Ballpark station (Utah Transit Authority)

Ballpark   701    703    704
Ballpark station platform, looking northeast in October 2016
General information
Location	180 West 1300 South [1] Salt Lake City, Utah United States
Coordinates	40°44′32″N111°53′48.5″W / 40.74222°N 111.896806°W / 40.74222; -111.896806
Owned by	Utah Transit Authority (UTA)
Platforms	1 island platform
Tracks	3 (includes 1 non-revenue siding) [Note 1]
Construction
Structure type	At-grade
Parking	170 spaces [1]
Bicycle facilities	3 lockers
Accessible	Yes
History
Opened	December 4, 1999;25 years ago (1999-12-04) [3]
Services
Preceding station Utah Transit Authority Following station 900 South toward Salt Lake Central Blue Line Central Pointe toward Draper Town Center 900 South toward University Medical Center Red Line Central Pointe toward Daybreak Parkway 900 South toward Airport Green Line Central Pointe toward West Valley Central
Former services Preceding station Utah Transit Authority Following station 900 South toward University Medical Center Sandy/University Line Central Pointe toward Sandy Civic Center
Location

Ballpark station ^{[Note 2]} is a light rail station in the People's Freeway neighborhood of Salt Lake City, Utah, in the United States, served by all three lines of Utah Transit Authority's TRAX light rail system. The Blue Line provides service from Downtown Salt Lake City to Draper. The Red Line provides service from the University of Utah to the Daybreak community of South Jordan. The Green Line provides service from the Salt Lake City International Airport to West Valley City (via Downtown Salt Lake City).

Description

The station is located at 180 West 1300 South (1300 South is a major east–west route through Salt Lake City and the station is easily accessed from that street). It is about a half a block northwest of the Smith's Ballpark, home to the Salt Lake Bees. ^[12] Two driveways from 1300 South allow access to the station by vehicles and buses from the south side of the station. Sidewalks on 1300 South and Lucy Lane to the north allow pedestrian and bicycle access. ^{[13] [14]} There is direct access to the platform from the sidewalk on the north side of 1300 South. The 1300 South cross street provides direct access to the major north–south arterial roads—West Temple Street, Main Street and State Street (US 89) to the east and 300 West and Interstate 15/80 to the west. The station has a Park and Ride lot with 170 free parking spaces available. ^[1] There is also a dedicated parking space is allocated to U Car Share, a carsharing company operating in Salt Lake City. The station was opened on December 4, 1999 and is operated by the Utah Transit Authority.

History

Ballpark is near the point where the Salt Lake and Utah interurban streetcar line crossed the first mainline built south from Salt Lake City (which has been known by many names, but is most associated with the Union Pacific Railroad). The TRAX tracks north of the station follow the old route of the Salt Lake and Utah, while the tracks south of the area follow those used by Union Pacific. The electrified spur track visible to the northwest of the current station is the northern continuation of the original Union Pacific mainline; only a few traces of the southern continuation of the Salt Lake and Utah line (which headed due southwest to the vicinity of UTA's Redwood Junction station before turning south) remain.

In 1997, when planning for the rebuilt Sandy/Salt Lake line, UTA had envisioned that the area around the station would go through an urban renewal, with some of the older houses renovated and new multi-family living constructed around the station. However, UTA property manager Richard Swenson admitted that, "I don't think developers have caught the vision yet." ^[15] The station was part of the original TRAX line (now the Blue Line), which opened December 4, 1999. ^[3] Students from the nearby Horizonte Instruction and Training Center painted a mural along the side of one of the businesses that are located along the west side of the station in 2000, which were frequent targets for graffiti artists. A Salt Lake City official stated that these murals help keep down graffiti because "...the gangs for some reason respect that kind of artwork." ^[16]

The Park and Ride lot was filled to capacity on most nights during the 2002 Winter Olympics due to the high use of TRAX and buses by locals and spectators. ^[17] In 2003, Ballpark had the third highest auto-theft numbers out of all TRAX stations, behind Historic Sandy and Sandy Civic Center. ^[18] On October 31, 2006, then-governor Jon Huntsman, Jr. held a press conference at the station to support Proposition 3, which instituted a quarter-cent raise in the state's sales tax in Salt Lake and Utah counties. Proposition 3 included funding for FrontRunner and, at the time, 33 unknown projects in Salt Lake County. ^{[19] [20]}

Services

The single island platform, capable of serving up to four-car trains, ^[21] is located on the west side of the 3.2-acre (1.3 ha) property. Two shelters are located on the platform covering small seating areas, with pictures of former Salt Lake Bees players lining the inside canopy. ^[22]

On August 18, 2009, U Car Share started providing carsharing services with public pick up and drop off stops at several different TRAX stations as well as the University of Utah campus. ^[23] Three secured bicycle lockers are also located on the facility, but must be rented from UTA in advance for an annual fee. ^[24] Three ticket machines are located on the platform that provide single-ride, round trip, and all day passes, as well as family and discounted fare tickets. The ticket machines are cash-only and provide change in dollar coins and quarters only. ^[25] TRAX ticket machines used to accept UTA fare tokens, which are still accepted on buses. On September 1, 2008 UTA discontinued the use of tokens at TRAX machines due to increased fraud. ^[26]

Notes

1. The term "non-revenue" is most often used in railway terminology to refer to rail cars other than those specifically used to generate revenue (passenger cars and freight cars). ^[2] However, it can also apply to railways (tracks) that are owned, but not used to transport passengers or freight. (The terms non-revenue and "deadhead" are often used interchangeably within the railroad and airline industries.) In the case of the referenced track, it is one owned by UTA and has overhead power lines for a short distance, but is not used for passenger transport.
2. UTA often adds the secondary name of 1300 South on many of its maps and other references. The station is sometimes referred to as "Ball Park" (two words) instead of the correct name "Ballpark" (one word), even by UTA itself. The original official and legal name selected by UTA was "Ballpark" ^[4] and that is the name still used by UTA on its list of TRAX station names, ^[1] its Salt Lake County System Map, ^[5] TRAX schedules, bus route maps, ^[6] and the signage on the station itself. However, the UTA does mistakenly list it as "Ball Park" on its TRAX & FrontRunner Map, ^[7] TRAX Map, ^[8] and all three individual maps of TRAX lines ^{[9] [10] [11]}

References

1. "TRAX Parking and Stops". Utah Transit Authority. Archived from the original on December 23, 2012. Retrieved January 16, 2010.
2. "Glossary & Acronyms". Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority . Retrieved April 27, 2013.
3. Van Eyck, Zack (August 26, 1999). "All aboard! TRAX trains will roll in December". Deseret News . Salt Lake City: Deseret Digital Media. Archived from the original on December 17, 2014. Retrieved February 28, 2013.
4. Van Eyck, Zack (November 28, 1997). "UTA board of directors OKs names for 16 light-rail stations". Deseret News . Salt Lake City: Deseret Digital Media. Archived from the original on January 8, 2015. Retrieved March 1, 2013.
5. Salt Lake County System Map: December 2012 (Map). Utah Transit Authority. December 2012. Retrieved March 1, 2013.
6. Route 516 Poplar Grove / Glendale (PDF) (Map). Utah Transit Authority. December 2012. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 6, 2013. Retrieved March 1, 2013.
7. TRAX & FrontRunner Map (Map). Utah Transit Authority. December 2012. Archived from the original on November 10, 2013. Retrieved March 1, 2013.
8. TRAX Map (Map). Utah Transit Authority. December 2012. Retrieved March 1, 2013.
9. TRAX Map: Blue Line (Map). Utah Transit Authority. December 2012. Retrieved March 1, 2013.
10. TRAX Map: Red Line (Map). Utah Transit Authority. December 2012. Retrieved March 1, 2013.
11. TRAX Map: Green Line (Map). Utah Transit Authority. December 2012. Retrieved March 1, 2013.
12. Salt Lake Bees (April 7, 2009). "Home of the Bees Renamed: Spring Mobile Ballpark". Minor League Baseball . Retrieved August 10, 2009.
13. "Parcel 15124770260000". Salt Lake County assessors office. May 22, 2009. Retrieved August 9, 2009.
14. "Overhead view of 1300 South TRAX Station" (Map). Google Maps . Retrieved August 7, 2009.
15. Van Eyck, Zack (November 19, 1997). "TRAX sites likely to turn pedestrians into VIPs". Deseret News . Salt Lake City: Deseret Digital Media. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved February 28, 2013.
16. Edwards, Alan (August 2, 2000). "Good graffiti". Deseret News . Salt Lake City: Deseret Digital Media. Archived from the original on April 8, 2013. Retrieved February 28, 2013.
17. Culler, Leah L. (February 17, 2002). "Demand is heavy for TRAX, buses". Deseret News . Salt Lake City: Deseret Digital Media. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved February 28, 2013.
18. Reavy, Pat (March 15, 2004). "Car thieves prowling TRAX parking lots". Deseret News . Salt Lake City: Deseret Digital Media. Archived from the original on November 4, 2012. Retrieved February 28, 2013.
19. Warburton, Nicole (November 1, 2006). "Huntsman joins backers of hiking the sales tax for transport". Deseret News . Salt Lake City: Deseret Digital Media. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved February 28, 2013.
20. Daley, John (October 31, 2006). "Governor Puts in Plug for Proposition 3". ksl.com . Salt Lake City: Deseret Digital Media . Retrieved February 28, 2013.
21. "Utah Transit Authority Light Rail Design Criteria" (PDF). Utah Transit Authority. November 2007. p. 21 (3.3.1.1). Archived from the original (PDF) on July 18, 2011. Retrieved April 27, 2013.
22. Van Eyck, Zack (August 19, 1998). "TRAX stops will be artistic, distinctive". Deseret News . Salt Lake City: Deseret Digital Media. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved February 28, 2013.
23. Villaseñor, María (August 18, 2009). "Car-sharing program launched in Utah". Salt Lake Tribune . Salt Lake City: MediaNews Group . Retrieved February 28, 2013.
24. "UTA Rideshare — Programs > Bicycle". Utah Transit Authority. Archived from the original on February 2, 2008. Retrieved February 13, 2013.
25. "Riding UTA — UTA Fares". Utah Transit Authority. Archived from the original on May 2, 2009. Retrieved August 8, 2009.
26. Madsen, Cheryl (August 23, 2008). "UTA ending token program". Deseret News . Salt Lake City: Deseret Digital Media. Archived from the original on April 8, 2013. Retrieved February 28, 2013.

External links

Media related to Ballpark station (Utah Transit Authority) at Wikimedia Commons