A runaway horse on the tracks brought UTA’s FrontRunner to a sudden stop Saturday, freezing trains between Farmington and Woods Cross and leaving weekend riders cooling their heels while crews tried to sort out the equine chaos.
The Utah Transit Authority warned riders that some trips could be delayed by as much as 30 minutes as rail traffic was held in both directions and the scene was cleared. Passengers were urged to keep an eye on real-time alerts for updates and to build in extra time if they were headed anywhere on a tight schedule.
The service alert went out at 12:07 p.m., with UTA reporting a “runaway horse” on the FrontRunner tracks between Farmington and Woods Cross, according to Utah Transit Authority. The agency cautioned that delays of up to 30 minutes were possible in both directions. UTA has previously used bus bridges along the Farmington–Woods Cross segment during disruptions, as described in earlier service bulletins, and again told riders to lean on its customer tools for live updates.
Why were trains held
Anytime an animal ends up on active tracks, train operators and public safety crews have to lock things down before anyone moves. That means making sure the animal is clear, the tracks are safe, and signals and rails are inspected. Those checks take time, and even a brief shutdown can ripple through several runs on a commuter line, especially on a busy corridor like FrontRunner’s north-south stretch.
What riders should do
FrontRunner is UTA’s commuter rail that runs between Ogden and Provo, with schedules, station details, and real-time alerts posted on the agency’s FrontRunner page and in the Transit app, according to the Utah Transit Authority. Riders affected by delays are encouraged to call UTA customer service at 801-743-3882, check the Transit app for any replacement service or bus-bridge information, and allow for extra travel time until operations are fully back on track…