Hey, Seattle area commuters. It is going to get a bit easier to cross Lake Washington — in about nine years.
Sound Transit this week released an animated video showing what it will be like to take the East Link rail line between Seattle’s International District and Redmond along Interstate 90— one of the most important transit corridors for connecting the tech-heavy Eastside with the tech-heavy downtown.
“Welcome to Sound Transit’s East Link Extension,” the narration of the video begins. “The year is 2023 and trains are running every few minutes between downtown Seattle and Mercer Island, Bellevue and Overlake and Redmond.”
Initially, the 3-car light rail train will have capacity to carry between 150 and 200 passengers per car. But a fourth car can be added, boosting capacity to as many as 800 people per trip. Trains will arrive and depart every eight to 10 minutes, stopping along the way at 10 stations. Total trip time is estimated at 30 minutes, with final stops near the Microsoft campus in Redmond.
You can check out the videos here, and read more about the $2.8 billion project here. A public meeting will be held Thursday from 5 pm to 7 pm at the Northwest African American Museum in Seattle.
