First Day Of Regular Light Rail Service Begins

The first regular Link Light Rail train pulled out of the Tukwila station on Monday morning.

KIRO 7 Eyewitness News reporter Jeff Dubois said that at 6 a.m. there were about two dozen cars parked in the lot.

Dubois spoke to one rider, Mark Gibbens, who was on his way to work.

"I had planned to ride the train once they got it going anyway, so I think this is going to be my major way to get to work and home," said Gibbens.

Gibbens lives in Tukwila and works at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in the south Lake Union area of Seattle.

He said riding the bus takes 45 minutes and using the light rail takes about 20 minutes.

Most people Dubois spoke to Monday are typical Metro bus riders who want to try the light rail to find out if it's more convenient.

One rider said she was expecting a lot more people. Others told Dubois they rode on the weekend to see how it works.

Officials said 92,000 passengers tried out Seattle's new light rail line over the weekend for fun.

The train runs 14 miles between downtown Seattle and Tukwila.

Fares range from $1.75 to $2.50. Riders buy tickets at vending machines or use pre-paid Orca smart cards. Bus passes and transfer slips are also recognized.

Construction of the city's new mass transit system took five years and cost $2.3 billion. By the end of the year Sound Transit said light rail will reach Sea-Tac Airport.

By 2016, a $1.9 billion tunnel will reach the University of Washington. And voters have already approved spending $18 billion to extend lines to suburban stops in Lynnwood, Federal Way and Redmond.