By 2001, there will be 81 miles of Sounder commuter rail service between Lakewood, Tacoma, Seattle, and Everett using existing Burlington Northern Santa Fe tracks. Transfers between the systems are proposed for the International district at the south end of the downtown Seattle transit tunnel and at the Boeing Access Road station in Tukwila or the Interstate 405 station if the interurban alignment is the route selected. Additional stations are planned at Georgetown, north downtown, and Ballard, if funding permits. With appropriate planning, Sound Transit's Link light rail and any system ultimately developed by the ETC can be compatible and be successfully integrated to serve the large and complex transit markets of our region. Sound Transit will work with the newly established ETC to ensure the systems are coordinated. .
Complicated geography requires some portions of the light rail line to be elevated.
As a next step, the agency will be hosting workshops in March and April to engage the community in evaluating the alignment options. In fall 1998, a draft EIS will be available that provides key information for identifying a preferred alignment and station locations. Some segments of Link light rail will run at street level. The board also identified station locations along the central Link corridor. Take a look at the map detailing the preferred route and station locations .