NEWS BRIEF: Utah Transit Authority to Spend $129 Million for 20 New Low-Profile Light Rail Vehicles for TRAX

NOTE: UTA's contract with Utah-based Stadler USA for these 20 new TRAX cars includes an option to purchase up to 60 additional vehicles during the the coming decade (pending additional funding).

The Utah Transit Authority has placed a $129 million order to purchase 20 new low-profile, light rail vehicles "... as part of the agency’s TRAX Modernization project to upgrade and expand service over the next decade."

According to the contract news release, the Salt Lake City, Utah-headquartered UTA has contracted with Stadler USA (also headquartered in Salt Lake City) to produce 20 "Citylink "brand light rail vehicles for it.

The release explains that this will be the first time Stadler's Citylink cars have been deployed in the United States, although over "... 800 units of this low-vibration vehicle type have been sold in various countries across Europe since 2003."

The UTA/Stadler USA agreement includes options for UTA to purchase up to 60 additional Citylink brand cars over the coming decade (pending additional funding).

According to Jay Fox, UTA's Executive Director,

“The location of Stadler’s manufacturing facility in Utah provides a unique opportunity for UTA to work directly with our equipment supplier and fast track adjustments that develop throughout the build process. 

Since its founding in Switzerland in 1942, Stadler Rail AG has grown to become a 14,000-employee company, with 50 subsidiaries in 23 countries.

Stadler USA opened in Utah in 2015, and the subsidiary currently employs over 500 workers in the U.S.

Initially started in 1953 as a cooperative agreement between three Utah cities, the UTA is a "public transit district" that now covers over 1,400-square-miles and includes bus service and rapid transit options across seven counties along the Wasatch Front, specifically

• Box Elder County,
• Davis County,
• Salt Lake County,
• Summit County,
• Tooele County,
• Utah County, and
• Weber County.

In 2023, UTA ridership surpassed 35 million individuals.

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