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Light Rail Opening Day

Sound Transit Revises Saturday Numbers; Reports More Than 92,000 Weekend Boardings

July 19, 2009

in News,Transportation

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This just in from Sound Transit:

Opening weekend light rail service concluded this evening with more than 92,000 boardings —approximately 51,000 in 10 hours on Saturday and 41,000 over an eight-hour period today.

During Saturday’s 10 hours of free opening weekend light rail service, Link saw an estimated 51,000 boardings. Sound Transit increased yesterday’s preliminary estimate of 45,000 riders to 51,000 after reviewing the data closely.

“We were a bit busy on the first day of business and the figure we provided yesterday was a quick collection at the end of day,” said Sound Transit Director of Communications Ron Klein. “We had a chance to go over the numbers more carefully and came up with up 6,000 more boardings.”

Operations ran remarkably smoothly all weekend, except when RVP photographer Will Austin and his seven-year old son Zane got stuck in the Beacon Hill elevator for a few minutes. Find that big adventure here and here, and the RVP’s wall-to-wall coverage in its entirety here.

Central Link light rail trains will start rolling again tomorrow at about 5 a.m. as regular service gets underway. The time of first service at each station will range between 4:58 a.m. and 5:39 a.m. on weekdays, depending on the station and the direction of travel.

Service will span 20 hours Monday through Saturday and 18 hours on Sunday. Riders must plan ahead to make sure their trips conclude before the close of service. The specific times of first and last service at each station are posted at the stations’ ticket vending machines.

Starting tomorrow riders will pay fares to ride Link light rail. Regular adult fares range from $1.75 up to $2.50. The ticket vending machines at each of the stations dispense Link tickets and ORCA cards. Valid transit passes and bus transfer slips are also recognized as proof of payment on Link light rail.

Heading north approaching Othello Station. Photo/David Mullarkey Images

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FINALLY!

July 19, 2009

in News,Transportation

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Link Light Rail By the Numbers:

  • 14-miles: Length of current line
  • 12: Number of stops on current line
  • $2.3 billion: Cost of current line
  • 45,000: Number of opening day rides
  • 7 ½ minutes: Train frequency during peak hours
  • 30-minutes: Duration of ride between Tukwila & downtown Seattle
  • 10-15 minutes: Train frequency during midday & evening hours
  • 200: Number of passengers each car can comfortably carry
  • 20: Number of U.S. cities with modern, high-capacity light-rail systems
  • 26,600: Number of daily trips expected by 2010
  • 3.15-miles: Length of University of Washington extension
  • 2016: When UW extension line is scheduled to open

Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels sees a dream frealized at yesterday’s ribbon cutting at the Mt. Baker station. Photo/David Mullarkey Images

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LR Opening Day Dispatch #10: Kick-Off Concludes With 45,000 Total Train Boardings

July 18, 2009

in News,Transportation

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Link light rail rolled out to a great start Saturday with approximately 45,000 train boardings on its opening day of service.

Service on the new 14-mile line kicked off with an inaugural ribbon cutting at Mt. Baker Station before trains departed for downtown Seattle to the north and Tukwila to the south. Operations ran relatively smoothly throughout the day to the 12 stations where riders boarded trains for free between 10 a.m. and 8 p.m.

Sound Transit and special event staff counted riders as they boarded at each station and limited the number to ensure riders could board all along the line. Most stations featured acoustic family-oriented entertainment for riders waiting in line.

Free service continues Sunday from 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. On Monday, regular paid weekday service runs from 5 a.m. – 1 a.m. Service to Sea-Tac International Airport begins in December.

Saturday’s opening kicked off service on the first of what will be 55 miles of light rail service in Central Puget Sound stretching from Seattle to Lynnwood, Bellevue, Redmond, Mercer Island and Federal Way by 2023. Construction on Link light rail from downtown Seattle to the University of Washington has begun and opens for service in 2016.

A light rail train exiting the Beracon Hill tunnel and preparing to stop at Mt. Baker Station. Franklin High School sits magestically in the distance. Photo/do communications, inc.

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LR Opening Day Dispatch #9: Be Careful Crossing That Street!

July 18, 2009

in News,Traffic Alert,Transportation

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In his last dispatch today, Will sent a special safety shout-out to pedestrians attempting to cross the football field that is Martin Luther King Jr. Way:

It’s a little confusing walking across the street and getting across the tracks to get to the train station on MLK. I noticed a lot of people getting confused by that, because you’re crossing two lanes/ways of car traffic and two lanes/ways of train tracks – so there’s four lanes total.

I noticed people would go across when there was no train, but then walk right out in the street in front of car traffic.

The key is to use the walk signal just like normal, if it says “walk” then you’re safe, but if it says “don’t walk” then you can get hit by either a car or a train. It’s as simple as that. You just have to pay attention to the signals, which are really far apart since the street is so wide now.

I saw police and security people grabbing people who were walking out into the street. They would avoid the trains, but then just walk out into the street because – I guess – their brain thought “No train means no car.”

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Photos/do comunications, inc.

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LR Opening Day Dispatch #8: Huge Line to Return From Tukwila (5 PM)

July 18, 2009

in News,Transportation

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Finally a reason to mention Tukwila! RVP photographer Will Austin says the line there to return to Seattle via train is “huge”, so they’re hopping the free shuttle instead.

UPDATE (5:45pm): This just in from Will:

The whole line is busier now than it was this morning. The Tukwila station is amazing! The ride down there is fun and longer than you think. There are some beautiful views of Mt. Rainier, and the station is really cool. There are tons of people there, so we took the free shuttle bus home, which made it a 10-minute trip instead of two hours.

The stations are very well staffed and professional, and the entertainment at the stations was great. Everything seems really well organized and like a big change has come to the area.

UPDATE (6:25pm): This just in from Sound Transit spokesman Bruce Gray:

About 38,000 riders have embraced Link light rail opening day service as of 5 p.m. this afternoon.

Sunny skies and activities at neighborhoods along the line have combined to make a great start of service. Wait times have been minimal, generally in the neighborhood of 15 to 30 minutes with longer wait times at the International District / Chinatown Station and Stadium Station immediately following the FC Sounders soccer match.

Service ends today at 8 p.m. Sunday’s service gets underway at 10 a.m. and runs through 6 p.m. On Monday, regular service starts at 5 a.m.

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Interstate 5 from the train to Tukwilla. Photos/Will Austin Photography

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LR Opening Day Dispatch #7: 30,000 Riders by 3pm Today (PHOTOS)

July 18, 2009

in Arts/Living,News,Transportation

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At 3pm today, Sound Transit reported 30,000 riders thus far, and RVP photographer Will Austin is back out (after a brief siesta) to share a few of them with you. Photos/Will Austin Photography

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LR Opening Day Dispatch #6: Will & Zane’s Big Adventure (VIDEO)

July 18, 2009

in News,Transportation

Stuck in the Elevator from Stardust Cowboy on Vimeo.

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LR Opening Day Dispatch #5: RVP Photographer Gets Stuck in Beacon Hill Elevator

July 18, 2009

in News,Transportation

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The good news, according to RVP photographer Will Austin, is that the waits to ride the new light rail trains are only about 30 minutes, which is a lot less than the hour-and-a-half they were told to expect.

The bad news is that Will and seven-year old son Zane had a scary experience a little more than an hour ago when they were trapped in a Beacon Hill elevator for nearly 10 minutes.

“The front door was about two inches open and wouldn’t close,” he said.

When they did, “I almost got my fingers smashed,” he said. “It was wild.”

The elevator is one of four that take passengers 160-feet down to the tunneled station.

While there was no elevator attendant available, luckily the station architect was there and managed to guide them out to safety.

Look for Will’s exclusive video to be published here soon!

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Will’s seven-year old son Zane checks out the Beacon Hill station art shortly before they got stuck in the elevator that takes passengers 160-feet down to the tunneled station. Photos/Will Austin Photography

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LR Opening Day Dispatch #4: Riding the Rails With Will, Zane & the iPhone (PHOTOS)

July 18, 2009

in News,Transportation

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Othello neighbor Will Austin has been riding the rails with seven-year old son Zane all day today and using his iPhone to cover their journey exclusively for your RVP. Thanks, guys! Photos/Will Austin Photography

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LR Opening Day Dispatch #3: Mariachi & Tasty Comida at Beacon Hill Station (PHOTOS)

July 18, 2009

in Arts/Living,News,Transportation

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Photos/Will Austin Photography

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LR Opening Day Dispatch #2: Lion Dancers, Fire Dancers, Break Dancers, Oh My! (VIDEO)

July 18, 2009

in Arts/Living,News,Transportation

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Othello neighbor and RVP photographer Will Austin has already traveled the length of the entire line this morning and says that Othello Station (above) is the place to be, and with lion dancers, fire dancers, break dancers and more, that comes as no surprise. The free celebration continues until 5pm this evening and there’s still plenty of fun to be had. See remaining entertainment line-up below.

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Even Mayor Nickels stopped by the Othello on the Move celebration this morning (above).

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And just so we don’t forget that old adage, “No matter how much things change, they will always stay the same,” the chicken lady was there too (above left/below).

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Just like she is every single Saturday morning of the year. Bright and early. No matter what. If you happen to run into her, tell her the RVP sent you.

UPDATE (11:55 pm): Speaking of chickens, here’s Will’s riveting interview with the Feet First chicken hen:

Othello Station Chicken from Stardust Cowboy on Vimeo.

Othello on the Move Entertainment Line-Up:

  • 1-1:45pm The Bad Things
  • 2-2:15pm Spinergy (fire dancers)
  • 2:30-3:15pm Ruby Shuz
  • 3:30-3:40pm Massive Monkees (breakdancers)
  • 4-5pm: Big World Breaks

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Photos (top & bottom)/Will Austin Photography

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Light Rail Opening Day Dispatch #1: Not Quite the Crowd Crush Some Expected, Not Yet Anyway

July 18, 2009

in News,Transportation

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It’s been just over two hours since light rail trains began carrying passengers throughout the Rainier Valley and many stations – like Mt. Baker (above) – are virtually empty.

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Columbia City (above) – where many businesses teamed up to host a sidewalk sale designed to lure riders nearly a half-mile from the station to the historic shopping district – seemed all but deserted shortly before noon on Saturday.

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Up at the Beacon Hill station (above), El Centro de la Raza is valiantly trying to raise money with $5 parking, but there’s so many open curbs around the station that not many drivers seemed to notice.

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Othello neighbor and RVP photojournalist Will Austin has already traveled the length of the entire line this morning and says that Othello Station (above) is the busiest. Look for more updates, including photos from Will to be published throughout the day!

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Sound Transit spokesperson Bruce Gray said that by 12:15 pm, about 13,000 riders had climbed aboard.

“Central Link light rail service got underway this morning without a hitch. The weather is beautiful and wait times are minimal, generally in the neighborhood of 15 to 20 minutes at most stations.”

With the free service offered today and tomorrow, this weekend is a great opportunity to get acquainted with Seattle’s shiny new light rail system and the diverse communities around the stations.

1) Mt. Baker Station, 2) Historic Columbia City Business District, 3) Beacon Hill Station, 4) Othello Station, 5) Rainier Beach Station. Photos/do communications, inc.

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Rainier Valley Rolls Out Red Carpet for Light Rail Riders; Lots of Fun Events Planned Today

07.18.2009 Arts/Living
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The Rainier Valley was a busy place Friday as workers and volunteers spruced up streets from Rainier Beach to Mt. Baker and beyond in preparation for today’s light rail opening. Columbia City recently hung big banners around its new station (above) reminding riders that all the fun, including the farmers market, restaurant row and more [...]

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LR Opening Day Update #5: Sidewalk Sales, Summer Picnics & More

07.16.2009 Arts/Living
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There are a few more events happening this Sat., July 18 – Light Rail Opening Day – that we haven’t mentioned yet: Community Spirit Summer Picnic: Everyone is welcome to attend the Community Spirit Summer Picnic at Rainier Community Center (4600 38th Ave. S.) from 11am to 4pm, where guests will enjoy free food, music [...]

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Traffic Alert: 100,000 People Expected to Attend This Weekend’s Light Rail Launch

07.16.2009 News
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In what is shaping up to be one of the most car un-friendly days in the history of the Rainier Valley, crowds of 50,000 to 100,000 people are expected to turn out this weekend for the launch of the newly completed Tukwila to Seattle Sound Transit Light Rail. Motorists should expect to encounter heavy traffic [...]

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Light Rail Opening Day Update #4: The Journey Begins

07.15.2009 News
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Link light rail opens for passenger service between downtown Seattle and Tukwila this Sat., July 18, with free rides all weekend before moving to regular paid service on Monday. Here’s what riders can expect during opening weekend: Inaugural ribbon cutting: The Link inaugural ribbon cutting happens on the plaza at Mt. Baker Station on Saturday [...]

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LR Opening Day Update #3: CC to Celebrate With Sales, Special Events & $1 Pedi-Cab Rides

07.13.2009 Arts/Living
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A century ago, when the Rainier Avenue Electric Railway was the only link to Seattle for the handful of “streetcar suburbs” that lined the southwestern shores of Lake Washington, Columbia City made a name for itself with its vibrant community and affordable housing. Now, more than 70 years after Seattle’s original railcar lines disappeared from [...]

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Light Rail Opening Day Update #2: Dine on the Line With SE Seattle Senior Center

07.12.2009 Arts/Living
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On Sat., July 18, dine on the line with new RVP sponsor – the Southeast Seattle Senior Center (SESSC): Enjoy a delicious pancake breakfast with all the trimmings on Opening Day of the new light rail. SESSC is only ¾ mile from the Othello Station. After you eat breakfast, walk to the station for a [...]

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Light Rail Opening Day Update #1: Othello to Host Celebration at the Station

07.12.2009 Arts/Living
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On Sat., July 18, from 10am to 5pm, residents and businesses throughout the Othello neighborhood will host a free, day-long community celebration at the corner of Othello and Martin Luther King Jr. Way to commemorate the completion of the Sound Transit Light Rail line. From the organizers: Peruse the offerings of local artists and sample [...]

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