Ogden Central station


Ogden Central Station is a commuter rail train and bus station in Ogden, Utah, United States. It is served by the FrontRunner, Utah Transit Authority's commuter rail train, the Ogden Express, a UTA bus rapid transit service, as well as UTA local and commuter bus service, and Greyhound Lines long-distance bus service.

Description

Ogden Central Station. is frequently referred to by various names, even by UTA itself. Other names include the Ogden Station, the Ogden Intermodal Center, the Ogden Transit Center, and the "Ogden Intermodal Bus Station." However, it should not be confused with the Ogden Union Station, which is a train station just south of Ogden Central Station.
The station was built on approximately of land and opened in 2002 with UTA bus service only. The FrontRunner construction was later completed to provide commuter rail service. The FrontRunner train service began in 2008. It is anticipated that if Amtrak should ever resume passenger rail service to Ogden the Transit Center would be used as the stop.
The station located at 2350 South Wall Avenue. However, even though it is adjacent to 24th Street, Wall Avenue has limited access from 24th Street. The station has a free Park and Ride lot with about 475 parking spaces available. It is located within the Quiet Zone, so trains do not routinely sound their horns when approaching public crossings within this corridor. The station's interior is locked on weekends.
The Zephyr Grill, a short-order restaurant, is located within a former Railcar situated north of the bus stands, between the main Park and Ride lot and the FrontRunner passenger platform. As of August 2023, Ogden Central is the only UTA station that has a food service provider.
The station is north of, and just across the street from, the Ogden Union Station as well as Historic 25th Street. Ogden historically, until the early 1970s, the station served frequent trains going northwest to Oregon and Washington and east to Chicago. Within walking distance is the downtown Ogden district, including The Junction and associated attractions: Treehouse Museum, iFly, and Megaplex 13.

History

The station is located next to a railroad yard that has been active since 1869, when the first transcontinental railroad reached the area. Because of its long use as a railroad yard and the accompanying hazardous waste. it was also a Superfund site. Therefore, as part of the construction, UTA was required to have a groundwater and soil management plan. As a result of the overall efforts in this development of brownfield, UTA and Ogden City received the Phoenix Award from the Phoenix Awards Institute.
Initial plans for the station began in the late 1990s. At that time, the envisioned transportation hub included most of the current features but also included the possibility of at satellite terminal for the Ogden-Hinckley Airport. The estimated cost for the new transit center was $12–15 million. A few years later, United States Congress authorized $285.4 million million for transportation project Utah, $800,000 of which was earmarked for a new transit center in Ogden.
With the opening of the Ogden Express on August 20, 2023, the official name of the station was changed from the Ogden Intermodal Transit Center to Ogden Central Station.

Services

''FrontRunner''

On weekdays the FrontRunner has about twenty-three round trips between Ogden and Provo and about five more round trips between Ogden and Downtown Salt Lake City. On Saturdays, there are only nineteen round trips between Ogden and Provo. Trains run hourly from about 4:30 am to just after midnight on weekdays. Saturdays have hourly runs from about 6:00 am to 2:30 am Sunday morning.

Ogden Express

The Ogden Express is a bus rapid transit line that connects the station with the McKay-Dee Hospital via Weber State University. It began service on August 20, 2023.

Utah Transit Authority Bus

The Utah Transit Authority operates several bus routes from the bus bays at the station. As of Change Day, August 20, 2023, they include: 455, 470, 473, 601, 604, 613, F618, F620, 630, 674, and 675.

Long-distance bus services

Greyhound Lines stops at Ogden Central Station on its route between Boise, Idaho and Salt Lake City.
Local bus company Le Bus operates the Fun Bus between West Wendover, Nevada and the Salt Lake City area also stops at Ogden Central Station.

Future plans

UTA and the Wasatch Front Regional Council have outlined a number of plans that directly or indirectly involve the Ogden Intermodal Transit Center. Among these projects are the following: