Ways My First Ride on Sound Transit’s Link Light Rail Could Be Better: I’m aboard a light-rail train in Seattle. When I was a newspaper reporter, I covered the agency that made this train happen. For much of my time on the Sound Transit beat, this light-rail line seemed doomed. So even though this line runs fewer miles than the planners dreamed it would, I realize it’s an accomplishment that it exists at all. Kudos. But … … if I can read “Link Light Rail” from farther away than I can read “Coming December 19!” on your signs inside the airport, I may end up wandering around Sea-Tac, wasting my time, muttering gripes about Sound Transit, wondering why the airport maps direct me to a specific walkway on a specific floor where I can go to catch a train that won’t exist until Saturday. Hypothetically. … if I ask a guy in a Port of Seattle hardhat why the walkway to light rail is blocked, he could tell me that there is a free bus that will take me to the nearest functioning light-rail station. Because if I’m a tourist or a non-native speaker or someone in a big rush, I may abandon my wandering and pay through the nose for a cab. … if there’s going to be a big roof-like structure seeming to cover the entire platform at the Tukwila station, it would be great if rain didn’t fall on practically the whole length of the platform. All that aside, it’s a smooth, comfortable ride, so far. Click for high-res photo

Ways My First Ride on Sound Transit’s Link Light Rail Could Be Better:

I’m aboard a light-rail train in Seattle. When I was a newspaper reporter, I covered the agency that made this train happen. For much of my time on the Sound Transit beat, this light-rail line seemed doomed. So even though this line runs fewer miles than the planners dreamed it would, I realize it’s an accomplishment that it exists at all. Kudos.

But …

  • … if I can read “Link Light Rail” from farther away than I can read “Coming December 19!” on your signs inside the airport, I may end up wandering around Sea-Tac, wasting my time, muttering gripes about Sound Transit, wondering why the airport maps direct me to a specific walkway on a specific floor where I can go to catch a train that won’t exist until Saturday. Hypothetically.

  • … if I ask a guy in a Port of Seattle hardhat why the walkway to light rail is blocked, he could tell me that there is a free bus that will take me to the nearest functioning light-rail station. Because if I’m a tourist or a non-native speaker or someone in a big rush, I may abandon my wandering and pay through the nose for a cab.

  • … if there’s going to be a big roof-like structure seeming to cover the entire platform at the Tukwila station, it would be great if rain didn’t fall on practically the whole length of the platform.

All that aside, it’s a smooth, comfortable ride, so far.

Notes