TR Circular E-C058_9th LRT Conference_2003.pdf - Florida ...

Schumann and Loetterle 5
SEATTLE/TACOMA
In 2000, Sound Transit was still working towards the area’s first LRT line. Years of effort are
starting to bear fruit as the region’s first line has opened and a second is on the way.
New Lines
Perhaps the heading shown above should read Tacoma/Seattle because Sound Transit’s first LRT
project to be completed is the 1.6-mi Tacoma Link. Somewhat similar to Portland’s Streetcar, the
Tacoma Link opened in August 2003 to link the Tacoma Dome and commuter rail station with
business, education, and cultural attractions in Downtown Tacoma. The line uses three Skoda
LRVs purchased as an add-on to Portland’s streetcar order.
Current Construction
Meanwhile, final design continues on the 14.5-mi Central Link, which is to run south from
downtown Seattle to the SeaTac airport. Central Link construction is just starting; a 2009
opening is anticipated. (1)
Planning for a northerly downtown to Seattle’s University District extension continues.
SACRAMENTO
Sacramento’s Regional Transit District (RT) opened its first LRT line in March 1987.(2) Two
lines radiated from downtown Sacramento, one to the East and a second to the Northeast, and
were operated as a single through route of 20.6 mi. RT LRT continued to operate in this
configuration in 2000. Popular and successful, RT Light Rail carries 29,400 weekday unlinked
trips, nearly a third of all RT’s boarding rides.
New Lines and Extensions
September 2003 saw the opening of RT’s third LRT line, a 6.3-mi route through South
Sacramento. The new South Line connects to the original East Line at 16th Street in downtown
Sacramento. As with the starter line, addition of LRT has been accompanied by construction of
several large park–and–rides at stations, and reconfiguration of the sub-area’s bus lines to work
with LRT as an integrated multimodal transit system.