FrontRunner 2X

The FrontRunner 2X project is a Progressive Design-Build (PDB) project delivered for the Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) and Utah Transit Authority (UTA) by FrontRunner Forward Partners, a joint venture with Ralph L. Wadsworth Construction. 

Doubling track capacity across key portions of the 89-mile commuter rail corridor running from Ogden to Provo, Utah, the FrontRunner 2X project adds approximately 21.5 miles of new double track adjacent to existing operational mainline tracks. 

Need 

Single-track bottlenecks along the existing 89-mile FrontRunner alignment create critical operational choke points that limit schedule flexibility, cause delays, and constrain ridership growth along Utah's rapidly expanding Wasatch Front corridor. 

FrontRunner 2X directly eliminates these single-track choke points to dramatically boost service frequency, cut passenger wait times, increase system capacity, and improve on-time reliability while strengthening multimodal connections to Midvalley Express and TRAX light rail networks. 

Work 

• Construct approximately 21.5 miles of new mainline by doubling track capacity across eight designated segments and complete one track realignment segment. 
• Execute improvements across nine key corridor locations: North of Clearfield Station, Centerville to Woods Cross Station, Beck Yard, Warm Springs Maintenance and Storage Yard, South of Salt Lake Central Station, South of Murray Central Station, South of Draper Station, North of Lehi Station, and North of American Fork Station. 
• Perform extensive earthwork, install Mechanically Stabilized Earth (MSE) retaining walls, upgrade drainage systems, modify at-grade roadway/pedestrian crossings, construct structural improvements, and coordinate major wet and dry utility relocations. 
• Deliver end-to-end signal and communications upgrades, including electroLogIXS signal controllers, fiber optic network enhancements, Enhanced Automatic Train Control (E-ATC) / Positive Train Control (PTC) updates, and TDX dispatcher control office modifications at Warm Springs. 
• Advance Preconstruction Phase 1 design, cost modeling, risk mitigation, and early work procurement packages (for utility/fiber relocations and long-lead material acquisition) leading into Phase 2 construction. 
• Construct approximately seven miles of new double track across three segments (north of Vineyard Station, north of Orem Station, and north of Provo Station) and deliver a new commuter station in Bluffdale featuring a park-and-ride facility as part of the FrontRunner Point Improvements.  

Impact 

FrontRunner 2X represents a transformative transit investment for Wasatch Front communities. By cutting headway times and improving travel time reliability between Ogden, Salt Lake City, and Provo, the project expands sustainable transit capacity, enhances regional economic mobility, and provides a fast, dependable alternative to growing highway congestion on Interstate 15.