Everyone likes a free ride - that's why Sound Transit is providing free train rides Saturday, July 18, and Sunday, July 19, in celebration of the grand opening of the Link light-rail line from Downtown Seattle to Tukwila.
Enjoy family-friendly entertainment and free rides from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturday, and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday. Regular service and fares will begin Monday, July 20.
There is no parking at or around the light-rail stations, so walk, ride your bike or take a bus to get there. The downtown stations are located in the Downtown Seattle Transit Tunnel and are easily accessible by bus. Staff will be on hand to answer questions and provide directions.
The new line provides a 30-minute ride between Seattle's Westlake Station and Tukwila's International Boulevard Station 20 hours a day.
Service will begin with two-car trains - each car can comfortably hold about 200 riders, including those standing - but station platforms are designed to accommodate longer trains as needed, according to Sound Transit.
A shuttle service will run between the Tukwila station and Seattle-Tacoma International Airport until a 1.7-mile extension is completed at the end of 2009.
Sound Transit expects usage to reach 21,000 riders every weekday by that time, and 26,600 riders from downtown to Sea-Tac every weekday by the end of 2010.
There are cameras on all train platforms, as well as four emergency call buttons on each platform and train. The buttons put passengers in touch with the Link control center, which can immediately dispatch emergency responders.
Link will also have its own police force, similar to Metro Transit police. About 30 specially trained transit officers, who are contracted through the King County Police Department, will patrol along platforms and alignments and move on and off trains.
Pedestrians and motorists should be aware of proper safety measures when traveling near light-rail lines. Trains are fast, frequent and quiet, and can't stop as quickly as a car.
Be aware that a train could come from either direction at any time, and always obey traffic signs, signals and crossing gates. Learn more about light-rail safety at www.soundtransit.org/x2622.xml.
Based on surveys of other light-rail systems, Sound Transit estimates there will be 29 vehicle collisions a year by 2020.
However, it also estimates that removal of the center turn lane along Martin Luther King Jr. Way South for the light-rail line will prevent 223 vehicle collisions a year.
By 2030, Sound Transit forecasts 286,000 total daily boardings on the light-rail line, which will run from Lynnwood to Star Lake (Federal Way), and then east to an Overlake Transit Center.
Boarding will be highest at the University of Washington (24,000 riders per day), Capitol Hill (21,000), Westlake (42,000), University Street (29,000) and International District (22,000).
For more information about Link light rail, visit
www.soundtransit.org.[[In-content Ad]]
