Draper (UTA station)

Description

The station is located at 12997 South FrontRunner Boulevard and is easily accessed from I-15 by way of the I-15/12300 South (SR-71) interchange. To reach the station, head west from I-15 on 12300 South for about 4,000 feet (1,200 m), then turn left (south) onto Vista Station Boulevard (550 West, formerly Galena Park Boulevard), and then left (south) onto FrontRunner Boulevard (also about 550 West). The station can also be easily accessed from Bangerter Highway (SR-154) by way of the 200 West interchange. To reach the station on this route, head north on 200 West to 13490 South and turn left (west), continue west until the end of the existing road and then turn right (north) onto Vista Station Boulevard (about 500 West). Continue north on Vista Station Boulevard as it curves northwest and crosses under the Union Pacific and FrontRunner tracks. Then turn right (north) onto FrontRunner Boulevard (about 550 West). The station is located on the east side of FrontRunner Boulevard. The station can therefore be accessed from either 12300 South (on the north) or 13490 South (on the southeast).

The station has a Park and Ride two-level parking garage with 600 parking spaces available. This parking garage is one of only two operated by UTA (the other is at the Jordan Valley TRAX Station) and, as of 21 March 2013, the cost for parking the garage is $1 per day or $15 per month. The parking fees help offset the additional cost of maintaining the parking garages over regular parking lots. The station also has what signs indicate is a "Kiss and Ride" lot which allows the driver to remain with the vehicle while a passenger is dropped off or pickup at the station. The station is located within the Quiet Zone, so trains do not routinely sound their horns when approaching public crossings within this corridor. The station opened, along with the rest of FrontRunner South, on 10 December 2012 and is operated by Utah Transit Authority.

All of UTA's TRAX and FrontRunner trains and stations, as well as all fixed route buses, are compliant with Americans with Disabilities Act and are therefore accessible to those with disabilities. Since not all the FrontRunner passenger cars are wheelchair accessible, signage at the stations, on the passenger platforms, and on the passenger cars clearly indicate accessibility options. In addition, each train has one or more Train Hosts available to provide assistance as may be needed, including the placement of ramps for wheelchair boarding. In accordance with the Utah Clean Air Act and UTA ordinance, "smoking is prohibited on UTA vehicles as well as UTA bus stops, TRAX stations, and FrontRunner stations".

History

The Draper (or Draper/Bluffdale, as it was called in the initial planning stages) and Vineyard stations were originally not planned to be completed for the initial opening of FrontRunner South, but rather as infill stations to be built at a later date. However, plans changed and the Draper Station was eventually completed in time for the opening of FrontRunner South, while the Vineyard Station is still planned for the future. UTA originally hoped to have the Draper Station further south on the line, but of the four options considered, the current location was chosen as best overall. One of the reasons for this choice was that one of the more preferred locations (near Bangerter Highway [SR-154]) was also in the middle of a Native American archaeological site. While the station itself only occupies about 10 acres, the accompanying transit-oriented development called Vista Station (similar to Station Park, which is adjacent to the Farmington Station) will occupy about 145 acres (59 ha). Development of Vista Station is expected to begin in 2014.

FrontRunner

On weekdays the FrontRunner has about twenty-three round trips between Ogden and Provo (through Salt Lake City) and about five more round trips between Ogden and Downtown Salt Lake City. On Saturdays there are only nineteen round trips between Ogden and Provo. Trains run hourly from about 4:30 am to just after midnight on weekdays (with additional half-hour runs for the morning and evening commutes). Saturdays have hourly runs from about 6:00 am to 2:30 am Sunday morning. As of August 2013 the FrontRunner does not run on Sundays or holidays. Each weekday, service is extended to Pleasant View Station with two trains picking up (no dropping off) passengers early in the morning and two more trains picking up and dropping off passengers in the evening.

Train schedule

On weekdays the first northbound FrontRunner train (to the Ogden Intermodal Transit Center) leaves the Draper Station at about 5:30 am and the first southbound train (to the Provo Station) also leaves at about 5:30 am. The last northbound train leaves at 10:55 pm and the last southbound train leave at 12:13 am (early the next morning). The first, last, and only trains that go as far north as the Pleasant View Station leave at 4:55 pm and 5:55 pm.

On Saturdays the first southbound train leaves at about 6:30 am and the first northbound train leaves at about 8:30 am. The last southbound train leaves at 12:36 am (early Sunday morning) and the last northbound train leaves at 1:55 am (early Sunday morning). However, the last northbound train only goes as far north as the North Temple Bridge/Guadalupe Station; the last train to the Ogden Intermodal Transit Center leaves at 11:25 pm.

Bus connections

Bus routes are current as of Change Day, 8 December 2013.