Rail to air

At 10:00 a.m. this morning, the final link was added to Seattle's light rail route between downtown and the airport -- the 1.7 mile link between Tukwila station and Sea-Tac Airport. By 11:15 a.m., your roving correspondent and irrationally exuberant rapid transit fanatic was riding the rails. I wouldn't have waited so long, but I wanted to make sure that the first few trains made the trip uneventfully, with no untoward collapses of the elevated tracks en route.

I'm pleased to announce that the trip went smashingly, and all seems in order. I timed the trip at 39 minutes from airport departure to Westlake (downtown) arrival. The fare is $2.50. If you ride out and come back within the two-hour transfer period, your return trip is treated as a free transfer. Because I took the bus downtown from my home ($1.75), the computer subtracted only another 75 cents from my fare card for the light rail ride to the airport, and zero for the return. Gaming the system is cool, even when you love -- with your whole heart and your whole mind -- the system that you're gaming!

My only criticism is that the airport station is not incorporated into the terminal building, as are rail connections at most airports. Instead, you have about a quarter-mile walk, most of it on a dedicated path through the pre-existing parking garage, to reach the transit station. But you could easily walk this same distance at other airports, such as Chicago or San Francisco -- you would just be less aware of the distance because you would be walking within the terminal building.

Lots of sightseers with small kids making the ride on the first day, but also a lot of flyers with their rolling luggage, many of them coming on board at stations along the route. Light rail is going to be a nice amenity for flyers, especially those headed for hotels or business offices downtown.

Next development will be tunneling the route from Westlake to Husky Stadium at the University, with a single intermediate station constructed under Capitol Hill. That extension's already under construction, and due for completion in 2016.