How Seattle’s Light Rail Is Connecting Communities More Efficiently

Over the years, Sound Transit has taken a lot of heat for being late and over budget. But it seems like it's now becoming practical to use Seattle light rail. Especially now that construction and testing is almost complete on the line that runs across Lake Washington. 

According to seattletimes.com,
‘One of Sound Transit’s practice trips demonstrated the allure Wednesday of future light rail trains across Lake Washington.
The four-car train cruised at 55 mph over floating sections of the former Interstate 90 express lanes, with no shimmy and barely perceptible vibration.
The ride took only about five minutes, between the Mercer Island and Judkins Park stations. Window seats offered views of Mount Rainier to the south, Mount Baker to the north, and an expanse of glassy water in the foreground, a hint of smog and unseasonably blue skies’ 

Now extending from Federal Way, past Seatac airport into Seattle and up to Lynnwood. It looks like Sound Transit is finally becoming practical for their citizens, and this latest link going across Lake Washington is going to help with that. Sound Transit is almost infamous for the amount of cost overruns, legal wrangling, route changes and delay of service. 

What is the cost, so far?

The Sound transport board of directors is getting prepared to schedule a vote on an increase of funding by $60 million; that will bring the total expenditure (So far) to $3.82 billion. 

In the course of designing and constructing this rail system some very interesting and unique engineering Innovations have also been introduced allowing them to cross Lake Washington. 

Now the question is, is it practical? What is it going to be like to travel from Lynnwood into downtown Seattle on light rail? Are Seattle residents using the rail system Instead of driving their cars into Lumen Field for Seahawks football Or the Mariners? 

Is Seattle light rail popular?

Currently, over 125,000 people use light rail in Seattle daily. 

When you add the Sounder Train, you get rail transportation from Everett to Tacoma. 

I guess this just means that I have one more excuse to do a road trip to Seattle in order to test out Sound Transit’s light rail system. 

Light rail across Lake Washington: A preview before riders come aboard | The Seattle Times