Light rail service to Angle Lake in SeaTac opens Saturday with a dedication ceremony sponsored by Alaska Airlines at 9:30 a.m., followed by a City of SeaTac community celebration at 11 a.m.
“Saturday will be a day of celebration for the entire region as we continue to expand Link light rail. This station is the latest addition to a light rail network that is transforming commutes and communities,” said Sound Transit Board Chair and King County Executive Dow Constantine said in a media release. “People love light rail, and the Angle Lake Station will be an amazing asset to get South County commuters out of gridlock.”
The station is along South 200th Street, just west of International Boulevard.
“Having grown up in South King County, I’m excited about the opening of the Angle Lake Station in a few days,” said Sound Transit Boardmember and King County Councilmember Dave Upthegrove. “The arrival of light rail and badly needed parking will make it easier for local folks to get to work and school.”
The 9:30 a.m. dedication will include remarks by elected officials and project partners, a ribbon-cutting on the station platform and an inaugural train ride to Sea-Tac Airport. Participants wishing to return to Angle Lake Station for the city’s celebration can take a southbound train from any station on the line.
Those interested in checking out the new station can find details online at anglelake2016.org. More information on the city’s opening day event, which will include entertainment, refreshments, and other activities, is available at ci.seatac.wa.us.
The 1.6-mile light rail extension from Sea-Tac Airport to South 200th Street consists of an elevated guideway and station that will serve as the southern terminus for Link until service to Kent/Des Moines starts in 2023. A 1,050-stall garage, 70-space surface lot, van pool parking and passenger drop-off/pickup area at the new station will provide needed relief for transit user parking in a busy commuter corridor.
The $383 million extension is trending $40 million under budget and will open four years earlier than envisioned in Sound Transit 2, the ballot measure voters approved in 2008 to continue expanding the regional mass transit system. In 2011, the Sound Transit Board approved expediting the start of construction on the project after U.S. Sen. Patty Murray and other congressional leaders helped secure $10 million in federal TIGER funding.
By 2018, Angle Lake Station will serve an estimated 5,400 riders coming and going each weekday. Riders will enjoy a 4-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.
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