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Martin Duke

Light Rail: Getting There (Part II)

October 1, 2009

in Guest Columns,News,Transportation

By Martin Duke, Seattle Transit Blog

mount_baker_tcIf 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. I’ll venture that most people who would access it downtown know how to get there, but here’s a quick guide to your options in the Rainier Valley and points south.

With the September 19, 2009 service change, the bus routes have changed substantially. Since our last update, we’ve also uncovered a number of parking lots. Details on how to get to the station are below.

Orientation

route_scheduleBeacon 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.

Driving

Famously, most Link stations don’t have free 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. Because it’s free, it tends to fill up pretty quickly. At other stations, there are less well-known parking options.

If you’re not parking between the hours of 8 am and 6 pm on business days, there’s generally street parking available in the surrounding neighborhoods, so that’s a good option for a ballgame or a night out on the town. If you’re trying to drive there during working hours, there are numerous private parking lots where parking is much cheaper than it is downtown or at the airport:

  • Othello: One block west of MLK on Othello St, the Safeway offers monthly parking for $30/month. Call 206-729-0590 for details.
  • Othello: Immediately east of the station, on Othello St., the Citadel is offering $5/day parking.
  • Columbia City: Just west of the intersection of Rainier Ave. and S. Edmunds St, or 3 blocks from the Columbia City station, there’s a $3/day private lot. This lot is closed Wednesdays for the Columbia City Farmer’s Market.
  • Columbia City: One block north of the station, the Rainier Vista Boys and Girls Club (206-436-1890) is offering monthly 24 hrs/day, 5 days/week parking for $50/month.
  • Mt. Baker: There’s a pay lot immediately west of the station (the old Grocery Outlet site) for $4/day.

We have many anecdotal reports that spaces are available in these lots throughout the day.

Each station also has plaza areas well-suited to pick-up and drop-off (“Kiss and Ride”).

Biking

There are extensive bike racks at each station. For those seeking a more secure solution, you can simply take your bike on the train (here’s ST’s bike policy [pdf]), 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.

The Bus

se_seattle_detailMetro has created a nice webpage that tells you which routes connect to which stations. You can also use Metro’s Trip Planner, but right now it’s doing a pretty poor job of incorporating light rail. For per-stop schedules and real-time bus arrival information, I recommend onebusaway.org. For a neighborhood-oriented listing, read on:

From the Central District/Little Saigon: To go downtown, the bus is much faster. To go South, routes 7, 8, 14, 36, 48, and 60 all interface with Light Rail at either the Beacon Hill or Mt. Baker stations, at all times of day. Although they have limited service hours, routes 7X, 9, 34, and 42 all connect at 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. between Beacon Hill station and Othello Station. The 60 runs North up 15th to Beacon Hill station, and then on to the Jose Rizal Bridge. The 106 serves South Beacon Hill via Rainier Beach Station and SODO. Route 39 crosses Link at Columbia City station and then runs along Columbian Way, though not evenings. The 38 shuttles between Beacon Hill and Mt. Baker stations along McClellan St.

Along MLK: The 8 runs from Rainier Beach to the Central District and serves all stations along MLK. North of Alaska, you can also try the 42 during business hours.

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 42 also going there from Rainier Park during business housrs; and the 34, 7X, and 9 to Mt. Baker via Rainier, but with much more restricted hours.

Seward Park: The 39 can take you from the Seward Park/Genesee areas to either Columbia City or Othello Station. 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 8, 106, and 107 take you right to Rainier Beach station, and run frequently, all the time. The 9 runs less often but accomplishes the same thing.

Dunlap/Skyway/Renton: The 106 travels north on Renton Avenue and delivers you to Rainier Beach station. If you’re near the end of the old 42/42X, or the Lakeridge area, the 107 gets you to Rainier Beach. From Prentice St., the 7 and 7X are about 5 blocks east of the line till they meet at Mt. Baker Station.

Tukwila/Seatac: North of 154th St on SR 99, take the 124 south to get to Tukwila/International Blvd. Station. South of 154th, take the 174 going North to do the same thing. The 129 also provides limited service to Riverton Heights. By February, the opening of Airport Station and the cancellation of the 194 will allow many new bus connections to Link.

Top right photo courtesy of King County Metro.

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Light Rail: Getting There (Part I)

July 8, 2009

in Guest Columns,News,Transportation

By Martin Duke, Seattle Transit Blog

oct08-121If 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:

  • highlightr-valleyBeacon 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”).

oct08-128

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.

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