Sugar House Streetcar
Encyclopedia
The Sugar House Streetcar is a planned streetcar
service for the State of Utah
that would connect Sugar House
, a Salt Lake City neighborhood, and South Salt Lake
. Of the estimated $55 million project cost, Salt Lake City has provided $2.5 million in funding, and applied for $35 million in federal Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery
(TIGER) funding. An application was not approved in early 2010, but the project was granted $26 million TIGER II funding on October 20, 2010. At that time, one source reported that the line is projected to open at the end of 2012 or in early 2013, while another gave a more conservative estimate, that the line could "possibly be operational within three years [late 2013]."
(UTA) right-of-way was built in 1900 by the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad
(D&RGW) as the Sugar House Branch. Southern Pacific purchased the D&RGW properties, which folded into Union Pacific
(UP). UTA purchased the right-of-way and the rail line in 2002, and UP officially abandoned the rail line in 2005.
Under current plans, the streetcar would run along the old D&RGW line, which lies between 2100 South and the I-80
freeway, from the Central Pointe TRAX Station in South Salt Lake to Granite Block, site of the old Granite Furniture Building, at 1050 East 2100 South in Salt Lake City. The streetcar plan was developed from an earlier proposal for a heritage trolley line which was begun in 2002. The original idea was reported in the Deseret News on May 16, 2003.
Tram
A tram is a passenger rail vehicle which runs on tracks along public urban streets and also sometimes on separate rights of way. It may also run between cities and/or towns , and/or partially grade separated even in the cities...
service for the State of Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
that would connect Sugar House
Sugar House, Salt Lake City, Utah
Sugar House is a neighborhood in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. One of the city's oldest neighborhoods, the name is officially two words although it is often written as one...
, a Salt Lake City neighborhood, and South Salt Lake
South Salt Lake, Utah
South Salt Lake is a city in Salt Lake County, Utah, United States, part of the Salt Lake City, Utah Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 23,617 at the 2010 census.-History:...
. Of the estimated $55 million project cost, Salt Lake City has provided $2.5 million in funding, and applied for $35 million in federal Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery
Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery
Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery is a supplementary discretionary grant program included in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009...
(TIGER) funding. An application was not approved in early 2010, but the project was granted $26 million TIGER II funding on October 20, 2010. At that time, one source reported that the line is projected to open at the end of 2012 or in early 2013, while another gave a more conservative estimate, that the line could "possibly be operational within three years [late 2013]."
History
The original rail line that today is Utah Transit AuthorityUtah Transit Authority
The Utah Transit Authority operates a public transportation system throughout the Wasatch Front of Utah, United States. It operates fixed route buses, express buses, ski buses, three light rail lines , and a commuter rail line from Salt Lake City to Pleasant View, north of Ogden. UTA is based in...
(UTA) right-of-way was built in 1900 by the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad
Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad
The Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad , often shortened to Rio Grande or D&RGW, formerly the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad, is a defunct U.S. railroad company. The railroad started as a narrow gauge line running south from Denver, Colorado in 1870; however, served mainly as a transcontinental...
(D&RGW) as the Sugar House Branch. Southern Pacific purchased the D&RGW properties, which folded into Union Pacific
Union Pacific Railroad
The Union Pacific Railroad , headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska, is the largest railroad network in the United States. James R. Young is president, CEO and Chairman....
(UP). UTA purchased the right-of-way and the rail line in 2002, and UP officially abandoned the rail line in 2005.
Under current plans, the streetcar would run along the old D&RGW line, which lies between 2100 South and the I-80
Interstate 80
Interstate 80 is the second-longest Interstate Highway in the United States, following Interstate 90. It is a transcontinental artery running from downtown San Francisco, California to Teaneck, New Jersey in the New York City Metropolitan Area...
freeway, from the Central Pointe TRAX Station in South Salt Lake to Granite Block, site of the old Granite Furniture Building, at 1050 East 2100 South in Salt Lake City. The streetcar plan was developed from an earlier proposal for a heritage trolley line which was begun in 2002. The original idea was reported in the Deseret News on May 16, 2003.
Station stops (proposed)
- Central Pointe TRAX Station
- Market Station (near State Street)
- Kearns / St. Anne’s (near 450 East)
- 700 East
- 900 East
- Granite Block (near Highland Drive)