Take 21 » Sound Transit

Sound Transit adds service and riders

george — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 19:56:19 +0000

On May 30, 2009, Sound Transit added new transit service that come in the wake of voters passing Proposition One back in November 2008. Sound Transit has added a ninth Sounder commuter rail trip between Seattle and Tacoma and increased ST Express bus trips by 13,000 annual bus hours—30 new trips daily on existing routes mostly during off-peak periods. By 2011, Sound Transit hopes to add 100,000 new annual bus hours. Here’s a link to the details of the new service outlined in Sound Transit’s Resolution 2009-10.

As noted by Seattle Transit Blog, Sound Transit also showed an eight percent increase in ridership in the first quarter of 2009. The transit agency notes, “While this increase is impressive, it actually represents a slowdown in the very high growth rate Sound Transit has been experiencing since early 2007 and undoubtedly reflects the current state of the economy.”

For more information write to contact@seattlechannel.org.

92,000 boardings on the first weekend of Sound Transit’s light rail

cityweb — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 23:43:24 +0000

On July 18, 2009, Sound Transit’s 14-mile, $2.3 billion Link light rail opened for business. Light rail runs from downtown Seattle’s Westlake station through the Rainier Valley to Tukwila. Free shuttle buses take passengers the additional 1.7 miles to Sea-Tac airport. The transit agency told SEATTLE CHANNEL that there were 92,000 boardings on the first weekend. The rides were free over the weekend, the atmosphere was festive and transit officials were very pleased with the turnout. By Monday morning, the train fare was $1.75 and The Seattle Times reported that the ridership was light but Sound Transit said that was expected. The transit agency projects that the ridership will reach 26,000 boardings by early 2010.

SEATTLE CHANNEL has created a primer on riding light rail by excerpting a press conference with Sound Transit boardmembers including Mayor Greg Nickels and King County Councilmembers Dow Constantine and Larry Phillips. Earlier, SEATTLE CHANNEL’s City Inside/Out took an in-depth look at the passionate debate over density around light rail stations in Seattle. Supporters, like SouthEast Effective Development’s Earl Richardson, argue that light rail will promote economic development and environmental stewardship. Critics, including the Seattle Displacement Coalition’s John Fox, claim that such density will lead to gentrification and sprawl. There are fifty-three other videos in SEATTLE CHANNEL’s Sound Transit collection.

Sound Transit adds service and riders

george — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 11:55:28 +0000

Opening day set for Link light rail

george — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 11:57:02 +0000

On April 20, 2009, Sound Transit officially announced the first day of operations for Link light rail: Saturday, July 18, 2009. The 14-mile line will run from Westlake Center in downtown Seattle to Tukwila, just 1.7 miles shy of Sea-Tac Airport. “Frequent bus connector service will carry light rail passengers between Tukwila and Sea-Tac International Airport starting Monday, July 20 until the opening of direct airport service in December,” according to Sound Transit. The trains are scheduled to run from 5 a.m. until 1 a.m. Monday through Saturday and 6 a.m. to midnight on Sundays. The ride will be free on opening day and the line is expected to attract around 100,000 people on that Saturday, Sound Transit’s Chief Executive Officer Joni Earl told the Associated Press. Subsequently, Earl expects the line to attract an average of around 26,000 riders a day. The trains will run every 7 ½ to 15 minutes and the adult fare will be $2.50. Riders will be able to use their King County Metro Transit bus passes called PugetPass to ride the trains.