Light Rail Service is Almost Here

Construction of Sound Transit’s Central Link light rail segment is rapidly moving toward completion. On track to start service in 2009, light rail will connect Downtown Seattle to SeaTac. The light rail system is projected to carry more than 42,500 daily passengers by the year 2020. Below is a list of recent accomplishments:

• The light rail line opens 2009 in two stages: the 13.9-mile segment from Downtown Seattle to Tukwila opens this summer and the 1.7-mile extension to Sea-Tac Airport by the end of that year.
• Construction is nearly complete and the the testing of light rail trains is underway in Rainier Valley, SODO and the Downtown Seattle Transit Tunnel.
• Parking regulations around Rainier Valley light rail stations, such as time limits, restricted parking zones and load zones are being installed from March thru June 2009.
• Neighborhood Plan updates are beginning for three neighborhoods served by light rail: MLK at Holly (Othello), Beacon Hill and North Rainier Valley.
• Proposed service changes  to connect buses with light rail and improve overall bus service in southeast Seattle will be presented to King County Council in April or May 2009. 
• The Sound Transit Board has adopted fares for Link light rail service. Fares apply on the whole light rail line, including the Downtown Seattle Transit Tunnel.
• Sound Transit has started construction on the University Link, March 2009.
• May 18th, the Olive Way off-ramp from northbound I-5 is closed to traffic for about one year to prepare for U-Link tunneling.
• Visit Sound Transit's system expansion web site to learn more about how the agency is tackling questions about the future of the region's transit system
• Watch The Seattle Channel's program City Inside/Out: Light Rail Zoning

For more detailed information, please visit Sound Transit’s website at www.soundtransit.org or contact Alex Wiggins, the City’s Light Rail Community Liaison, at alex.wiggins@seattle.gov or (206) 684-7842.