I am a resident of Salt Lake City, UT, USA and the old Rio Grande train depot holds personal significance to me. This historic building was unfortunately damaged by an earthquake. Now, I believe it's time for us to look towards the future and rebuild this important piece of our city's infrastructure.

The Rio Grande depot has been a staple in our community for years but its current state is no longer serving us as it should. The damage caused by the earthquake has made it clear that we need to take action now. Rebuilding this train depot will not only preserve its historical significance but also meet the growing needs of our rail infrastructure and it must comply with Utah State seismic standards 

According to data from Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT), rail transportation is an essential part of Utah’s transportation system and economy, moving approximately 70 million tons of freight each year across the state. With such high usage, having modern facilities like train depots are crucial for efficient operations.

A visitor’s first impressions of
downtown Salt Lake City are shaped
by crossing a landscape of freight
yards, freeway overpasses, railroad
crossings, and industrial decay. This
crossroads of bridges and train
tracks creates a maze of dead-
ends and one-way streets that is
confusing, uninviting, and which
has stifled new developments
in a city that is otherwise bursting
with growth. In the middle of this
labyrinth is UTA’s Salt Lake Central
Station, which, despite its name,
is merely an open-air transit plaza
that is separated from the rest
of downtown by what was once
a grand passenger station – the
beautiful Rio Grande Depot.
There is a better way forward.
Instead of being a barrier to
development, the Rio Grande Depot
can become one of Salt Lake City’s,
and Utah’s, greatest assets. Today,
a once-in-a-generation opportunity
exists to reroute the tracks, reclaim
the railyards, and reconnect our
communities.
The Rio Grande Plan is a vision for
Salt Lake City that would improve
the safety and efficiency of
transportation across the city, open
70 acres of industrial land to
new development, reconnect the
east and west sides of the city, and
create a premier, high-capacity
transportation hub centered on a
fully rebuilt Rio Grande Depot.

The five at-grade railroad crossings
west of downtown pose significant
hazards, both directly and indirectly.
Since 1976, 28 incidents have
been recorded between people
and trains, resulting in 11 major
injuries and 4 fatalities. However,
the damage goes far beyond these
individual tragedies. Each time the
gates go down, students cannot
get to their schools, workers cannot
get to their jobs, essential deliveries
cannot be made, and police and
rescuers cannot get to emergencies.
Between these five crossings, the
gates activate over 300 times per
day – often for many minutes at a
time – and this number will only get
higher as train frequencies increase.

Salt Lake Central Station was built
as a temporary solution in 1999, but
was never upgraded. Passengers
are forced to cross active railroad
tracks in order to reach their
trains, and amenities such as
water fountains and restrooms are
non-existent. Amtrak passengers
have access to a waiting room in
a temporary trailer building, while
transit riders must wait outside
in the elements. Worst of all, the
station is located a mile from
the downtown core, making it
difficult for pedestrians and drivers
to access. As passenger numbers
continue to rise, major upgrades will
be required to prevent overcrowding,
including bridges, escalators, indoor
waiting areas, and basic passenger
amenities. Not only will these
upgrades be expensive, but they will
ultimately fail to solve the station’s
main problem: it is located in the
wrong place.

The effect of the road overpasses
at 400, 500, and 600 South cannot
be overstated. By disrupting the
street grid, drivers and pedestrians
are required to navigate a maze of
one-way streets, blocked roads, and
dead ends. The space beneath the
bridges has become synonymous
with crime and vagrancy, dissuading
visitors and development.
Furthermore, the complete loss of
street frontage along the bridges
creates several blocks of isolated
parcels unsuited for urban
development.

The Rio Grande Plan proposes
relocating all railroad tracks to a
new underground structure called
a ‘train box.’ With the necessary
tracks moved underground, 75 acres
of industrial land will be opened for
development. The railroad crossings,
bridges, and freight yards that
prevented growth will be replaced
by seven new city blocks where
thousands of new residents can live
and work, all centered around the
restored Rio Grande Depot.
For nearly a century, the Rio Grande
Depot was a center of activity on
Salt Lake City’s west side. From
1986 to 1999, the depot served as
the city’s main train station, hosting
3 Amtrak routes to Denver,  Las Vegas, and Portland Oregon.
Tracks to the station ran in the
median of 500 West from 900 South
to South Temple, but were removed
in 1999 to make way for shorter
freeway ramps, in preparation for the
2002 Winter Olympics. Because the
rail infrastructure was removed only
20 years ago, the right-of-way is still
intact, and no major relocations
or acquisitions of property will be
necessary to restore rail service to
the depot.
The ‘train box,’ which will be built
below 500 West, will be similar to
rail projects in Reno, NV, and Los
Angeles, CA. Structurally, it will be
comparable to an underground
parking garage with a road surface
on top, making it substantially
cheaper than conventional
tunnels. City residents on the street
above will be unware of the trains
traveling below their feet.
When the tracks are removed,
the bridge at 400 South can be
replaced with a surface street, and
the freeway overpasses at 500 and
600 South can be cut back. These
reductions will open up 11 blocks
of new street frontage, restoring
vibrancy to the community and
creating a welcoming entrance to Salt Lake City Utah.

Transit and pedestrian routes create
a basic framework around which a
city operates. Even though the Rio
Grande Depot is only a block and a
half east of Salt Lake Central Station,
the implications for the downtown
core will be enormous.
For pedestrians, the Rio Grande
Depot is within easy walking
distance of much more of downtown
than the current transit center,
meaning not all passengers will
need to transfer to TRAX or buses to
reach their destinations. In fact, Rio
Grande Plan creates twice as much
street-frontage accessible to
pedestrians, greatly expanding the
area that will benefit from increased
foot traffic. By moving transit closer
to the city center, Salt Lake City
can finally have the tight-knit and
walkable downtown it has been
building toward.

The Rio Grande Depot can be easily
integrated into a downtown TRAX
loop. A new circulator line can run
continuously between Main Street
and the Rio Grande, providing the
same service as the long-proposed
downtown streetcar line, but at a
lower cost. A line on 400 South
can create a direct link to the
University Medical Center. As
the local and national rail systems
continue to grow, even more
destinations will be brought within
easy access of downtown. While the
transit routes shown on this map are
aspirational, they demonstrate the
enormous potential of what can be
created by having a more centrally-
located transportation hub.

The Rio Grande Depot was
constructed in 1910 by Chicago-
based architect Henry Schlacks, and
is listed on the National Register
of Historic Places. It was meant
to be larger and grander than the
neighboring Union Pacific Depot
three blocks to the north, costing
twice as much to construct. The six
enormous arched windows were an
impressive feature for the time, and
the foundations are clad with Yule
Marble – the same exclusive marble
that adorns the Lincoln Memorial
in Washington D.C. Facing financial
difficulties, the railroad chose to sell
the depot to the state of Utah in 1977
for $1, rather than see it torn down.
The freight wing has been home to
the Utah State Historical Society
since 1981, and the main hall has
been used as an art gallery since the
trains left in 1999. The Rio Grande
Plan will rebuild this remarkable
building to its original purpose.

The new landmark concourse will
provide access to six tracks, hosting
trains from Amtrak, UTA, Brightline, and future
rail services. Access to platforms will
be via elevators and escalators.
TRAX light rail will be rerouted to Rio
Grande Street, immediately east of the depot, in
order to provide passengers with
a seamless transfer to Main Street,
University of Utah, and the airport.
Intercity buses will be directed north
and south of the main concourse,
while UTA buses will be located on
Rio Grande Street parallel to TRAX.
Passenger pickup will be just west
of the concourse along 500 West.
This rebuilt street will accommodate
bike and vehicular circulation while
connecting to the 300 South Festival
Street that is currently being planned.

The railyards west of downtown were
originally constructed to provide
staging for the many rail-served
warehouses that were common in
the area in the early 20th century.
Changes in technology and business
practices, buyouts and mergers
in the railroad industry, and more
modern railyards north and south
of the city have removed all need for
a railyard at this location. Railroad
properties alone comprise nearly 75
acres of land between 9th South
and South Temple, all of which
could be better utilized by housing,
office, and retail to accommodate for
a rapidly growing population.
Between the railyards, the
Redevelopment Agency’s currently
planned Station Center Project
(which would be unaffected by this
proposal), and underdeveloped
parcels in the immediate vicinity,
well over 200 acres of land could Be redeveloped 

Relocate all north-south train tracks
between 900 South and 100 South
into a below-grade structure called a
‘train box.’

Relocate all transit services from the
current Salt Lake Central Station to
the historic Rio Grande Depot.

Close five at-grade railroad
crossings, and replace the highway
viaducts on 400, 500 and 600 South
with at-grade streets.

Open the land formerly occupied
by the railroad yards between 600
West and I-15 to new development,
amounting to over 75 acres of new
urban space.

By signing this petition, you're supporting not just a new building project but also progress in our city's infrastructure development that will benefit all residents and visitors alike. Let's work together towards creating a future-ready Salt Lake City! Please sign this petition today!