The site of the hub is the former location of the Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad (D&RGW) in Salt Lake City.

[14] This building consists of a rehabilitated D&RGW freight house, with a modern round-shaped addition on the south end.

[17] This changed on October 22, 2018 when UTA broke ground on a new bus maintenance facility at the site,[18] which replaced the remaining D&RGW buildings on the west side of the tracks.

Initially, the large circa 1900 boiler and engine shop was planned to be rehabilitated and used as a part of the new bus facility.

[6] The intermodal hub is also located within the Quiet Zone, so all trains (including Amtrak's) do not routinely sound their horns when approaching public crossings within this corridor.

[22][23] Unlike most FrontRunner and TRAX stations, there is only a small Park and Ride lot in close proximity to Salt Lake Central.

Trains operate hourly between approximately 5:00 am and midnight on weekdays (increasing to half-hour runs during morning and evening commutes), with slightly later service on Fridays.

)[28] Amtrak's official listings (for train service) refer to the intermodal hub as Salt Lake City, UT (SLC).

[7] In addition to the California Zephyr, Amtrak offers its Amtrak Thruway connections with service to Boise, Idaho (including stops in Odgen and Twin Falls) and to Las Vegas, Nevada (including stops in Provo and St, George).

Original plans did not have TRAX serving the intermodal hub, only Amtrak, Greyhound, the FrontRunner, and UTA buses.

[37][38] Future expansion of the FrontRunner is anticipated to include service north to Brigham City and south to Payson.

[40][41] In 2022, the Federal Railroad Administration began a study to identify intercity passenger routes for further evaluation and funding.

[43] Plans call for large amounts of new housing and office development, and in 2021 the University of Utah entered into an agreement with the RDA to acquire land in the Station Center project area for a satellite campus.

[44] While current plans label the historic Rio Grande Depot as a "barrier to development" because of the way it blocks 300 South street, some citizens are calling for it to once again become the city's principal train station by diverting rail traffic along the still-existing 500 West right-of-way.