TRAX Green Line and GREENbike Debut
Salt Lake City, UT (June 25, 2013) — Summer in Salt Lake has long meant golf, hiking and biking in the mountains, outdoor dining and open-air concerts. But now the city has taken a green leap forward. Salt Lake’s newly opened TRAX Green Line extension now connects downtown Salt Lake to Salt Lake City International Airport, as Salt Lake joins the growing ranks of major cities offering a rail connection to their air hub. Salt Lake has also just unveiled its new GREENbike urban bike-sharing program and is building its first streetcar line in decades. Thanks to these dramatic developments in environmentally sound transportation, visitors can experience firsthand how this dynamic Western gateway is transforming itself into one of the greenest cities in the United States.
TRAX Green Line
The new TRAX Green Line opened April 14 and the light rail takes 20 minutes to make the six-mile run between downtown Salt Lake City and Salt Lake City International Airport, with multiple stops. Trains run every 15 minutes on weekdays and every 20 minutes on weekends. The project that was four years in the works now allows visitors to travel seamlessly between airport and downtown. For passengers with layovers at Salt Lake City International Airport, it’s a chance to explore downtown – and diversions like the new City Creek Center – and still make it back in plenty of time for their connection.
GREENbike
Once downtown, visitors can take advantage of GREENbike, Salt Lake City’s new urban bike-sharing program. GREENbike debuted in early April 2013, with 10 docking stations around the city. Each station is within a leisurely ride from the next station, and bikes can ‘checked out’ for 30-minute trips. A 24-hour Access Pass is $5, while a seven-day Pass is just $15. Where to ride? The Salt Lake City Bikeways Map helps connect locals and visitors with the city’s urban environment. The map shows bike routes, public transit, trailheads, farmers markets, local parks, open space and community gardens.
Sugar House Streetcar
Salt Lake is in the vanguard of the movement to bring streetcars – still fixtures of major European cities – back to its streets. Streetcars offer yet another green solution to transportation and were the choice when it came time to reuse a two mile abandoned freight line corridor running east-west through residential neighborhoods of Salt Lake City. The first phase is called the Sugar House Streetcar Project, named for the hip residential Salt Lake neighborhood that it passes through. Sugar House is known for its small-scale shops and the expansive 110-acre Sugar House Park, the crown jewel of the Salt Lake park system, where visitors can join locals for jogging, biking and picnicking. The Sugar House Streetcar Project is currently under construction and will run from the 2100 South TRAX station along Sugarmont Avenue, ending at McClelland. It’s set to open in December 2013. Building this first line will also involve the creation of a greenway, a linear belt of public spaces that are suitable for walking, bicycling and other activities. The greenway will include plazas, Parley’s Trail and extensive landscaping, and promises to become one of the city’s most popular public spaces.
Visit Salt Lake is a private, non-profit corporation responsible for the promotion of Salt Lake as a convention and travel destination. Visit Salt Lake’s mission is to improve the area economy by attracting and providing support to conventions, leisure travelers and visitors while being a leader in environmental responsibility. Salt Lake is a unique fusion of metropolitan city and quaint mountain town; the towering Wasatch Mountains that embrace Salt Lake offer a dramatic backdrop to the vibrancy and activities of downtown. For more information on all that Salt Lake has to offer, go to