The Utah Transit Authority is working with Salt Lake traffic engineers to improve the on-time performance of TRAX trains.
The agency hopes to give TRAX operators the ability to pre-empt traffic signals that govern pedestrian crosswalks on Main Street.UTA found out the hard way those midblock signals are not on the same timing pattern as other lights on Main.
TRAX light-rail trains, in their first week of regular service, have had to stop for those lights and in turn have lost synchronization with a computerized system that allows them to move through the city without having to stop at intersections with signals.
The problem has added three to seven minutes to each train's journey, making the times listed for downtown departures inaccurate and frustrating some passengers.
"When we actually catch a sequence that doesn't have the pedestrian crossing interference, we get through town very easily," UTA General Manager John Inglish said.
"The other problem is delays in boarding. Passengers are unaccustomed to the system, and we're carrying a much heavier load than we ever expected. People are taking too long to get on downtown."
That problem is compounded by well-meaning UTA volunteers, Inglish said. Those station attendants sometimes hold doors open for passengers who are scurrying to meet their train. This can throw the train out of sequence with the traffic lights.
The agency also is looking at ways to improve safety along the 15-mile light-rail corridor, particularly on station platforms.
Inglish said UTA is considering painting a yellow stripe in front of the brown tactile strips that border either side of the station platforms. Passengers are not supposed to walk in those areas because they could be struck by trains pulling into or out of the station.
"All that's required by law is a graduation in contrast, but what we've observed is that people are not recognizing the tactile strip as a no-man's land," Inglish said.
"A yellow stripe next to the tactile strip would convey the message to people on the platform that there is a danger on the other side of the line."
Inglish asked that parents pay particularly close attention to their children when waiting at a train platform.
The first week of TRAX service, which began Monday, was clearly a success in terms of ridership. Nearly 23,000 people rode TRAX on Monday and another 20,000 traveled Tuesday, well above the 14,000 passengers per day UTA had projected.
Trains were full even during off-peak hours, and standing-room-only was common. At times, some trains were so packed that would-be passengers could not board and were forced to wait for the next train. On Wednesday, UTA increased the frequency of its evening trains from every 30 minutes to every 15 minutes.
"Absolutely fantastic," Inglish said of the first week of light rail operations. "They not only haven't hurt anybody, but the trains are running pretty much on time and people are just pushing ridership way beyond projections."
Bob Farrington, director of the Downtown Alliance, said both the Crossroads Plaza and ZCMI Center malls reported an increase in business during the week.
"I think everybody is kind of delighted with the increase foot traffic and the sales that result from that," he said. "Smaller businesses . . . are saying their business is way up.
"It's certainly brought a lot of bodies downtown, but it's also signaled to people that downtown is open and accessible, whether you're coming by the train or driving."
Richard Kuchinsky, a former UTA board member, rode trains all week and found them to be full, even in off-peak morning and evening hours. He said he noticed an increase in on-time efficiency as the week went on.