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SALT LAKE CITY — The remaining public transit bus service to Utah's ski resorts is coming to a close this weekend as the resort snow season comes to an end, and two new stations are primed to join the lineup on TRAX and FrontRunner but are facing holdups.
Those — plus the semi-retirement of the FrontRunner Comet cars — are the biggest updates from Utah Transit Authority's upcoming "change day" Sunday, which is when the agency tweaks its routes and schedules.
End of ski bus service
This week is when most of the remaining ski resorts are closing for the season — or at least were originally scheduled to be beforethis week's snowstorm. Alta, Brian Head, Deer Valley, Park City Mountain and Snowbasin resorts are all scheduled to end their seasons on Sunday, according to Ski Utah. Alta has since announced a three-day bonus weekend between April 22 and April 24, now ending the same day as Brighton Ski Resort.
A few, like Snowbird, Solitude and Woodward Park City, are either scheduled to close in May or have notyet announced an end date.
Since the ski season is wrapping up, so is ski bus service. UTA previously wrapped up service to Sundance, Powder Mountain and Snowbasin, and service to Alta, Brighton, Snowbird and Solitude resorts are scheduled to end this weekend. The Park City-Salt Lake City Connect winter service also ends this weekend, although limited weekday service will still be available on Route 902 of the bus service.
Two new rail stops on the way
A new TRAX light rail station in the heart of Salt Lake City's downtown growth and a new FrontRunner station at the heart of Utah County's growth are also included in the upcoming change day, although the stations aren't online just yet.
The agency' board of trustees approved a resolution last month to name the two new stations the 600 South Station on TRAX and Vineyard Station on FrontRunner.
The 600 South Station is set to become the fourth TRAX station on Main Street in Salt Lake City, located between 600 South and 700 South. The blue, green and red lines will all have stops there once it officially opens, though an exact date has yet to be announced for that.
Salt Lake City officials said in a Redevelopment Agency of Salt Lake City meeting held last month there were delays related to supply chain issues for the electrical parts needed to make the station operational. Similar issues delayed the opening of the new TRAX station at the Salt Lake City International Airport last year.
There's also no official opening date listed for the new Vineyard Station, which has dealt with similar issues. It was originally scheduled to open by the end of 2021 but those delays pushed its projected opening to spring 2022.
UTA's trustees also approved a plan to make the new Vineyard Station a "pass-through" station in the same March 23 meeting it approved its name. That means UTA won't add a 60-cent fee for riders passing by it as it does for all other stations on the line with the exception of the North Temple Station. The 60 cents per station are tacked onto the $2.50 base fare for riding FrontRunner.
Other notable changes
While there are minor schedule changes to dozens of UTA bus routes that go into effect Sunday, the only major route change also centers around Vineyard Station. Route 834, which currently runs between the Orem and Provo FrontRunner stations, will be extended to Vineyard Station via Orem Center Street and Vineyard Main Street once the new station opens.
Its weekday service will move from once every hour to once every 30 minutes when that change happens, and its hours will be extended on weekdays from 7:20 a.m. to 6:42 p.m. to 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.
FrontRunner service will also look a bit different as its Comet cars make one last regular appearance on Saturday. The 50-year-old cars UTA acquired from the New Jersey Transit over a decade ago will be put in the agency's reserve, saved for days when there's an unexpected spike in ridership or an expected spike because of a major event.
