Tacoma Link light rail car rolls into Seattle for month-long exhibit

January 21, 2003

Seattle residents will get a glimpse of their transit future beginning Tuesday, Jan. 21 when Sound Transit puts on display a Tacoma Link light rail car in downtown Seattle. The 66-foot, double-articulated car will be displayed at Westlake Park, located at Fourth Avenue and Pine Street, through Feb. 21.

"Tacoma Link - the state's first new light rail line in nearly 50 years - will begin operating in September of this year," said Sound Transit Board Chair and King County Executive Ron Sims. "As we prepare to break ground this summer on Central Link, we want to give the people of Seattle a look at what's happening in Tacoma and what's coming to Seattle."

"When Tacoma Link begins operations, the connection with our Sounder commuter rail service at the Tacoma Dome station will give our region a passenger rail link between downtown Seattle and downtown Tacoma," added Sims. "Tacoma Link is an exciting project that will demonstrate the even greater ease and convenience the initial 14-mile Central Link light rail line will bring to the Seattle area."

Sims will be available at the exhibit to talk with the public and news media from 11 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. on Jan. 21 when the exhibit first opens. The light rail vehicle will be open for public viewing from 11 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. on weekdays and from noon to 6 p.m. on weekends.

The Tacoma Link light rail system will carry passengers 1.6 miles between downtown Tacoma and the Tacoma Dome Station, which provides commuter rail and bus connections to destinations throughout the region. A light rail car will serve each of the five stations every ten minutes. The Central Link system will have a different configuration than Tacoma Link, with larger cars that can be operated in two, three, or four car trains

"I visualize an exciting future as Sound Transit continues to make progress in building a 21st Century transit network, said Board member and Tacoma City Council member Kevin Phelps. "Sounder will bring people from South King County and North Pierce County to the Tacoma Dome Station where they will hop on Tacoma Link to their jobs and to shop downtown."

"We are already seeing the benefits of Tacoma Link in Downtown Tacoma," added Phelps. "New businesses have begun to spring up near stations along the route."

SPECIAL NOTE: Throughout the month-long exhibit, visitors can help the Pike Market Senior Center/Downtown Food Bank to brighten the lives of senior citizens by bringing donations of winter clothing, blankets or non-perishable food items. Donors will receive tickets for two free rides on ST Express, Sound Transit's regional bus service.

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Sound Transit plans, builds and operates regional transit systems and services to improve mobility for Central Puget Sound.