Light rail service to Angle Lake starts Sept. 24

1.6-mile extension from Sea-Tac Airport to South 200th Street will open four years earlier than planned, include more parking for transit riders

Sound Transit today announced the start of light rail service on the South 200th Link Extension for Saturday, Sept. 24.

The $383 million extension will open $40 million under budget and four years earlier than planned in Sound Transit 2, the ballot measure voters approved in 2008 to continue expansion of the regional mass transit system.

“Opening the Angle Lake Station marks another milestone in building a vibrant, regional light rail system,” said Sound Transit Board Chair and King County Executive Dow Constantine. “Trains running every six minutes will give thousands of riders fast, reliable service to jobs, schools, and Huskies, Seahawks, Sounders and Mariners games.”

The 1.6-mile extension from Sea-Tac Airport to South 200th Street and 28th Avenue South consists of an elevated guideway and station that will serve as the southern terminus for Link until the extension to Kent/Des Moines opens in 2023. A 1,050-stall garage, 70-space surface lot, van pool parking, and passenger drop-off/pickup area will help address the demand for parking in a busy transit corridor. The facility offers covered waiting areas, a nearby transfer area for local and RapidRide bus connections, and secured bicycle storage.

A prominent feature of the station is a public art sculpture entitled “Cloud” by artist Laura Haddad. The sculpture, installed on the elevated platform straddling South 200th Street, consists of 6,000 hanging disks that change appearance in response to fluctuations in light, weather, or at the approach of a train.

The Sound Transit Board approved accelerating the project by four years after U.S. Sen. Patty Murray and other congressional leaders helped secure $10 million in TIGER funding. The extension will be the first design-build project completed by the agency.

By 2018, Angle Lake Station will serve 5,400 riders coming and going each weekday. Riders will enjoy a four-minute trip to the airport, a 41-minute trip the Westlake Station downtown, and a 48-minute ride to the University of Washington Station at Husky Stadium.

More information about Angle Lake Station is available at http://www.anglelake2016.org/