Salt Lake City, UT – AFederal funding is playing an indispensable role in helping train manufacturer Stadler Rail AG expand modern public transit and connect Salt Lake City residents to where they live and work. A $129 million grant, partially funded by the Federal Transit Authority, will supply 80 cutting-edge CityLink cars for the Utah Transit Authority’s TRAX light rail system, which serves over 13.5 million riders across Salt Lake City.
The CityLink cars—which are fully accessible and carry 14% more passengers than previous models— will help modernize and expand the TRAX fleet to meet growing demand for the service.
But the impact of federal funding goes far beyond new rail cars— it is a local job-creator. Stadler Rail is proud to meet the federal Buy America requirements: all 80 CityLink cars will be manufactured right in Salt Lake City, at Stadler’s U.S. headquarters. Stadler’s Salt Lake City manufacturing facility currently supplies 500 good-paying jobs for the community, and with federal investments like these, Stadler plans to expand to 800 employees in just the next few years. “Stadler’s expansion will bring high-quality jobs, strengthen local supply chains, and drive innovation in zero emission passenger rail technology—exactly the kind of growth we aim to support,” says Ben Hart, the Executive Director of the Utah Inland Port Authority. Stadler is also investing in a local workforce development program to train young Salt Lake City residents for high-paying, advanced manufacturing jobs at their facility.
Continued federal funding for public transit not only helps transform communities like Salt Lake City into centers of advanced manufacturing—it also serves as a foundation for long-term economic growth for the state. The Utah Transit Authority estimates that every dollar invested in their transit system generates $5.11 in economic returns for the state of Utah. It also estimates that transit investments create and sustain 79,000 jobs, generate $377 million in tax revenue, and lead to $595 million in travel expense savings.
Whether you’re a commuter heading downtown, an engineer at the Stadler plant, a technician-in-training at the local Community College, or one of the many business owners and families building a life in Salt Lake City, it’s an economic “win-win.”
