advertisement

---

Yesterday, the Utah Transit Authority (UTA) announced the new TRAX light-rail line connecting downtown Salt Lake City to the Salt Lake International Airport will open on April 14, 2013.

Construction of the the six-mile line is nearing completion — ahead of schedule — and initial testing will begin Oct. 30 with one train, UTA officials said in a prepared statement.

"The airport TRAX line is the most anticipated of our new lines," said UTA Chairman Greg Hughes. "It will provide a key connection to a top destination, employment centers and the rest of the Wasatch Front."

Test runs will start at a slow speed and work up to full speed by Nov. 9. During the week of Nov. 12, UTA plans to begin operating multiple trains on the line. Flaggers will be used along the line until all signals, lights and crossings have been tested and certified for safe use, agency officials said.