TUKWILA, Wash. - A new Sound Transit train parked next to Interstate 5 at Tukwila to show off to the public for next year's grand opening of the light-rail system has been hit by graffiti taggers.

Taggers apparently hit the train on Friday night.

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The train was parked on an elevated guideway near the southbound freeway lanes -- just north of exits to South-center and Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, where 131,000 vehicles pass each weekday in the southbound direction alone.

Mike Muller of Tacoma drives up and down I-5 every day for work. He first noticed the train idle on the tracks last month, and this was exactly what he had worried about.

"I called Sound Transit. It's an invitation for it to be tagged and vandalized and the end result is the taxpayer has to pay for it," he said.

So why is the train parked there? Sound Transit thought it would be a good spot because the tracks are elevated, there's fencing nearby and security guards are supposed to monitor the area.

Sound Transit spokesperson Linda Robson said the train has to be stationed in the area because the Beacon Hill tunnel is still being worked on, blocking the line back to the maintenance yard.

Robson said the damage and its costs will be assessed on Monday.

"We're going to be reviewing some of our security measure to see if there's something we can do," said Robson. "Obviously something wasn't in place and if not why and now we have the expense of repairing that train."

Light rail is scheduled to start from downtown Seattle to Tukwila next July and to the airport by the end of 2009.