SEATTLE — This story was originally published on MyNorthwest.com
For the first time ever, light rail riders need to pay attention to the numbers on the front of the trains.
There has only been one line since service began in 2009. You hopped on, and there was no way to make a mistake. That changes on Saturday when the second line opens between Seattle and the Eastside. Riders will need to catch a 1-Line train or a 2-Line train, depending on their destination.
At its most basic, the 1-Line travels north and south, from Lynnwood to Federal Way. The 2-Line goes east, west, north, and south, but it does not go south of the Chinatown-International District. It runs from Lynnwood to Redmond but does not travel south of downtown Seattle.
Why does this matter?
Say you are heading to a Seattle Mariners game from Bellevue. You hop on the 2-Line, but you have to get off at the Chinatown-International District (CID) station. To continue on the light rail to the Stadium station, you must transfer to the 1-Line for that one-stop trip. You can also walk. It’s not that far.
What if you’re heading from Redmond to the airport? You hop on the 2-Line, but you will have to transfer to a 1-Line train at CID.
Confused?
“It’s a big change for people because we’re used to just getting on any train and going anywhere,” Rachelle Cunningham, the public information officer for Sound Transit, said. “Now you actually have to pay attention to the head signs and see where it’s going.”
I asked Cunningham why Sound Transit decided to stop southbound service at the CID. Why not provide a one-seat ride from the Eastside to the stadiums or the airport?
“The way the system was planned, there will be other lines that go that way,” Cunningham said. “This is where we are in the system expansion plan, and that’s the way it goes.”
So while Sound Transit works to create those other “lines,” riders are left with transferring trains.
And for fans heading to the stadiums or, more importantly, leaving the stadiums, let me give you this advice, based on some personal experience. Catching those first trains north from the stadiums, after the games are over, can be its own sporting event. Everyone is rushing to catch that first train. You are packed in. You might not be on top of your game after a few adult beverages. Don’t forget to get off at that first stop if you want to catch the 2-Line to the Eastside. You don’t want to wake up in Mountlake Terrace.
Chris Sullivan is a traffic reporter for KIRO Newsradio. Read more of his stories here. Follow KIRO Newsradio traffic on X.
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