Bus and Light Rail Success
The University of Utah is a commuter campus with nearly 40,000 students, faculty, and staff. Other than the central business district in downtown Salt Lake City, the U is the largest traffic generator in Utah!
Since 1991, the U of U and Utah Transit Authority (UTA) has worked hard to encourage use of alternative transportation when commuting to campus.
TRAX Light Rail
The new University TRAX Line opened for the first time in December 2001 connecting Rice-Eccles Stadium on the western edge of campus to the downtown corridor.
When Spring semester opened in January 2002, thousands of students, faculty, and staff opted to leave their personal vehicles at home and commute to campus with mass transit. The number of vacant parking spaces on campus increased to nearly 1,000!
In September 2003, the University TRAX Line was extended about 2 miles further east through campus to the Medical Center. At present, there are 4 light rail campus stations at the University of Utah
The EPA Department of Transportation designated the University of Utah as “One of the Best Workplaces for Commuters” in recognition of the excellent commuter benefits that the U of U provides.
Use of mass transit has continues to increase
Fun Facts
In November of 2005, the number of students who reported commuting by personal vehicles dropped to 51% in contrast to the 66% in 2002.
From 34% of students reported using mass transit to commute to the University in 2002, the number has increased to 37% in 2005.
Today, approximately 11,500 to 13,000 people use mass transit daily to commute to campus which is about 30% of the campus population.
Through increased mass transit ridership, we have experienced reduced traffic and parking congestion resulting in significant contributions towards improving air quality.
The Utah Department of Transportation reports that traffic congestion on Foothill Drive, the major arterial roadway to the University, has decreased significantly in the past 8 years.
Events on Campus
Light rail service helps reduce traffic and parking congestion at large events on campus such as football, basketball, soccer, concerts, and other large gatherings.
The U of U works closely with UTA to coordinate the light rail train operations with campus events where UTA has a representative present in the event operations center to make sure everything runs smoothly. This has improved coordination and has helped UTA to respond more effectively to the needs of the event.