Park City Councilor Bill Ciraco recently traveled to Europe and was intrigued by a transportation system that is not under consideration in the Park City area.
A cog rail, sometimes an option when a route includes steep terrain, was one of the highlights of the trip for the first-term city councilor. Ciraco was part of a trade mission in April that provided a chance to learn about a wide range of issues, including transportation, at a time when the Park City municipal government is continuing to discuss traffic-fighting possibilities.
The World Trade Center Utah and the Governor’s Office of Economic Opportunity invited Ciraco on the trade mission. The trip included four nights in Zurich and four nights in Berlin, with various outings from the base cities. Ciraco self-funded the trip, which was estimated to cost $4,000, and will not seek taxpayer reimbursement.
“The cog rail afternoon was particularly illuminating,” he said in an interview about some of the research in Switzerland.
Ciraco relayed that the cog rail dates to the 19th century and remains a crucial element to the transportation network in that area. He noted the system’s longevity.
“The rail that we rode (in Switzerland) was installed in the 1860s or 1870s,” he said. “The actual infrastructure was built 150 years ago.”
Ciraco said the travelers learned the cog rail, part of the Rigi Railways system, generates upward of $50 million in annual revenue. It operates year-round and provides access to ski terrain and residences. He said the cog rail is “interwoven” into the everyday life there.
Ciraco said there could be a place in the Wasatch Range area where a cog rail would be an appropriate transportation option, but he does not intend to propose that one be studied.
Park City has prioritized transportation for decades as the traffic increased alongside growth in population and the tourism industry. It has proven to be a difficult topic, with Parkites and commuters expressing frustration with the traffic.
Officials in 2025 signaled they wanted to learn more about the prospects of building an aerial transit system linking Richardson Flat with the Snow Park base at Deer Valley Resort. The leaders in early 2026 supported dedicated bus lanes as the preferred alternative for the stretch of S.R. 248 inside Park City.
Ciraco said the trip included a stop at the world headquarters of manufacturer Stadler Rail AG in Switzerland and a Doppelmayr/Garaventa Group facility outside of Zurich. Doppelmayr USA is headquartered in Salt Lake City, and the firm is a leading manufacturer of ski lifts and other people movers. Ciraco has said he wants to become an expert in issues related to aerial transit. He met with the CEO of Doppelmayr USA, who was in attendance during the visit to the facility, and was invited to visit the Salt Lake City headquarters.
“It’s not (just) a ski lift. It can really be a means of transportation,” he said about aerial transit, adding that it can be employed in urban environments as well as mountain locales like Park City.
There was also a visit to the Basel, Switzerland, world headquarters of the pharmaceutical company, Roche. The travelers rode a commuter rail in Switzerland in addition to the cog rail. He said the popularity of public transit in Europe is “liberating.”
The city councilor, meanwhile, said the trip also provided time to build relationships in the state. He said he spent time talking to Gov. Spencer Cox, the governor’s chief of staff, the top staffer at the Utah Department of Transportation and two state senators. Ciraco said the state officials could have a better understanding of Park City after the trip.
Ciraco said there is brand awareness of Park City in the places the travelers visited and lots of respect for the state.
The travel to Europe occurred as leaders in Park City, the state and elsewhere consider possible infrastructure projects that could be pursued with any monies from Washington that may be earmarked amid the preparations for the 2034 Winter Olympics.
The international trip was the second one for Ciraco in two months, following his attendance at the Milano Cortina Winter Games for fact-finding purposes. He was not part of the official Park City delegation and self-funded that trip as well.