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- The Savage Tooele Railroad will connect Lakeview Business Park to Union Pacific's mainline.
- Officials expect the project to boost local jobs, reduce emissions and ease traffic.
GRANTSVILLE — Ground was broken in Tooele County on Thursday for Utah's first new railroad in decades.
The Savage Tooele Railroad was approved by the U.S. Surface Transportation Board back in April. The new railroad will connect the Lakeview Business Park in Grantsville to the Union Pacific mainline railroad, which runs along Interstate 80, Savage said in a press release.
Several of Utah's elected officials spoke at the groundbreaking ceremony, including Gov. Spencer Cox and U.S. Senator-elect John Curtis.
"This is a historic project, and one that will have an enormous positive impact on the Utah economy," Cox said. "This new rail line will be a tremendous advantage for Utahns and Utah businesses for generations to come."
"Connecting Lakeview Business Park with new rail infrastructure will boost economic growth, reduce environmental impacts, and enhance opportunities for local businesses and residents. I'm pleased to support projects like this that strengthen our community and drive development," Curtis said.
The project, once completed, should alleviate semitruck traffic by providing an alternative method of transporting goods to the area, the press release said. In doing so, they hope to lower carbon emissions and road wear-and-tear in Tooele County that locals have complained about.
Local officials also shared optimism that the project will bring in jobs.
"We expect that positive economic development within Grantsville City and the greater Tooele County area will be accelerated, enhancing the opportunity for our residents to find employment close to home," Grantsville Mayor Neil Critchlow said.
Savage reported that several companies in the county were adding a significant amount of local jobs. Lineage Logistics is adding 96 jobs, Leitner-Poma is adding 120 and Minova plans on adding 58, the press release said.
"The reduced truck traffic that this project will afford and the lower emission from residents no longer commuting to Salt Lake City for employment will ultimately enhance our quality of life and reduce the negative environmental impacts that increased truck and automobile traffic would otherwise cause," Critchlow said.
