SEATAC, Wash. - Travelers heading to SeaTac Airport received an early holiday present on Saturday morning. The new leg of light rail from downtown Seattle to the airport, the latest 1.7 mile stretch of light rail, went online.
Service on the 1.7-mile extension line kicked off with an inaugural ribbon cutting at the airport before the station and trains opened for regular passenger service at 10 a.m.
The nearly quarter of a billion dollar extension connects travelers with the light rail line which opened back in July. Prior to that, a bus took travelers the last leg.
The new station is connected to the airport by a pedestrian bridge. Another bridge connects the station to a pickup/drop-off area east of the airport.
From the airport station to the first ticket counter is a fifth of a mile, more than 1,000 feet. It's down an escalator, through the parking garage and another escalator ride. Luggage carts are available.
"That's about the same distance as you're walking from one end of a concourse to the central terminal," said Sea-Tac spokesman Perry Cooper.
The trip took one KING 5 employee just about four minutes to walk.
Sound Transit believes that eventually, 3,000 people will use this station each day, including some of the airports 15,000 employees.
If you're having some nerves about taking light rail to the airport for the first time, volunteers will be at the station and the airport terminal over the weekend to help travelers.
The cost of a one-way trip to for from the airport into downtown Seattle is $2.75.
The next light rail expansion is scheduled to open in 2016 with service from downtown Seattle to the University of Washington.
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