Salt Lake City, UT (SLC)

Ticket Revenue

FY 2009

$3,383,115

Station Ridership

FY 2009

31,319

Note: Fiscal year is from
October through September.

Amtrak presently operates out of a modular station, while Salt Lake City is building the Intermodal Transportation Center, to serve as a single point of access to all of the area’s major transportation systems. Costing more than $20 million, the new facility will house not only Amtrak , but also an intercity bus depot, a Utah Transit Authority bus transfer station, light rail station, commuter rail station, taxi cab stands, and amenities for bikers, all by 2020. The facility is being created in a historically important warehouse that was rehabilitated and turned into the center for the new complex.

The building itself is very modern in appearance, aimed to complement Salt Lake City’s reviving urban landscape. It consists of a long main hall with various airport-style kiosks. The north end of the building also includes a circular raised entranceway. The entire length of the front of the building has large, glass windows going up to the roof with an awning extending over much of the surrounding area to provide shade and protection from the weather. The hub, which is scheduled to be completely finished and inhabited by 2008, also has the distinction of being Salt Lake City’s first Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certified construction project, setting a new standard for energy efficiency leadership in the city’s public works.

The center is located close to the city’s historic Gateway District, the home for Salt Lake City’s railroad lines, yards and depots since the late 1800s. Those sites, including the old Union Pacific Rail Depot, have now been redeveloped from brownfields into a mixed-use complex that has reenergized that neighborhood and the city’s economy.

Salt Lake City was founded as Great Salt Lake City by Mormon pioneers led by Brigham Young in 1847. Those Mormons, who have since played a large role in the city and state’s government and culture, fled to what became Utah to escape persecution and intolerance in the Eastern United States. In addition to being one of the oldest cities in the region, it is also now the headquarters of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

The town grew as mining and railroads were established in the region and the United States continued expanding westward. The city became such an important part of the journey west and such an important transportation center that it was nicknamed the “Crossroads of the West”. Its connection to the Transcontinental Railroad in 1870 only fueled the city’s prominence.

Recently the city has also developed a significant tourism industry, and hosted the 2002 Winter Olympics.

The current facility has a waiting room and is staffed by an Amtrak employee.

Salt Lake City is served by two daily trains.