Ogden Express

Ogden Express (OGX), is a 5.3 mi bus rapid transit (BRT) line in southern Ogden, Utah. United States. The line is operated by the Utah Transit Authority (UTA) and runs between the Ogden Central Station (FrontRunner station) and the McKay-Dee Hospital, by way of Weber State University (WSU). It officially opened on August 20, 2023. It is the third of UTA's BRT lines along the Wasatch Front.

Description


OGX connects the Ogden Intermodal Transit Center with Lindquist Field, The Junction, the Ogden/Weber Municipal Building, downtown Ogden, Ogden High School, Weber State University (including the Dee Events Center), and McKay-Dee Hospital. Much of the route runs along Harrison Boulevard (Utah State Route 203). UTA had anticipated having the Ogden Express operational by 2020, but by late May 2020,  construction was not expected to even begin until fall of the same year. The same as its predecessor (the Utah Valley Express), OGX will be free to ride for at least the first three years of operation.

OGX connects with the FrontRunner at Ogden Central station (formerly known as the Ogden Intermodal Tranist Center). The FrontRunner is a commuter rail service run by UTA that operates along the Wasatch Front with service from Provo, through Salt Lake County (including Salt Lake City), Davis County, Weber County, and Ogden. The FrontRunner also connects with UTA's TRAX light rail system in the Salt Lake Valley as well as Amtrak's California Zephyr (which runs daily between Chicago, Illinois and the San Francisco Bay Area).

The Dee Events Center Campus Shuttle Stop (now known as the Dee Events Center station) was upgraded to a transit center that would serve automobiles and bicycles (with bicycle facilities), as well as connect with local bus routes.

The Ogden Express runs every 10 minutes on weekdays between about 4:30 am and midnight. On Saturdays the frequency is every 15 minutes between about 9:30 am until 10:30 pm. On Sundays the frequency is every 30 minutes between about 10:00 am until 6:00 pm.

Route description


The Ogden Express is designated as UTA Route 603X. The route begins in the Ogden Central Station (formerly known as the Ogden Intermodal Transit Center) in west–central Ogden. It then runs east on 23rd Street to the Kiesel Avenue station. At Washington Boulevard (U.S. Route 89) it turns south along that street to reach the Washington Boulevard station. It then continues south and then east again on 25th Street to Jefferson Avenue, Monroe Boulevard, and 25th & Harrison stations.

Upon reaching Harrison Boulevard (SR-203) OGX turns south along that street. After the 28th Street station, passing west of the Ogden High School, and beginning at about 31st Street, the route transitions to bus–only lanes in the center of the road reaches the 32nd Street and 36th Street stations. At about 37th Street, the route shifts east, off Harrison Boulevard and onto a busway that cuts across main campus of WSU.

After the Weber State Central station and passing near multiple campus buildings it reaches the Wildcat Village station (located immediately northwest of its namesake, the Wildcat Village [student housing buildings]). The route then passes through a small residential area and leaves its busway. It then quickly reaches the Dee Events Center station (southwest of its namesake, the Dee Events Center). After passing just west of the Events Center, the route turns northwest, crosses Harrison Boulevard, and then has a counterclockwise look in the McKay-Dee Hospital parking lot, with the McKay-Dee Hospital station on the west side of the loop. After completing the loop, the OGX returns to the Ogden Central Station along a reverse of the same route.

History
Planning for the project officially began with the transit corridor study in November 2004, but property acquisition began five years prior to that. In early planning serious consideration was given to using a streetcar (similar to UTA 's S Line) to satisfy the transportation needs along the corridor, but ultimately it was decided that BRT was the better option due to the costs involved with streetcar. WSU has had a vested interest in transportation improvements since they would enable more people to get to and from campus without the necessity of more parking.

On September 22, 2021, UTA officially announced the service is named the Ogden Express (OGX). Prior to the announcement, the project had been known as the Ogden/WSU BRT. Service along part of the OGX busway began August 29, 2022 between Weber State Central station and Dee Events Center station as the Wildcat Shuttle (UTA Route 602).

Stations
All stations are located in Ogden.

OGX Wildcat Shuttle
The OGX Wildcat Shuttle (or Wildcat Shuttle) is special bus route that is directly associated with the OGX in three ways:
 * It runs along a small (0.84 mi} section of the OGX busway, from the Weber State Central station to the Dee Events Center station.
 * It is the only bus other than the OGX that utilizes the OGX busway and the stations along it.
 * It has a 10-minute frequency that matches the weekday OGX frequency and the Wildcat Shuttle's schedule it set to run between the OGX buses so that when it is operating, either an OGX or Wildcat Shuttle stops approximately every five minutes at the three stations on the WSU campus.

The Wildcat Shuttle is designated as UTA Route 602. The Wildcat Shuttle operates Monday through Friday with a 10-minute frequency from about 7:15 am to 2:30 pm, but only on days when WSU is in session for Fall and Winter semesters. The Wildcat Shuttle turns around on its north end at a roundabout on the OGX busway immediately north of the Weber State Central station and on a loop in the Dee Events Center parking lot on its southern end.

The Wildcat Shuttle began operating on August 29, 2022 (one year prior to the completion of the remainder of OGX), but with a fairly different schedule. Initially, the Wildcat Shuttle only ran Mondy through Friday, but only on days when WSU is in session for Fall and Winter semesters. Its initial schedule was every ten minutes from about 6:30 am to 8:30 pm, but increasing to every five minutes between about 8:30 am to 2:30 pm. However, from May 8 to August 18, 2023 (following the end of the WSU 2023 Winter Semester), the Wildcat Shuttle began operating Monday through Friday with a fifteen minute frequency from about 8:00 am to 8:00 pm.