Few states have experienced the amount of growth that Utah has undergone since the turn of the decade. According to Federal Reserve Economic Data, over 250,000 individuals have become residents in the state since 2020 – a change that has tested the area’s infrastructure and altered the landscape of the Wasatch Front.

As more people have moved to Utah, the rise in commuters traveling to cities like Salt Lake and Provo has increased. In places like West Bountiful last Tuesday, the Utah Department of Transportation has begun pitching their solution.

Increasing the frequency of train pickups, the organization has announced plans to roll out their FrontRunner 2X project.

“We love working on this project,” said Brian Allen, Transit Project director at the Department of Transportation. “Providing more convenient transportation options is really what UDOT's all about. Providing that multimodal balance of not only cars, but connecting trails to transit to vehicles, and looking at the transportation system as a whole.”

According to UDOT, the FrontRunner 2X initiative will extend double lanes in key areas, allowing the rail system to efficiently handle 10 new trains. Once construction is complete, pickup frequency at stations will increase from every 30 minutes during peak hours to every 15.

The project – which is set to receive funding from grants – is currently in the design phase, with official renderings expected to be released at the end of the year. Aiming to start construction in 2027, Allen says FrontRunner 2X should be finished by 2030.

“The biggest items in the project are just working with the railroad,” said Allen. “The FrontRunner has its own right of way, but it runs right next to Union Pacific, so we’re working on agreements with Union Pacific and grant funding agreements with the federal transit administration. Those are the two main scheduled drivers.”

According to UDOT, FrontRunner ridership to key destinations is currently at 90% capacity during peak hours. The 2X project is expected to increase that capacity by 53%, and make the train 17% faster than I-15 by 2050. Pickup frequency during off-peak hours will also decrease from every hour to every 30 minutes.

“They really see [FrontRunner] moving from what’s called a commuter rail, where you’re just using the peak hour rail to more regional rail, where you see a lot of people, for example, going to UVU from maybe Draper, things like that. It really provides a lot of flexibility to use FrontRunner more as a backbone of the system,” said Allen.

Construction for FrontRunner 2X is expected to begin in half of the alignment area. Quiet zones will remain in effect throughout the development process.