By Martin Duke, Seattle Transit Blog
If you don’t live within walking distance of a light rail station and would like to try to use it to get around, you’re faced with the decision of how to get there. Here’s a quick guide to your options in the Rainier Valley and points south.
Note that the bus service discussed in this post will change significantly on September 19, 2009, when I’ll write another post explaining how the service has changed.
South-End Stations:
Beacon Hill Station is underground and lies at roughly the corner of Beacon Ave. and S. McClellan St.- Mt. Baker Station is elevated and is at intersection of Rainier Ave. S and MLK Jr. Way.
- Columbia City Station is a surface station at the intersection of S. Alaska St. and MLK Jr. Way.
- Othello Station, as the name implies, is a surface stop at the intersection of S. Othello St. and MLK Jr. Way.
- Rainier Beach Station is a surface station at the intersection of MLK Jr. Way and S. Henderson St.
- Tukwila Int’l Blvd Station is visible from SR 518 (the airport freeway) as it crosses SR99.
GETTING THERE
By Car: Famously, most Link stations don’t have park-and-rides, due to a city policy that discourages driving and wants to save the land for transit-oriented development. However, the Tukwila International Blvd. station has a park and ride that may be convenient for those that live nearby, or south of I-405.
Also, there is a private pay lot ($3/day, closed Wednesdays) just west of the intersection of Rainier Ave. and S. Edmunds St. It’s about 3 blocks from the Columbia City station. At the corner of Beacon Ave. and S. Forest St., there is a small pay lot ($1.50/hr) that is about a block south of the Beacon Hill station.
Each station has plaza areas well-suited to pick-up and drop-off (”Kiss and Ride”).
By Bike: There are extensive bike racks at each station. For those seeking a more secure solution, you can simply take your bike on the train (except opening weekend), or you can rent a bike locker for $50/year, subject to availability. Bike Lockers are only at Sodo, Beacon Hill, Mt. Baker, Rainier Beach, and Tukwila/Int’l Blvd stations.
By Bus: Until the September service change, the bus system isn’t really oriented towards light rail. There are a lot of routes that get you within a few blocks, but not quite there. Nevertheless, here are your options:
- From the Central District: To go downtown, the bus is faster. To go South, routes 7, 36, 42, 48, and 60 all interface with Light Rail at either the Beacon Hill or Mt. Baker stations, at all times of day. Route 14 takes you within about four blocks of the Mt. Baker station. Although they have limited service hours, routes 7X, 8, 9, and 42X all go to Mt. Baker Station.
- From Georgetown: Route 60 connects to the Beacon Hill Station at all times of day.
- From Beacon Hill: Route 36 runs along Beacon Ave. and serves Beacon Hill station, and some buses go to Rainier Beach station. Route 39 crosses Link at Columbia City station and then runs along Columbian Way, though not evenings. The 38 serves Sodo, Beacon Hill, and Mt. Baker stations along McClellan St. The 32, which runs only during rush hour, directly serves Rainier Beach and can drop you just up the hill from Othello and Columbia City along Beacon Ave.
- Along MLK: The 42 and 42X serve all but Rainier Beach, which it misses by about a block, via MLK and Renton Ave. The 42 runs all the time and the 42X only during rush hour. The 48 sometimes serves all the Rainier Valley stations via MLK, though many go no further south than Mt. Baker or Columbia City.
- Along Rainier Ave: The 7 connects with Link at Mt. Baker, and passes within about 5 blocks of all the other Rainier Valley stations via Rainier Ave., and runs very frequently in all but the early morning hours. The 7X and 9 are faster, but don’t run as often.
- Columbia City: Many of you will be able to walk, but you have the 7 going North on Rainier to Mt. Baker all the time. There’s also the 39 going west on Genessee to Columbia City station all but the evenings; the 48 also going there from Rainier Park except on evenings and Sundays; and the 34, 7X, and 9 to Mt. Baker via Rainier, but with much more restricted hours.
- Seward Park: The 39 starts about 4 blocks away from Rainier Beach, and takes you to Columbia City station via Seward Park Ave. and S. Genessee St. It runs every day till the early evening, in both directions. The 34 starts in the same place and passes by Mt. Baker Station, but only during rush hour.
- Rainier Beach: If you’re near Rainier & Henderson, you’re spoiled for choice. The 32, 36, 48 and 126 take you right to Rainier Beach station, although only the 36 runs all the time. The 106 is frequent and gives you a fairly direct run to Othello Station via Rainier and Othello St. The 42 and 42X take you within a block of Rainier Beach.
- Dunlap/Skyway/Renton: The 106 travels north on Renton Avenue, passes 5 blocks east of Rainier Beach station, and then crosses the Link line at Othello. If you’re along the lakeshore, the 107 gets you to Rainier & Henderson, five blocks from the station. For the next few months, the 42 and 42X will leave from the Dunlap area, pass within a block of Rainier Beach, and then serve all the other Rainier Valley stations. From Prentice St., the 7 and 7X are about 5 blocks east of the line till they meet at Mt. Baker Station. Along MLK, the 126 will take you north to Rainier Beach station, but only during rush hour.
- Southcenter/42nd Ave S: The 126 will take you to Rainier Beach station via MLK, unfortunately only during rush hour. There will be many better options in September.
- Pacific Hwy S: Those who live along SR 99 can take the 174 to Tukwila Int’l Blvd Station. The connections in Southwest King County will get much better with the September service change, and when the Seatac Station opens in December.
{ 14 comments }
Also there now appears to be pay parking by the Beacon Hill Station – per a post last Sunday on Seattle Transit Blog. I haven’t been able to confirm yet.
Here’s the post:
“Incidentally, we just noticed yesterday that the doctors’ office parking lot on Beacon a block south of the station site has suddenly become a Diamond lot. No more free parking. I wonder if any other pay parking lots have suddenly appeared in the area to be ready for the light rail.”
This is all so crazy. I, for one, would not go underground to get on the light-rail at any hour. Even though I live within a semi-short walking distance from Othello, I would never make the trek after 5.
If anyone reads the comments on Seattle Times, you’ll know how freaked out people who don’t live in Rainier Valley, Othello area, Beacon Hill and Columbia City are, fearing they’ll be shot or mugged. Yep, it’s crazy alright.
Hope that all works out. No Graham street station means my ass is sticking with the 7x which gets me to my office from Hillman City in 20 minutes.
Yes Edna,
The bus can be scary at times and I don’t think the light rail will be any different. In fact, I think the demographic will be different because people going to and from the airport will now be on the light rail rather than on the 194.
The number 7 certainly has it’s fair number of shady characters. Yesterday while riding, my daughter and I sat in front of a group of teens talking about the amount of iPods they have stolen and are trying to sell off so they can now purchase a collection of Air Jordan shoes. It made me sick to hear this conversation. So, if you are looking for your iPod it probably got sold and has been converted into a pair of sneakers for these punks. BTW, seeing a young man listen to rap music on a PINK iPod is weird.
It’s ridiculous how many people think that merely being in the area they will get shot or mugged. It would seem that Seattle is filled with a lot of scared white folk who know absolutely nothing of the city outside their “safe” little bubbles.
@whatevernick – You’ll have about 50% chance of still being able to take you’re 7x bus as the brilliant minds at Metro have decided to eliminate about 50% of the current 7x runs. Also, Martin’s description aludes to changes that are a-coming in September. For Hillman City, Columbia City, and Lakewood areas, the changes amount to a massive thumb in the eye. Get ready for your commute to get much worse than it is today.
I heard about the proposed light rail busing changes and am beginning to buy into the conspiracy that the first leg of light rail has been designed to discourage SE residents from using it and instead cater to the tourists………….the real bang for the buck apparently comes when it goes to the eastside and to northern parts of Seattle like the UW.
When I go downtown, and it isn’t often, I’ll still take the bus until they get rid of it. Light rail as it exists today with the lack of access actually adds time and cost to my commute.
Shirley, you made me laugh loudly with the comment about a guy listening to rap on a pink iPod. I also rode the 7 yesterday and as always, for me anyway, problem free. I keep hearing and reading about incidents on the bus, but with almost daily riding, I haven’t been witness to anything. I’m lucky, very lucky.
southseattlescarlettletter, I think you’re on to something about the light rail being designed to discourage SE residents from using it. I had already made my mind up not to ride it because the buses I take get me right to where I’m going. The LR won’t do that.
Hi everyone,
Due to my error, the map at the end of the post above is of the post-service change system, not the current one. I’ve asked the editor to remove it.
Please don’t be confused.
Can I use my Metro pass on Light Rail? My employer has refused to provide an ORCA pass for the rest of the year because my Flex Pass was pre-paid. I live north of Columbia City and I don’t want to pay a second fair if I have to transfer from the #7 or #9 to light rail to get to work downtown. Now that 1/2 of the 7x buses are going away, I thougth rail would be an option but I don’t want to switch vehicles, cross Rainier on foot, or pay extra.
Does not sound very convenient.
southseattlescarletletter,
Your theory is interesting, because I’ve often heard the conspiracy theory that bus service was being taken away to “force” residence onto light rail.
I guess there’s no pleasing everyone.
Concerned bus rider,
PugetPasses and FlexPasses are eventually going to be phased out entirely in favor of Orca Cards. In the meantime, these passes will be honored.
@ Martin
If they really wanted people to use it they’d try to improve the East/West bus routes by introducing shuttles.
I’d love to use it but the plans they put in place seem to cater more to the next extention of light rail vs. the immediate needs of SE residents. Anyone who lives over 1/2 – 3/4 of a mile from the station won’t want to have to walk in the rain if they need to pick up groceries. If there were parking, yes, I’d use it. Wet groceries with paper bags (plastic bags are being banned) just doesn’t sound fun.
Since light rail started running their tests and messing up the lights, I don’t even use MLK anymore unless I am catching the tail end of it down by Henderson.
Sadly, the city and Sound Transit has done little in the way of considering the needs of the businesses, property owners, or commuters……….as the Save our Valley people pointed out, and this was before my time, nobody would even entertain the idea of putting light rail up or down in our community but everywhere else it goes has tunnels or bridges. Why is that?
SSSL
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