Utah Transit Authority picks local train shop Stadler for next batch of Trax vehicles. 

click to enlarge

• Benjamin Wood
• Riders on the Trax Blue Line arrive in Salt Lake City on June 18, 2024.

DEPOT DISTRICT—Move over Siemens, there's a new train in town.

The Utah Transit Authority Board of Trustees voted Wednesday to award a roughly $130 million contract to Utah's Stadler US for 20 new Trax trains, with the option of purchasing another 60 vehicles in the future. The contract was made possible by $60 million in funding from the national Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which Congress passed in 2021, and will see a new fleet of light-rail trains replacing the aging SD100/160 vehicles currently utilized on the Trax Blue Line.

"It is a local provider and they are invested in the community," UTA chairman Carlton Christensen said of Stadler. "I understand they’re even breaking ground later this week for their facility. We wish them the best."

While Stadler's parent company—based in Switzerland—has an extensive presence in the international market, the UTA fleet will be the manufacturer's first light-rail vehicles operating in the United States, following the purchase of Stadler's commuter—or "heavy" rail—models by the California Department of Transportation, known as Caltrans.

Stadler U.S. opened its Salt Lake City location—in the city's northwest quadrant, and the general area of the inland port project—in 2016, where it currently employs 500 people. In a prepared statement, Stadler US CEO Martin Ritter said it's a "massive honor" to have the opportunity to build trains for its community.

“Most of our workforce and their families live in and around Salt Lake City and will ride these new trains, so the excitement can be felt throughout our entire facility today," Ritter said. "We are thrilled to partner with UTA as they modernize their TRAX network to provide a state-of-the-art public transit system built by Utahns for Utahns.”

• Utah Transit Authority
• A rendering of the next generation of UTA Trax trains, to be built and supplied by Salt Lake City-based Stadler US.

Kyle Stockley, UTA's capital vehicles manager, said the new Trax trains—Stadler's CityLink model—are scheduled to begin testing in 2027, with full operation commencing in 2028.

"We did an evaluation on their global product since this is their first market introduction," Stockley said. "We looked at all of their customers in Europe and Asia."

The Trax Red and Green lines have previously been upgraded to the Siemens S70 model, which features a partial low-floor design that allows for level boarding at stations. But the Blue Line has continued with the older Siemens models, requiring passengers to climb stairs and imposing barriers on riders who utilize mobility aids or who are traveling with luggage.

Jay Fox, UTA's executive director, remarked on his first day on the job in January of 2022 and the impression he was left with after utilizing Trax.

"I got onboard a Blue Line vehicle and I said 'we gotta replace these,’" Fox said. "I think we all appreciate being selected by the Federal Transit Administration for that first round of [bipartisan infrastructure] grants."

UTA trustee Beth Holbrook said she was impressed by the quick turnaround in the competitive bidding process, which began in 2023, and that the addition of new vehicles by the end of the decade would put the transit agency in a good position heading into the 2034 Winter Olympics.

"It’s far quicker than I had anticipated in terms of receiving those, at least that first phase of vehicles," Holbrook said. "I'm excited to see this. I think it's a great opportunity."

Mike Christensen, executive director of the Utah Rail Passengers Association, applauded UTA's choice of provider and suggested that Stadler be considered for additional transit vehicle replacements in the future.

"It's great to see UTA taking advantage of our local manufacturing capacity," he said. "Hopefully, UTA will also consider Stadler models like the FLIRT and the KISS when it comes time to expand and update the Frontrunner fleet."