Pleasant View station

This article is about the FrontRunner commuter rail station in northern Utah. For the former station in Virginia, see Washington and Old Dominion Railroad and Washington & Old Dominion Railroad Regional Park.

Pleasant View
Utah Transit Authority (UTA) FrontRunner commuter rail station
South at a Frontrunner train at Pleasant View station, July 2014
General information
Location	2700 North US Highway 89 Pleasant View, Utah [1]
Coordinates	41°18′27″N112°00′38″W / 41.30750°N 112.01056°W / 41.30750; -112.01056
Owned by	UTA
Line(s)	Utah Transit Authority (UTA)
Platforms	1 side platform
Tracks	1
Connections	UTA local and intra-county bus
Construction
Structure type	At-grade
Parking	About 300
Accessible	Yes
History
Opened	September 29, 2008
Closed	August 10, 2018
Services
Preceding station Utah Transit Authority Following station Former services Terminus FrontRunner Ogden toward Provo Central
Location

Pleasant View is a closed commuter rail station in Pleasant View, Utah, formerly served by the Utah Transit Authority's (UTA) FrontRunner train.

Located approximately 6 miles north of the Ogden station, Pleasant View was the northernmost station along the FrontRunner line prior to its closure on August 10, 2018, when service north of Ogden was suspended. It was also the least-used station on FrontRunner, with few daily riders. ^[2] The cost of implementing federally-mandated positive train control for the section of track north of Ogden, which is owned by the Union Pacific Railroad (UP), necessitated the closure. ^[3]

Description

Looking north along Pleasant View station platform, July 2014

The station is located at 2700 North US Highway 89 (US-89) and can be easily accessed from either 2700 North (Utah State Route 134) or US-89. There are about 300 parking spaces in its free park and ride lot. The station is located within the quiet zone, so trains do not routinely sound their horns when approaching public crossings within this corridor. ^[4]

Prior to truncation, the FrontRunner provided limited service to and from Pleasant View station. While nearly all trains originated or terminated at the Ogden Intermodal Transit Center (now Ogden Central Station) in Ogden, each weekday there was service to Pleasant View with two trains picking up passengers in the morning and two more dropping off and picking up passengers in the evening for the commute. ^{[5] [6]}

In addition to rail service there is a UTA bus route that provides more frequent service to the Ogden Central Station. The UTA bus connection runs hourly for the morning and evening commute, with no mid-day or weekend service. ^[7]

One major reason for limited operation at this station was that the FrontRunner trains had to operate on trackage owned by UP and sharing it with UP freights. From a point north of Ogden to Provo (which currently is the entire FrontRunner system), as well as in the short lead-up to Pleasant View, the FrontRunner has its own dedicated trackage separate from (but parallel to) UP tracks. ^[8] UTA originally planned to open the station along with the rest of the original start of the FrontRunner service in April 2008, but necessary improvements to the shared stretch of track owned by UP were delayed when railroad workers were diverted to repair tracks damaged by a landslide near Oakridge, Oregon. ^[9] The station finally opened for service on September 29, 2008. Originally, only two trains serviced each weekday for the morning and evening commutes. However, service was eventually increased to six trains daily before the FrontRunner service was temporarily discontinued on September 6, 2011. ^[10] Limited service was restored on December 10, 2012, but then cancelled in 2018.

Future extension

Service on the FrontRunner is planned to extend further north to Brigham City, which would resume service to this station. ^[11] Should demand rise sufficiently, the station is designed for the addition of a second track.

References

1. TRAX & FrontRunner Map (PDF) (Map). Utah Transit Authority. Archived from the original (JPEG) on October 20, 2012. Retrieved November 19, 2012.
2. Vandenack, Tim (May 5, 2018). "UTA proposes hike in bus service after Pleasant View FrontRunner station closes". Standard-Examiner . Retrieved July 20, 2024.
3. "UTA Implements Positive Train Control". rideuta.com. Utah Transit Authority. March 14, 2018. Retrieved April 30, 2018.
4. "Front Runner South FAQs". Utah Transit Authority . Retrieved November 19, 2012.
5. "FrontRunner" (PDF). Utah Transit Authority. December 8, 2013. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 28, 2013. Retrieved December 12, 2013.
6. "FrontRunner will increase its service to Pleasant View". Deseret News . Salt Lake City. Associated Press. Archived from the original on November 5, 2012. Retrieved March 3, 2013.
7. "North Weber FrontRunner Shuttle 616" (PDF). Utah Transit Authority. February 2013. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 8, 2013. Retrieved July 28, 2013.
8. Clifford, Doug; Allegra, Michael (July 28, 2011). "Planning for the future: FrontRunner to Pleasant View". Standard-Examiner . Ogden, Utah: Sandusky Newspapers. Retrieved March 3, 2013.
9. "FrontRunner forced to delay Pleasant View terminal for months". Salt Lake City: KSL.com. Associated Press. April 13, 2008. Retrieved November 19, 2012.
10. Shaw, Mitch (September 29, 2011). "UTA: More bus riders in Pleasant View after FrontRunner service cuts". Standard-Examiner . Ogden, Utah: Sandusky Newspapers. Retrieved July 28, 2013.
11. Stryker, Ace (June 24, 2013). "Utah County FrontRunner expansion on track". Daily Herald. Archived from the original on June 24, 2013. Retrieved June 20, 2022.