1 Line (Sound Transit)
Template:Future usa public transportation
| Central Link | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| File:Sound-Transit-logo.png | |||
 The first trains on a test run in the tunnel. | |||
| Overview | |||
| Status | Under construction | ||
| Owner | Sound Transit | ||
| Termini | |||
| Stations | 4 (9 under construction) | ||
| Service | |||
| Type | Light rail | ||
| System | Link Light Rail | ||
| Operator(s) | Sound Transit | ||
| History | |||
| Opened | July 18th, 2009 | ||
| Technical | |||
| Line length | Template:Mi to km | ||
| Character | Underground, at grade, elevated | ||
| Track gauge | 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) | ||
| Operating speed | Template:Auto mph | ||
| |||
Central Link is a 15.7-mile (25.3 km) light rail line running between downtown Seattle and Seattle-Tacoma International Airport in SeaTac, Washington. It is currently under construction, and represents the initial phase of the Sound Transit agency's Link Light Rail system. The line will begin service in July 2009, with trains comprised of two cars, each having a capacity of 400 passengers (combined seated and standing).[1]
Routing
The southern terminus of Central Link at Sea-Tac Airport will be an elevated station lying north of the parking garage. The garage's return-to-terminal ramps have been demolished to make way for the light rail station.
The route travels north on a grade separated viaduct/bridge along the North Airport Expressway, crosses over State Route 518, traveling on the north side of the highway. It then runs alongside Interstate 5, SR 599, Interurban Blvd., and Boeing Access Rd..
Entering Seattle proper, the line becomes an at-grade surface route on Martin Luther King Jr. Way S through the Rainier Valley. When it nears Franklin High School the route again becomes grade separated, rising on an elevated bridge before entering a tunnel through Beacon Hill, leading to another elevated section through the SoDo district. The route then joins the SoDo Busway (formerly 5th Avenue S) as a traffic-separated surface route, where it has priority for all intersections.
Central Link trains will then enter the Downtown Seattle Transit Tunnel, sharing the right-of-way with diesel-electric hybrid buses. The route ends at Westlake Station near the intersection of Pine Street and 5th Avenue.
Stations
| Name | Opening Year | City/Neighborhood | Location | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Central Link (Airport-Downtown Seattle) | |||||
| Elevated | |||||
| 2009 | SeaTac | North of parking garage | Pedestrian bridges to main terminal and kiss-and-ride center at Int'l Blvd | ||
| 2009 | Tukwila | SR 518 & Int'l Blvd | 600-space park & ride lot; free shuttles to/from the airport until Airport section is complete | ||
| Boeing Access Road | N/A | Tukwila | I-5 & Boeing Access Rd | Station deferred indefinitely | |
| Surface (Martin Luther King Jr. Way) | |||||
 | 2009 | Rainier Valley, Seattle | MLK Jr. Way & S Henderson St | ||
 | 2009 | New Holly, Seattle | MLK Jr. Way between S Othello St & S Myrtle St | ||
 | 2009 | Columbia City, Seattle | MLK Jr. Way between S Edmunds St & S Alaska St | ||
| Elevated | |||||
 | 2009 | Mount Baker, Seattle | MLK Jr. Way & Rainier Ave | ||
| Tunnel | |||||
| Beacon Hill | 2009 | Beacon Hill, Seattle | Underground station at Beacon Ave S & S Lander St | ||
| Surface | |||||
 | 2009 | SoDo, Seattle | SODO Busway & S Lander St | ||
 | 2009 | SoDo, Seattle | SODO Busway & S Royal Brougham Way | Larger platform to serve Safeco Field and Qwest Field | |
| Downtown Seattle Transit Tunnel | |||||
| 1989 | International District / Chinatown, Seattle | under Union Station | ||
 | 1989 | Pioneer Square, Seattle | under 3rd Ave & Cherry St | ||
 | 1989 | Downtown Seattle | under 3rd Ave & University St | ||
 | 1989 | Downtown Seattle | under Pine St & 4th Ave | Connections to monorail and streetcar. | |
| End of line; future extension (University Link) | |||||
Fares
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Template:FixHTML Sound Transit's Board recently set fares for Central Link. The fares will be distance-based, with a flat rate starting at $1.75 plus 5 cents per mile, rounded to the nearest quarter. Riding in the Downtown Transit Tunnel will not be free, unlike on the buses. [2] This will result in a maximum cost of $2.50 for a one-way trip from Downtown Seattle to Sea-Tac Airport, compared to fares (as of February 2009) of $1.75 (off-peak) to $2.50 (peak) for the same route on the 194 Metro bus. [3] Maintaining the ride-free area downtown for light rail would have resulted in fares 25 cents higher. Details of transfers from King County Metro buses to Central Link are also currently being worked out, but will use the ORCA Card.
Equipment
Kinkisharyo-Mitsui was chosen to design and manufacture low-floor light rail vehicles and provide additional equipment and support. Thirty-five Electric Multiple Units have been delivered between November 2006 and September 2008. Each vehicle is 95 feet (30 m) long, accommodate 200 people each (74 seated), and double-ended to allow travel in either direction. Two-car trains will be used initially, but as ridership increases, can run up to four-cars long. However, until University Link construction is completed, only three-car trains can be used due to the length of the stub tracks at the north-end interlock. The maximum speed of the light rail vehicle is 65 mph (105 km/h).
The current plan is for 150 total units for the system including the University and Southern links. (Source: Internal discussion)
Travel Times
Sound Transit will operate these vehicles at a maximum and cruising speed of 55 mph (89 km/h), with an estimated end-to-end travel time of 30 minutes over the 15.7 mile route.[4][5]
The 30 minute travel time is similar to the 32 minute scheduled travel time of the King County Metro bus route 194 from Convention Place Station to the airport, but at a greater proposed fare.[6] However, current proposed plans are to run the light rail more frequently than the 194 bus, particularly late at night; in such case average travel time would be less due to shorter waits for a car. Since light rail operates on its own right of way, it is not subject to delays due to traffic congestion.[4]
King County Metro has proposed to discontinue route 194 after light rail service begins.[7] Riders that previously boarded route 194 at the Kent/Des Moines or Star Lake (272nd) park-and-ride whose destinations were north of the SeaTac Airport would have to ride ST route 574 and then transfer to light rail at the Sea-Tac Airport station.
See also
References
- ^ "Draft 2009 Service Implementation Plan" (PDF). Sound Transit. Retrieved 2009-01-27.
- ^ "Riding Link Light Rail: What it costs to ride". Sound Transit. Retrieved 2008-03-27.
- ^ "Sound Transit proposes fares for Link light rail, seeks public input". Sound Transit. Retrieved 2008-01-14.
- ^ a b "Link Light Rail Train Specifications". Sound Transit. Retrieved 2008-03-18. Cite error: The named reference "lrv" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
- ^ "Link Light Rail Fact Sheet" (pdf). Sound Transit. December 2007. Retrieved 2008-03-18.
- ^ "Metro Route 194". King County Metro Transit. Retrieved 2009-01-14.
- ^ "Proposed & Implemented Changes". King County Metro. October 3, 2008. Retrieved 2009-02-12.
External links
- www.soundtransit.org
- Puget Sound Transportation Projects: Seattle Link
- System Map(Project) by Sound Transit
- Photos of Sound Transit
Mass transit in the Puget Sound region | |
|---|---|
| Local and express bus | |
| Light rail |
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| Streetcar |
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| Commuter rail | |
| Bus rapid transit | |
| Ferry | |
| Monorail |
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| People mover | |
| Historic | |
| Other | |
Italics denote lines or services which are planned, under construction, defunct, or otherwise not operating at the present time. | |
