The Utah Transit Authority (UTA) on Oct. 23 awarded Stadler US Inc. a $129 million contract for 20 low-floor CITYLINK light rail vehicles for Salt Lake City’s TRAX light rail system Modernization project. The contract, which Stadler describes as its “first large light rail contract in North America and the first serial contract in its U.S. home state of Utah,” includes options for up to 60 additional LRVs.
Stadler will build the LRVs at its Salt Lake City manufacturing site. “After a competitive and comprehensive procurement process, Stadler was selected for UTA’s next generation of TRAX vehicles, offering a low-floor, all accessible boarding that will comfortably carry 14% more passengers than our current fleet,” said UTA Executive Director Jay Fox. “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. With a 25-year-old TRAX system and ridership already up 17% this year systemwide, these new vehicles will help UTA modernize and expand its light rail system for generations to come.”
The initial $129 million contract is funded in part by a Federal Transit Administration grant, which stipulates the LRVs be built in accordance with federal Buy America requirements. “The CITYLINK LRV can be modified to meet customers’ needs and requirements and offers maximum accessibility in part due to its low-floor design,” Stadler noted. “This makes the vehicle Stadler’s most innovative, customer-focused and service-proven light rail solution. More than 800 units of this low-vibration vehicle type have been sold in various countries across Europe since 2003.”
Stadler established its U.S. headquarters in Salt Lake City in 2016 when the company expanded to North America from Europe. Stadler now employs more than 500 people at this manufacturing facility and said “employment will continue to grow as Stadler expands to meet market demands across the country.”
“Building streetcars for Salt Lake City is another milestone for Stadler,” said Stadler CEO Markus Bernsteiner. “The UTA order is our first U.S. light rail order and the first large CITYLINK order outside the European continent. We are convinced that the CITYLINK will be well received by customers here.”
“Salt Lake City is our home in the U.S., and the opportunity to build trains for our community is an honor,” added Stadler US Inc. CEO Martin Ritter. “Most of our workforce and their families live in and around Salt Lake City and will ride these new trains, so the excitement can be felt throughout our entire facility today. We are thrilled to partner with UTA as they modernize their TRAX network to provide a state-of-the-art public transit system built by Utahns for Utahns.”
UTA’s TRAX Modernization program to upgrade and expand service over the next decade includes a fourth extemsion of the Orange Line, and all-accessible vehicle boarding. The Authority’s Future of Light Rail study was launched in early 2020 and concluded in January 2023 with the completion of the UTA Light Rail Strategic Plan (download below), prepared by Hatch. The study, which included a comprehensive analysis of the region’s light rail and streetcar network, was conducted “to guide regional transportation improvements that included light rail and streetcar in both the short and long term,” UTA notes. “Service expansion scenarios were generally limited to projects shown as funded in the Metropolitan Planning Organizations’ (WFRC and MAG) 2019 Regional Transportation Plans that did not have a current study under way.”
