Many of us depend on TRAX for our daily transportation needs, but have you ever wondered what happens behind the scenes to get the trains ready for more than 64,000 riders each weekday? What about during special events or big storms? It’s a complicated job, and it requires round-the-clock efforts by dozens of UTA employees.
Preparing for the next day starts as soon as trains return to UTA’s two TRAX service centers each night. Every train car is inspected to ensure that doors are working correctly, hand-straps are in place and the car is safe to operate. More intensive maintenance is performed weekly and as cars reach service milestones every 6,000 miles.
Electromechanic Ed Ekins cleans the lights on the front of a TRAX train.
Walls, floors and seats are cleaned nightly to ensure that the next day’s passengers enjoy a pleasant trip. Light rail vehicle maintenance supervisor Teresa Jessen said the process of cleaning and maintaining TRAX trains typically takes all night.
“It starts at night around 9:30 or 10 p.m. when all the cars come back to the yard and lasts up until morning train pullout, between 3:30 and 5 a.m.,” Jessen said.
Electromechanic Tyler Hardy works on the undercarriage of a TRAX car. In the top photo, he is measuring the wear of TRAX wheels to see if they need to be smoothed or replaced.
TRAX operators get an inspection of their own before work begins.
“Supervisors make sure that operators are fit for duty, not fatigued or impaired in any way and dressed according to the UTA uniform code,” Jeff Lamora, manager of rail operations, said.
After they’re approved for duty, operators check their train to ensure that the brakes, doors, lights and other critical components are working correctly before they begin picking up passengers.
Extra trains are often needed for events like University of Utah football games, Salt Lake Comic Con, the Utah State Fair, concerts and the lighting of Temple Square. Planning for some of the larger events often starts a full year ahead of time.
“We start preparing for the next Salt Lake City Marathon right after [the current year’s] ends,” Lamora said.
UTA representatives meet with community stakeholders to determine how long each special event will last and how many people are expected. Another meeting is held after the event to evaluate UTA’s performance.
“We debrief after every major special event to determine what worked well and where we can improve next time,” Lamora said.
Electromechanic Dave Wright works on the sand nozzle, which pours sand on