Sound Transit opens Link light rail service to SeaTac

Getting to and from Sea-Tac International Airport got a lot easier Dec. 19 as the Link light rail extension opened for passenger service.

"It’s been a heck of a
journey, but we delivered on what we promised: light rail from downtown Seattle
to the airport in 2009," said Seattle Mayor and Sound Transit Board Chair Greg
Nickels. "This opens an entirely new option for travelers and commuters, and
represents the first steps of a truly regional network."

The first 14 miles of light
rail opened from downtown Seattle to Tukwila in July. The final segment from
Tukwila to SeaTac/Airport Station, built under a close partnership with the
Port of Seattle, provides a reliable 36-minute ride to the airport from downtown
with 13 stops serving the SODO, Beacon Hill, Rainier Valley and Tukwila
neighborhoods.

"Opening the doors to Sound
Transit’s airport line in time for the holidays is great gift to residents of
the Puget Sound region," said U.S. Sen. Patty Murray. "This new line will
provide fast and easy connections to downtown Seattle and a low-cost way to get
around.  This is just the latest in
environmentally friendly transportation that will help ensure our region’s long-term
economic growth."

Service on the 1.7-mile
extension line kicked off with an inaugural ribbon cutting at SeaTac / Airport
Station before the station and trains opened for regular passenger service at
10 a.m.

"With more than 30 million
passengers through Sea-Tac every year, and 15,000 airport employees, we
anticipate light rail will be a welcome ‘green’ alternative for travel to and
from the airport," said Port of Seattle Commissioner John Creighton. "Using
light rail will reduce air emissions and traffic congestion. It’s good for the
airport and it’s good for our region."

Sound Transit and the Port
of Seattle collaborated on the Airport Link project, which included the new
light rail station, pedestrian bridges connecting the station to the airport
parking garage and a pick-up and drop-off area to the east serving the city of
SeaTac. The Port also relocated and upgraded the Airport Expressway and the
Return-to-Terminal roadway loop.

The next light rail
extension is scheduled to open in 2016 with service from downtown Seattle to
Capitol Hill and the University of Washington. Construction is underway on that
segment while Sound Transit plans for 36 more miles of light rail extensions to
Lynnwood, Bellevue, Redmond, Mercer Island and Federal Way by 2023.