Seattle's Sound Transit will start light rail service on the 1.6-mile South 200th Link Extension on September 24, 2016. The $383 million extension will open four years earlier than planned in Sound Transit 2, the ballot measure approved by voters in 2008. The extension is also $40 million under budget.
“Opening the Angle Lake Station marks another milestone in building a vibrant, regional light rail system,” stated Dow Constantine, Sound Transit board chair and King County executive. “Trains running every six minutes will give thousands of riders fast, reliable service to jobs, schools, and Huskies, Seahawks, Sounders and Mariners games.”
The extension will travel from Sea-Tac Airport to South 200th Street and South 28th Avenue and feature an elevated guideway and station, which will serve as the southern terminus for Link until the extension to Kent/Des Moines opens in 2023.
The station will feature a 1,050-stall garage, 70-space surface lot, van pool parking, and a passenger drop-off/pickup area. The facility will also offer covered waiting areas, a nearby transfer area for local and RapidRide bus connections, and secured bicycle storage.
A feature of the station is an art sculpture entitled “Cloud” by artist Laura Haddad, which is installed on the elevated platform. It consists of 6,000 hanging disks that change appearance in response to fluctuations in light, weather or the approach of a train.
The Sound Transit Board approved the four year acceleration of the project after congressional leaders helped secure $10 million in TIGER funding. The extension will be the first design-build project completed by the agency.
The Angle Lake Station is expected to serve 5,400 riders coming and going each weekday by 2018.