- Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy took a ride on Utah's FrontRunner.
- Duffy said that he wants to invest in budget friendly, safe and clean transit systems.
- Utah is working to expand its transit system due to the upcoming Olympics and population growth.
During U.S. Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy’s visit to Utah on Monday, he followed up on an invitation from Utah Sen. John Curtis to take a ride on the state’s FrontRunner commuter rail.
The FrontRunner ride took place after Duffy attended the funeral of his friend and former congresswoman Mia Love.
Duffy and Curtis, along with Rep. Celeste Maloy, R-Utah, and officials from the Utah Department of Transportation and the Utah Transit Authority, boarded the southbound train from the Salt Lake Central FrontRunner Station on Monday afternoon.
The group rode the train to Murray, and then rode back. During the ride, Curtis told Duffy about the different aspects of the rail system, highlighting how multiple universities and colleges in the state provide passes for students.
Duffy shared that since the first time he met with Curtis after becoming secretary, the senator has been talking to him about the FrontRunner.
“It was great to be here today and take a ride on the infamous FrontRunner,” he said. “It’s a beautiful train, clean.”
Before riding the train, Duffy participated in multiple meetings about Utah’s infrastructure needs.
“Your state is growing. It’s expanding, and with that, you have more needs in your communities. And the federal government is a partner, and we play a role,” Duffy said.
Carlos Braceras, the executive director of UDOT, shared that federal money is 18% of the department’s total budget, so it is important to build a working relationship with the federal partners.
“What we were able to do today is build relationships, build that trust with each other. And there’s nothing that beats on the ground, kind of getting to know Utahns, and also getting to know Utah and I know the secretary was quite impressed,” Braceras said.
Monday’s train ride took place as Duffy and the Senate are working on a Surface Transportation Reauthorization bill.
The secretary pointed out that transit is often seen as a Democrat issue and not a Republican issue, but he said he disagrees with that. He added that it is an issue that Congress says they should invest in and that communities want them to invest in.
“I want to invest in great transit projects, the ones that are on budget, that are clean, that are safe, that move people that actually have projections on ridership, and actually meet those projections, or exceed those projections,” Duffy said.
He praised how transit is being done in Utah, especially with the FrontRunner, saying that the state could serve as an example and a case study for other communities looking to improve transit.
How tariffs will impact investment in transit
The secretary was asked how the recently imposed tariffs will impact how the Department of Transportation can invest in transit across the country. He responded by saying that tariffs will benefit the American economy and will bring more money into the federal government.
“More revenue into the federal coffers means more money that’s going to come from the Congress to make sure we can make important investments throughout the country, whether it’s transit or roads or bridges,” Duffy said.
Expansions coming to UTA
Curtis has made it clear that he plans to expand the FrontRunner, because of population growth in the state as well as Utah’s upcoming Olympics.
UTA board chair Carlton Christensen shared that the transit authority is working on expansions to other aspects of UTA, including additional light rail to the University of Utah.
The agency is also looking into creating a system from South Davis County to the University of Utah. He added that they are finishing up a bus rapid transit line in the midvalley area of Salt Lake County.