SEATTLE—
All aboard! Tens of thousands of people are now paying regular fares to ride the 13.9 mile Central Link Light Rail on the first day of commuter travel.This is the first commuter test for the new system from Sound Transit. Train doors opened at 5 a.m. Monday to paying customers only.
Riders must pay before riding, by credit or cash. Adult fares range from $1.75 to $2.50. The cost varies depending on how far riders are traveling.
If you use an ORCA card, you have to swipe when you get on and when you get off.
On weekdays, trains will run every 7 ½ minutes during peak times (6 a.m. - 8:30 a.m. and 3 p.m. - 6:30 p.m.). They will run every 10 minutes during off-peak times, and every 15 minutes during very early and late-night hours (5 a.m. - 6 a.m. and 10 p.m. - 1 a.m.). Specific times of first and last service at each station are posted at the stations' ticket vending machines.
Extra Sound Transit personnel will be on hand during the weekdays to help new riders get started.
"We recognize that this is brand new for the region and a lot of people aren't used to it," said Sound Transit spokesperson Linda Robson. "So we're going to have extra staff out at the stations for these first couple of weeks to help answer questions for people, help them use the ticket vending machines and make sure that they have an enjoyable ride."
All riders will have to get off the train when they reach one of the line's final stops (Westlake for northbound trains, Tukwila for southbound trains).
There is no parking at Link stations in Seattle. Parking at the lot in Tukwila will be extremely limited. Riders are encouraged to bus, walk or ride bicycles to Link stations.
Free connector buses from the Tukwila station to Sea-Tac International Airport are available starting Monday. Buses will meet most train arrivals. They will drop off and pick up passengers on the far south end of the airport's baggage claim area. The shuttles will continue running until December 2009, when light rail service will run directly to a station at the airport.
Over the weekend -- when it was free to ride the Link trains -- 92,000 people tried the service. 51,000 walked on board during 10 hours of service on Saturday. 41,000 tried out the trains over the course of eight hours on Sunday.
Riders lined up early Saturday morning and waited for a chance to be the first passengers on the trains, following a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the Mt. Baker station. Mayors from both Seattle and Tukwila spoke at the ribbon-cutting ceremony early Saturday before passengers began boarding for Link's inaugural run.
After the speeches, ticket-holders for the two inaugural trains (one northbound and one southbound) moved to the platform and boarded the trains. The majority of inaugural ride ticket holders were members of the public who received tickets through radio giveaways and other promotions.
The average wait to board the trains on Saturday was about 15 to 20 minutes for most passengers. There was an increase in riders before and after the Sounders FC game. Sound Transit says the longest wait time was about an hour.
