Link light rail
| Link Light Rail | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| File:Sound-Transit-logo.png | |||
| Overview | |||
| Locale | Seattle metropolitan area | ||
| Transit type | Light rail | ||
| Number of lines | 1 existing 1 under construction 1 approved | ||
| Number of stations | 9 existing 11 under construction 18 appproved | ||
| Daily ridership | 3,900[1] (Tacoma Link only) | ||
| Operation | |||
| Began operation | Tacoma Link: August 22 2003 Central Link: July 18 2009 (scheduled) | ||
| Operator(s) | Sound Transit | ||
| Technical | |||
| System length | 17.3 miles (27.8 km) | ||
| Electrification | Tacoma Link: 750 V DC, overhead catenary Central Link: 1500 V DC, overhead catenary | ||
| |||
Sound Transit Link Light Rail is a rapid transit project under construction for the Greater Seattle region. It currently consists of two lines: Tacoma Link, which is in service now, and Central Link, which is scheduled to be completed in 2009.[2] The University Link extension, extending Central Link northward from downtown Seattle to the University of Washington, began preliminary construction work in late 2008 with service slated to start in 2016. In addition, voters approved a November 2008, ballot measure to extend Link light rail north via Northgate to Lynnwood (with planning and property acquisition to support later extension to Everett), south to Redondo Heights Park & Ride in Federal Way (with route planning to support later extension to Tacoma), and east via Mercer Island and Bellevue to Microsoft's main campus in Redmond (with route planning and right-of-way acquisition to support later extension to downtown Redmond).
History
In November 1996, voters in King, Pierce, and Snohomish Counties approved increases in sales taxes and vehicle excise taxes to pay for a US$3.9 billion transit package that included $1.7 billion for a light rail system, including Central Link and Tacoma Link.[3] Over the next several years, debates raged over various issues surrounding the Central Link line.
In the late nineties and early 2000s, Sound Transit underwent a series of financial and political difficulties. The cost of the line rose significantly,[4] and the federal government threatened to withhold necessary grants.[5] In 2001, Sound Transit was forced to shorten the line from the original proposal, and growing enthusiasm for the proposed monorail brought rising opposition to the light rail from Seattle-area residents.
But by the end of 2002, Sound Transit decided on a route and became more financially sound. On August 22, 2003, the Tacoma Link light rail line in Downtown Tacoma opened and quickly became a success,[6] and a couple months later, on November 8, 2003, a groundbreaking ceremony was held for the Central Link light rail line. It is currently scheduled to open between Westlake and Tukwila on Saturday, July 18, 2009, with the remaining segment to Sea-Tac Airport scheduled to open by the end of 2009.[7]
Link Light Rail service
Headways
Tacoma Link trains currently run every 10 to 20 minutes, Monday through Friday, every 10 minutes on Saturday, and every 20 minutes on Sunday.[8]
King County Metro, which will operate Central Link, plans to run Central Link trains on the following schedule:
| Time of Day | Time Period | Headways (minutes) |
|---|---|---|
| Early Morning | 5:00AM-6:00AM | 15 |
| Morning Peak | 6:00AM-8:30AM | 6-8 |
| Midday | 8:30AM-3:00PM | 10 |
| Afternoon Peak | 3:00PM-6:30PM | 6-8 |
| Evening | 6:30PM-10:00PM | 10 |
| Night | 10:00PM-1:00AM | 15 |
There will be 10-15 minute frequencies on the weekend.[9]
Connecting transit
Tacoma Link is located entirely within Pierce County, and most of the connecting transit is provided by Pierce Transit. Sound Transit also runs express buses that provide connections from Tacoma Link to places around the region, and Intercity Transit runs an Olympia express bus from the Tacoma Dome Station.
Central Link will be located entirely within King County, and therefore most of the connecting transit consists of buses provided by King County Metro. Metro buses and Link Light Rail will share the Downtown Seattle Transit Tunnel, so transfers will be easy. At Westlake Station, one may transfer to the South Lake Union Streetcar or to the Seattle Monorail. Commuter buses to Snohomish County are provided by Community Transit, and Sound Transit runs several express buses from Downtown Seattle and the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport to points in King, Snohomish and Pierce Counties, as well as the Sounder commuter rail service to Pierce County. Three Amtrak intercity rail routes run from Seattle's King Street Station to points around the country, and the intercity bus depot is located several blocks north of Westlake Station. Finally, ferry services are provided from Colman Dock on the waterfront in Downtown Seattle by Washington State Ferries, and by the King County Ferry District.
Fares
Tacoma Link
Tacoma Link is fare-free throughout its entire route in Downtown Tacoma.[10]
Central Link
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. [11] 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. [12] Maintaining the ride-free area downtown for light rail would have resulted in fares 25 cents higher.
The ORCA card enables contact-less fare payment and will automatically calculate transfer credit between Link Light Rail and Sound Transit, King County Metro, Community Transit, Pierce Transit, Everett Transit, Washington State Ferries, and Kitsap Transit. [13]
Rolling stock
The rolling stock fleet consists of two types of vehicle, for a total of 38 vehicles. Tacoma Link has three, while Central Link has 35.
The Tacoma Link cars were manufactured in the Czech Republic by Škoda in 2001-2, under a partnership with Inekon, another Czech company. The three cars are model 10T, the same type used by the Portland Streetcar (the latter's cars 001-007). They were delivered to Sound Transit in September 2002, prior to the 2003 opening of Tacoma Link. They only operate as single cars (not coupled in trains), and are 66 feet long, 8 feet wide, and have two articulations in the middle. They have a total capacity for 157 people, with 30 seated and 127 standing.[14] The cars draw their power from 750-volt overhead wires.[15]
Central Link cars are manufactured by Kinkisharyo in Japan and the United States. The first vehicle arrived in November 2006, and two more per month began arriving in May 2007. The cars are 95 feet long and 105,000 pounds, with the ability to be coupled into four-car trains. They use 1500-volt electrical power drawn from a single overhead catenary wire, and have a capacity for 200 passengers, including 74 seated.[16]
Current lines
Tacoma Link
Tacoma Link is a free light rail line running through the densest parts of Tacoma. This light rail system connects the Tacoma Dome Station (a regional hub for local and express bus, and commuter train service) with downtown Tacoma. It has stops at the Tacoma Dome Station, S. 25th Street, Union Station, the convention center, and the Theater District. The Union Station stop is next to the University of Washington's Tacoma campus and several museums. As of March 2008, Tacoma Link has a daily ridership of 3,900[1], surpassing the prediction that by 2010 it would have ridership of 2,000 per day.[17]
Central Link
Construction is under way on a new 14-mile Central Link light rail line that many consider to be a critical piece in the Puget Sound region’s transportation future. The trains will begin carrying passengers in 2009, stopping at 13 stations and running 4.4 miles on elevated tracks, 2.5 miles in tunnels and 7 miles at grade. To support the line, Sound Transit retrofit the Downtown Seattle Transit Tunnel and four of its existing stations for joint use by both light rail trains and buses. Sound Transit is also building new light rail stations in the following locations (listed here from north to south): Near Qwest Field and Safeco Field, in the Sodo district at Lander Street just south of downtown Seattle; on Beacon Hill, in the Mount Baker neighborhood at McClellan and Rainier; in the Columbia City neighborhood at Edmunds and Martin Luther King Jr. Way; in the Rainier Beach neighborhood at Henderson and MLK; and in Tukwila on Tukwila International Blvd. Soon after this initial segment of the light rail line opens, Sound Transit will extend the line another 1.7 miles to the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, adding a thirteenth station. The Beacon Hill tunnel is one of the main components of Central Link. Its west portal, or opening, will be under I-5, east of Airport Way. The underground Beacon Hill Station will be located at the southeast corner of Beacon Avenue South and South Lander Street, approximately 150 feet below grade. The east portal, or opening, will be east of 25th Avenue South and south of South McClellan Street, where the light rail line will emerge to an elevated trackway as it approaches the Mount Baker Station near the intersection of Rainier Avenue South and South Stevens Street.[18]
University Link
In November 2006, the US Federal Transit Administration approved Sound Transit's plan for extending the light rail to the University of Washington after completion of an Environmental Impact Study. A grant was approved in November 2008, which allowed University Link to begin construction in December 2008. Actual construction will last until approximately 2016.[19]
Future extensions
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Sound Transit's Phase 2 plan, under the name of ST2 (Sound Transit 2), is the plan for the second phase of Link Light Rail expansion. ST2 was put before voters in November 2007 as part of the "Roads and Transit" measure, which included hundreds of miles of subway expansion along with the light rail, but failed to pass. Sound Transit then put another ST2 plan on the ballot in November 2008. The measure passed by large margins. The plan will extend light rail to Lynnwood Transit Center in the north, S. 272nd St. in Federal Way to the south, and Downtown Bellevue and Overlake Transit Center to the east.[20]
North Link
North Link is a future light rail extension partially approved by voters in November 2008. It will connect the University Link project currently under way to a central University District station, Roosevelt, Northgate, and points north. Once North Link is complete, the major urban centers of downtown Seattle, Capitol Hill, the University District, and Northgate will be connected via light rail. It is a top priority for Sound Transit for as it would add over 40,000 daily riders to Link Light Rail by 2030, easing pressure on the Interstate 5 corridor. It would be an extension of Central Link, rather than being its own line. [21]
Proposition 1, the measure on the ballot in 2008, included extensions of Central Link north to Lynnwood Transit Center, via the stations described above and Jackson Park, Shoreline, and Mountlake Terrace. The ballot measure also includes funding for a study to develop possible routes for a future extension of Central Link to Everett. As the extension to Lynnwood Transit Center, will be finished in 2023, it can be assumed that an extension to Everett would not be completed until well after 2023. An extension to Everett would require a separate, future measure.
South Link
Sound Transit plans to connect the south end of Central Link, SeaTac Airport, to the Tacoma Dome Station. The proposed route would have stations at Fife, South Federal Way Park-and-Ride, Federal Way Transit Center, Redondo Heights Park-and-Ride, Highline Community College, and South 200th Street. The length of this connection would be aerial, and would drop down to grade at the Tacoma Dome. It would mostly follow Highway 99. There are many stakeholders, so agreements must be made with all of these organizations, including the Washington State DOT, before it is built. There is a projected daily ridership of 38,000, and it would fulfill one of the main goals of Sound Transit: to connect Seattle and Tacoma via light rail. It will not be possible to extend Central Link on Tacoma Link's tracks unless Tacoma Link is retrofitted with Central Link technology. Tacoma Link currently runs on 750 volt power, while Central Link runs on 1500 volt power. It uses different types of cars and different sized stations as well.[22]
Sound Transit had put an extension of Central Link to the Tacoma Dome in its Roads & Transit package on the ballot in November 2007. However, this does not include converting Tacoma Link to be compatible with Central Link, so riders wishing to travel to Downtown Tacoma will have to transfer from Central Link to Tacoma Link. An extension of Central Link as far south as Redondo Heights Park-and-Ride at S. 272nd St. will be built as part of the November 2008 ballot measure
East Link
In November 2008, voters approved the construction of an East Link light rail line connecting the city of Seattle to Mercer Island and the Eastside communities of Bellevue and Redmond. This line would split from Central Link just south of the International District Station in downtown Seattle, extend across the I-90 bridge express lanes through downtown Bellevue and serve the Overlake Transit Center, including Microsoft headquarters.
For planning purposes, it is divided into three logical segments: The first would provide stations on I-90 at Rainier Avenue and Mercer Island. The second would include three or four stations in Bellevue: one at a regional park-and-ride, one or two in downtown Bellevue, and one at Overlake Hospital. The downtown stations of this segment could be at grade, elevated or underground. The third segment would continue east of downtown Bellevue to the Overlake Transit Center with a connection to a light rail vehicle maintenance facility. This segment of East Link would have two to four stations which would serve the Bellevue-Redmond Road corridor, the Overlake neighborhood, and the Overlake Transit Center, adjacent to the Microsoft Redmond Campus.[23]
East Link also includes right-of-way preservation work for later service extension from Overlake Transit Center to downtown Redmond.
Tacoma Link extensions
Sound Transit is considering several extensions of Tacoma Link Light Rail. One of these proposed extensions would extend the line west to Tacoma Community College. The proposed route would be at grade, and would serve key destinations including Stadium High School, Mary Bridge Children's Hospital, Tacoma General Hospital, and the University of Puget Sound. It is projected to boost the daily ridership of Tacoma Link by 8,000 people.[24] The ballot measure in 2008 included matching funds for this and possibly other Tacoma Link extensions. [25]
See also
References
- ^ a b American Public Transportation Association, Light Rail Transit Ridership Report, First Quarter 2008.
- ^ "Link Light Rail Projects". Sound Transit. Retrieved 2007-06-04.
- ^ David Schaefer (1996-11-08). "Voters Back Transit Plan On Fourth Try". The Seattle Times. Retrieved 2007-02-26.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "Light-rail cost soars $1 billion". The Seattle Times. 2000-12-13. Retrieved 2007-02-28.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ Andrew Garber (2001-03-30). "Federal aid in jeopardy for light rail". The Seattle Times. Retrieved 2007-04-21.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ Sound Transit:Tacoma Link, retrieved 2009-01-06
- ^ "Countdown to a new era: all aboard Link light rail starting July 18" (Press release). Sound Transit. April 20, 2009. Retrieved 2009-04-20.
- ^ "Tacoma Link Schedule". Sound Transit. Retrieved 2008-01-13.
- ^ "Link light rail". King County Metro. Retrieved 2008-01-13.
- ^ "Tacoma Link Light Rail Fares". Sound Transit. Retrieved 2009-01-13.
- ^ "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.
- ^ "ORCA Smart Card". Community Transit. Retrieved 01-17-2009.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help) - ^ "Streetcar model Škoda 10T". Škoda. Retrieved 2009-04-21.
- ^ "Tacoma Link Light Rail Train Specifications". Sound Transit. Retrieved 2008-01-14.
- ^ "Link Light Rail Train Specifications". Sound Transit. Retrieved 2008-01-14.
- ^ "Tacoma Link: The Little Tram That Could". Light Rail Now!. 2004. Retrieved 2007-07-14.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|month=ignored (help) - ^ "Link Light Rail Fact Sheet, June 2006" (PDF). Sound Transit. Retrieved 2007-07-14.
- ^ Meghan Erkkinen (2006-11-28). "Feds give light rail green light". The Daily. Retrieved 2007-07-14.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ Mike Lindblom (2008-11-05). "Sound Transit calls Prop. 1 a gift "to our grandchildren"". Seattle Times. Retrieved 2009-01-14.
- ^ "North Link Light Rail". Sound Transit. Retrieved 2009-01-14.
- ^ "Conversion of Tacoma Link to Central Link Technology" (PDF). Sound Transit. Retrieved 2009-01-14.
- ^ "East Link Project Draft EIS Alternatives Considered" (PDF). Sound Transit. Retrieved 2009-01-14.Note:4.5mb
- ^ "Potential Tacoma Link Extensions - West" (PDF). Sound Transit. Retrieved 2008-01-13.
- ^ "Sound Transit 2: A Mass Transit Guide - Plan Details". Sound Transit. Retrieved 2008-01-13.
External links
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