Utah’s Department of Transportation is exploring the possibility of an in-state passenger rail system, in addition to regional rail lines.
UDOT Executive Director Carlos Braceras confirmed to FOX 13 News on Wednesday his agency is exploring a passenger rail network within Utah’s borders. That would be in addition to reviving plans for passenger rail lines to Las Vegas and Boise.
“It sounds cool. Everyone wants to have it,” Braceras said. “I would love to have it to get on a train to go to Moab to go mountain biking. But there’s also the hard facts of the cost.”
Braceras said UDOT will seek a study from the Utah Transportation Commission on cost and feasibility before the end of the year. The concept of an intrastate passenger rail system would use existing freight lines (so St. George might be skipped without a spur being built). Trains would travel at speeds beyond 80 miles per hour.
But Braceras cautioned that even if all signs point in a positive direction, making it a reality could be decades away.