if you don't like the old 1970s retro look or smell, UTA says you can always move to one of the newer cars.
So far UTA has six of the comet cars refurbished and ready to go. Currently they are using four of them during the peak ride hours, but as ridership continues to go up, UTA says they will add more cars.
E-mail: spark@ksl.com
