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SALT LAKE CITY — Major changes to Utah Transit Authority schedules are expected Sunday as the agency adopts a new form of a federally-mandated electronic safety system, officials said.
The noticeable time changes to UTA’s Frontrunner, TRAX and bus schedules prompted the agency to alert riders a month in advance, said UTA spokesman Carl Arky.
“Just about every schedule, whether it be Frontrunner, TRAX or bus is going to be changing this Sunday,” Arky said.
UTA’s move is to comply with the latest update to the Positive Train Control system before the federally-mandated deadline at the end of the year.
The agency enrolled in Positive Train Control standards shortly after Frontrunner began in 2008, but new standards were pushed to be installed by 2015 — later extended to Dec. 31, 2018.
The changes, according to the Federal Railroad Administration, include a technology system helping prevent train-to-train collisions, over-speed derailments, and implements other safety measures.
Fatal train crashes in Washington and South Carolina have thrown safety back into the national spotlight in recent months, and Arky said the federal changes UTA is making will help passenger safety.
“It’s a very sophisticated computerized system that will slow a train down and, in fact, in some cases, it will stop a train, so that there’s not a derailment or an accident doesn’t occur,” Arky said. “It also makes sure that trains are on the right tracks, that they don’t somehow end up on the wrong track, which can lead to head-on collisions with other trains.”
However, it also means the Frontrunner’s route between Ogden and Provo will be slightly delayed beginning Monday. It also means TRAX and bus routes will also be adjusted to mesh with the Frontrunner schedule.
“It’s all woven together,” Arky explained. “It’s pretty much a Rubik's cube … it’s not by accident when someone gets off a Frontrunner train that there’s a TRAX train is coming in or the next few minutes. (It’s) not by accident that a bus is there.”
Officials hope by switching schedules Sunday, it will help ease riders to the new times. Arky encouraged riders to check with the new schedules online before using transit Sunday to adjust to them.
Anyone with problems or questions about the new schedules are encouraged to UTA customer service at 801-743-3882.
