Frontrunner

The age of the modern metropolis dawns on Salt Lake City. Commuter trains now whisk passengers up and down the Wasatch Front in a manner similar to their contemporaires in Los Angeles, Chicago and San Diego.

I foolishly decided to ride the train on it's second operating day, convinced that Monday traffic would be light. So rather than driving to our lunch date with mom we (my daughter and I) took the train. Incredibly there were instead tens of thousands of people who could put regular Monday activities on hold in order to test the train. Poularity doesn't seem to be an issue - so long as the fare is free.

I am hoping the train will be worthwhile for us. It's an exciting addition to the transportation infrastructure. And while I don't like the passenger cars as much as those on the metra in Chicago I like them more than the Amtrack trains in LA.

I am reserving judgement of the day to day operations until I can ride a few times with normal traffic. (the throngs of familes with multiple strollers and the lack of consideration that would motivate them to collapse those wheeled monsters was aggrivating at best.) I think weekday travel will be a different beast when the novelty is gone and the fares are in place. In the mean time, bravo to UTA for involving the community and driving interest with the Frontrunner trains.