The FrontRunner train pulled into the new train station in Provo, marking the final stop in its first official trip.
Provo Mayor John Curtis welcomed hundreds of people who rode the inaugural train ride to Provo.
“Welcome FrontRunner! Congratulations!”
The FrontRunner Provo to Salt Lake commuter rail project is a 45-mile commuter rail line that will offer high-capacity mass transit service between downtown Provo in Utah County and downtown Salt Lake City.
The project to connect Salt Lake City to Utah County with a rail system cost $850 million. Governor Gary Herbert says paying that much money was a bargain.
"I do recognize that UTA made the acquisitions for the corridor for the rights of way, and they said we'd get the bargain price of $1 million dollars a mile, but I note also that my good friend Governor John Hickenlooper in Colorado is trying to do the same thing in Colorado in the Denver area that we're accomplishing here in Utah. The cost in Denver is now $80 to $100 million a mile. So having a little bit of vision and the ability to look down the road a generation can save us a little anguish and a lot of money."
UTA expects 6,800 riders every day when it opens for full service. The 56-minute trip between Provo to Salt Lake City will help decongest I-15 during peak hours.
The new line will open Monday, December 10 to the public. But if you want a sneak peak at the ride, bring a can of food on Saturday, December 8 to get a full round trip between Provo and Salt Lake City.