DEPOT DISTRICT—Sean Duffy, the U.S. Secretary of Transportation, was all smiles as he deboarded a Frontrunner train at Salt Lake Central Station on Monday, trailed by a coterie of state-level dignitaries.

Flanked by Congresswoman Celeste Maloy and Sen. John Curtis, both Republicans, Duffy stepped up to a gaggle of reporters, joked about the beautiful spring weather and said that he rejects the notion that public transit is an exclusively Democratic priority.

"I want to invest in great transit projects—the ones that are on budget, that are clean, that are safe, that move people," Duffy said. "It appears that you guys are doing it the right way, doing it well."

Duffy's time on Frontrunner was brief. He boarded a southbound train at Salt Lake Central just after 3:30 p.m. and traveled only to the next stop at Murray Central, where he and his entourage crossed the platform to a northbound train that was ready and waiting, arriving back at Salt Lake Central in less than 30 minutes. There, he gave brief remarks before taking a few questions from the Utah press, which largely focused on President Donald Trump's decision to impose tariffs on virtually all imported goods, upending the global economic status quo and sending investment markets into sharp decline.

Duffy's sunny reaction to Frontrunner stood in stark contrast to some of his recent statements on public transit generally and passenger rail specifically. Under the Trump administration, Duffy and the Department of Transportation have suspended and revoked funding to a host of Biden-era transit projects, in both red and blue states, and have sought to revoke federal approval for New York City's congestion pricing program, which launched in January.

In a televised interview last week, Duffy slammed "liberal mayors" who "force" car-owners to abandon driving and instead ride trains, which he criticized as dirty and unsafe. During his Frontrunner ride on Monday, several members of Duffy's team criticized recent trips on the New York Subway system—which moves more passengers every weekday than all the nation's airports combined during holiday travel peaks—while representatives of the Utah Transit Authority and Wasatch Front Regional Council could be overheard sharing anecdotes with Duffy about their positive experiences choosing to ride transit over driving because of convenient access to destinations like the University of Utah and SLC Airport.

Duffy also remarked that Curtis has been stressing the importance of Frontrunner since their first conversations when Duffy's appointment as secretary was up for a confirmation vote in the Senate.

"It’s a beautiful train, clean," Duffy said. "I think it was on time, we made it late."

And Curtis noted how Utah is uniquely positioned to meet its population needs with a diversified transportation portfolio, as roughly 8 out of 10 residents of the state live within a narrow geographical area.

"It’s key to be able to have an effective Frontrunner-Trax-bus system in addition to our hard surface road area," Curtis said. "All of that comes together to be able to accommodate the massive growth we have coming."

The Frontrunner line is also unfinished, with a largely single-track system that allows only 30-minute frequencies at peak travel periods, and no service on Sundays. UTA is working toward the "strategic double-tracking" of its right-of-way, which would allow for 15-minute frequency and 7-day service, but it's still unclear whether and to what degree the staffing cuts and funding holds at USDOT—part of the broader Elon Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency disruptions to the federal bureaucracy—could impact the timeline and scope of that work.

Referencing the Winter Olympics in 2034, Duffy said it's important that the right infrastructure investments are made so that Salt Lake City, Utah and the American West can best present itself on the global stage.

"Your state is growing," Duffy said. "It's expanding and with that, you have more needs in your communities, and the federal government is a partner."

On the question of tariffs, Duffy said the import taxes will generate revenue for the federal government, which can then be appropriated by Congress to make new investments throughout the country, for trains, roads and any number of things. He said American workers are strong, and unleashing their capacity will ultimately lead to lower prices and higher levels of efficiency.

"I’m grateful that we have a president who is willing to push back and fight back for fundamental fairness for American workers and American businesses."