The Utah Transit Authority (UTA) will retire its single-tiered Comet cars from service April 18.
These older cars have served UTA and its riders since FrontRunner’s inception in 2008. The comet Comet cars are 50-years old and have exceeded their standard life span. UTA says it is becoming more difficult and costly to maintain the cars and replace worn or broken parts, which are nearly impossible to find. The challenges of keeping the cars in good and safe operating condition for riders necessitate their removal.
In addition to the challenges with maintaining the Comet cars, riders will experience improved reliability on FrontRunner; there will be fewer delays due to maintenance problems with the Comet cars, and improved acceleration/deceleration due to the reduced weight. UTA will also save $600,000-$800,000 per year on fuel and maintenance costs.
UTA will retain the Comet cars in case they are needed before additional commuter rail vehicles can be acquired. The Comet cars will be available if needed to provide increased capacity for large community events or unexpected spikes in ridership.
UTA says it is currently working with elected leaders and partner agencies on plans for modernization and future service improvements on FrontRunner. The Comet cars need to be removed before replacement preparations can begin, such as construction on the low platform sections of the stations to raise them for level boarding. Removing the Comet cars is a first step in preparing for the future of FrontRunner service.
Additionally, the new Vineyard Station was constructed with raised platforms. Unless there is a specific service need, when that station opens, UTA will not run the Comet cars to prevent issues with platform height.
As part of the planning efforts for future FrontRunner service, UTA is evaluating options for replacement vehicles, but a decision has not been made at this time. UTA says it expects the platforms to be raised and replacement vehicles secured by the time they are needed.
UTA says it has also been closely monitoring ridership levels in preparation for removing the Comet cars. Current ridership on FrontRunner can be accommodated with three-car FrontRunner trains, and there is room for ridership growth before replacement vehicles are needed.
With the current four-car train configuration, the Comet cars provide 25 percent of seating capacity, but the percentage of riders using the Comet cars is consistently in the single digits. During Free Fare February, fewer than six percent of riders used the Comet car. The overwhelming majority of riders are using the bi-level cars.
