In consideration of the Letter to the Editors (Aug. 27), I might agree with Tom Jacobson on the practicality of building a rail system up Parleys Canyon to Park City. In the 1860s, the Union Pacific Railroad (UP) surveyors evaluated all the reasonable road possibilities through the Wasatch. They chose Weber Canyon as the best route for good reason.
Maybe it doesn’t make engineering or economic sense to build a train from Salt Lake City to Park City via the I-80 corridor today, but that is a decision that will have to be made by the state and federal government sometime in the future.
However, the challenges of Parleys Canyon do not preclude the use of trains for transportation within the Park City area. In 1988, when the UP was abandoning unused railroad corridors, Myles Rademan, Park City planning director at the time, with support from Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, and others (Deseret News, Nov. 28, 1988) had the foresight to recognize the value of keeping the right of way intact for recreational uses or a light-rail system. Using legislation known as the Rail Banking Act, in 1989 Utah was able to acquire the abandoned right of way with the provision that future transportation uses take precedence over recreation. Thus, the Rail Trail was born. Now, some 35 years later, the need for transportation and traffic mitigation is a top priority for Park City.
Mr. Jacobson’s comparisons of the cost of commuter rail systems in Los Angeles and elsewhere are simply not analogous to building a rail system in Park City. The Los Angeles Blue Line system travels several miles through the City of Los Angeles, terminating in an underground station in downtown. Building a rail system through any major city is a formidable task, particularly when going underground in the center of a city. The costs per mile are extraordinarily high. The comparison to Park City is just not applicable.
Park City has the benefit of a railroad grade that is largely in place. The right of way is 100 feet or more wide, providing sufficient space for a rail system, bicycles, pedestrians and so on.
Richardson Flats has parking and room for a station. Bonanza Park is a great option for a station. From Bonanza Park, there are several options for transportation to Park City Mountain Resort, the Main Street Transportation Center and Deer Valley. All of these can be quiet, zero emissions, electric systems that individually and collectively get cars off the roads.
Further, utilizing the Rail Trail for rail transportation allows for future connections to Silver Creek Village and Promontory to Richardson Flats, and into Bonanza Park. Regionally, Hoytsville and Coalville would be able to connect into the system, providing transportation from the eastern areas of the county where new communities are being planned to provide affordable and work force housing to support the growth in Summit County.
Yes, these things do cost money. Park City needs a 50-year-and-beyond transportation plan. Sources of funding are many for a rail system. It is the most sensible way to move large numbers of people and to reduce traffic on our roads. Amortize the costs over 50 years and it’s doable.
The railroad corridor was built into Park City over 140 years ago. It is still here, thanks to those who preserved it, and it is still a sound, viable transportation option.
I have watched the transportation can get kicked down the road through multiple administrations of elected leaders for 21 years, and traffic is worse today. I probably won’t be alive 25 years from now, but I would hope that in 2050 Park City would not be considering adding bus lanes to SR 224 as a viable transportation option. Adding bus lanes on SR 224 is not the answer today.
Park City has added buses over the past few years with little to no impact on traffic. Now the city cannot even hire enough experienced personnel to run the bus system. It is incumbent upon the current and future city leadership and City Council members to adopt viable solutions to the problem and stop kicking the can down the road.
N. Mark Reese
Park City