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SEA light rail to downtown

SEA light rail to downtown

Old Nov 8, 2018, 12:21 pm
  #16  
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Originally Posted by Maglev
I just wanted to comment here that the distance from the light rail station to the airport terminal is greater than what my wife (and likely some others with mobility restrictions) could comfortably handle. There is a large parking garage to cross.
You don't actually cross the garage, but walk beside it. But agree, it's a bit of a hike. Wonder if a wheelchair would be provided like it is once outside the airport at the car / shuttle drop off?

And as high up as it is, it does get rather windy

Originally Posted by djp98374
that's similar to other airports length from terminal to subway distances.
I can state that DFW is MUCH closer from Light Rail than SEA @:-) Sadly both follows a circuitous route to get downtown

Looks like soon to be opened (hopefully) Light Rail to downtown Fort Worth is only a little bit further away.
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Old Nov 8, 2018, 12:47 pm
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There's now a golf cart or two that operate continuously between the light rail station and the terminal- just follow the signs to light rail, cross over the sky bridge, and you'll see them immediately as you enter the garage. Looks very convenient for those who don't/can't make the walk to the station.
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Old Nov 11, 2018, 6:09 pm
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Originally Posted by chococat
There's now a golf cart or two that operate continuously between the light rail station and the terminal- just follow the signs to light rail, cross over the sky bridge, and you'll see them immediately as you enter the garage. Looks very convenient for those who don't/can't make the walk to the station.
That is good news. I never could figure out why they have not put in moving walkways, and enclosed the area a little better to keep the wind out. That is one cold walk in the winter. Funny I have not noticed the carts, I fly Alaska all the time, so I enter right there at the end of the terminal where I assume the carts would be.
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Old Nov 29, 2018, 12:42 pm
  #19  
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I saw those golf carts in operation between the terminals and the rail station. They seemed to run with reasonable frequency.

More broadly, I'll put in a plug for this light rail route. Very well designed and efficiently operated. It's a pleasant and quick trip between SEA and downtown.
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Old Nov 29, 2018, 12:53 pm
  #20  
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I felt happy and safe using it around dusk this summer, from SEA to Olive 9. Nothing seemed isolated, lonely, or sketchy to me.
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Old Nov 30, 2018, 6:45 am
  #21  
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Originally Posted by dhuey
It's a pleasant and quick trip between SEA and downtown.
It's far from quick if the Interstate is flowing normally. 30+ minutes with 12 stops between the airport and Westlake Center, plus dwell time and walking at both ends, when you can drive it in 15 or 20. And the route coils around through various neighborhoods; it is anything but a straight shot. But as traffic congestion gets worse and worse in the Seattle area I expect the rail alternative will look better in relative terms.
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Old Dec 2, 2018, 7:40 am
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Originally Posted by BearX220
It's far from quick if the Interstate is flowing normally. 30+ minutes with 12 stops between the airport and Westlake Center, plus dwell time and walking at both ends, when you can drive it in 15 or 20. And the route coils around through various neighborhoods; it is anything but a straight shot. But as traffic congestion gets worse and worse in the Seattle area I expect the rail alternative will look better in relative terms.
I have to agree with this. I stopped taking it because it really is kind of a hassle unless you live right downtown. I have found it takes about 40 minutes+, especially when you figure in the wait time for it. I prefer to just park at the airport and take a shuttle. Bear is right though, as traffic gets worse, it will be a better option. When it opens in Northgate I will probably give it a shot again, as I will not have to wait for a bus, transfer, etc.
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Old Dec 2, 2018, 8:22 am
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We used the light rail last year to get from the airport to downtown and back. We liked it, especially as we stayed in the Hilton SEA just at the opposite end of the pedestrian overpass from the light rail station. The walkway from the terminal to the station can be a challenge, especially for eldery people and/or with baggage. We saw the golf cart too but I can't tell, how to book the transfer. Main obsticle for us was the elevator at the other end of the overpass, which was out of order. This became quite a workout with the baggage in the small staircase.
But using light rail is a good option, getting downtown.
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Old Dec 2, 2018, 9:02 am
  #24  
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Originally Posted by tatterdema
When it opens in Northgate I will probably give it a shot again, as I will not have to wait for a bus, transfer, etc.
Yes. I lived in Edmonds for 20+ years. When my residency began it took a dependable 35 minutes to drive from home to the Sea-Tac garage. By the time I moved away it could take up to two hours. And by the time they open the Lynnwood terminus in 2024-25, the 1h 15m trip to SEA is going to look great compared to perpetually gridlocked I-5.
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Old Dec 8, 2018, 8:05 pm
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Originally Posted by pmeye
The walkway from the terminal to the station can be a challenge, especially for eldery people and/or with baggage. We saw the golf cart too but I can't tell, how to book the transfer.
The transfer for the golf cart? No need to book ahead - there are one or two that just run back and forth. If one isn't at the station (or terminal) when you get there, wait a few minutes and it should arrive.
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Old Dec 12, 2018, 10:15 pm
  #26  
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Originally Posted by BearX220
It's far from quick if the Interstate is flowing normally. 30+ minutes with 12 stops between the airport and Westlake Center, plus dwell time and walking at both ends, when you can drive it in 15 or 20. And the route coils around through various neighborhoods; it is anything but a straight shot. But as traffic congestion gets worse and worse in the Seattle area I expect the rail alternative will look better in relative terms.
Before, the bus to the airport was faster than the current train due to a more direct routing rather than snaking through neighborhoods that are not between the airport and downtown but rather southeast of downtown Seattle. Since the train is eventually supposed to go to Federal Way, it should have been on a direct path to the airport.
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Old Dec 13, 2018, 1:04 pm
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Originally Posted by Toshbaf
Before, the bus to the airport was faster than the current train due to a more direct routing rather than snaking through neighborhoods that are not between the airport and downtown but rather southeast of downtown Seattle. Since the train is eventually supposed to go to Federal Way, it should have been on a direct path to the airport.
The bus with limited stops, yes, IIRC it was quicker than Light Rail. The other one, IIRC, a tad longer, and don't recall frequencies of either.

As for the circuitous route, well, the route goes where people live and not the largely industrial area where the bus goes @:-) It's part of Seattle's plan to serve its citizens, not a point to point route. I'd love a point to point, as I normally only transit in Seattle (not because it's not a great city to visit), alas ....

As an aside, Dallas did something similar with Orange Line to DFW:

Dallas Area "Rapid" Transit has about a dozen suburbs in the partnership and Irving is one of the largest ones, so they made quite a detour to keep them on board. When I lived in Dallas I recall people who worked in Las Colinas (the ritzy part of Irving where lots of businesses are located) complained about how much longer it took on rail over discontinued buses. Of course the people of non Las Colinas parts of Irving, the working people much more likely to use the service got shafted, as the line is nowhere near them and are stuck with low frequency buses.
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Old Dec 13, 2018, 8:51 pm
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Originally Posted by EmailKid
The bus with limited stops, yes, IIRC it was quicker than Light Rail. The other one, IIRC, a tad longer, and don't recall frequencies of either.

As for the circuitous route, well, the route goes where people live and not the largely industrial area where the bus goes @:-) It's part of Seattle's plan to serve its citizens, not a point to point route.
s.
The route may go where people live but it condemns the success of the train later on when it is extended towards Federal Way and Tacoma. Those people will be discouraged from taking the train being it detours and goes away from a straight route. It would be like if the train started in San Francisco then went to Houston then Chicago. People in Houston might like it but SF to Chicago would be less viable.
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Old Dec 15, 2018, 9:17 am
  #29  
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The do gooders who unfortunately permeate the city now have this route routed through every bad part of the city. She's coming a long ways. It takes a long time to get to downtown on the thing. It's also a long walk to get to the train station and a cold wait outside. Vacation time is short. A Lyft is $35. She should do that.
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Old Dec 31, 2018, 1:49 pm
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Originally Posted by Toshbaf
The route may go where people live but it condemns the success of the train later on when it is extended towards Federal Way and Tacoma.
The train isn't optimized for airport traffic. It happens to end up at the airport. But the route wanders through disparate neighborhoods, sprawling across the landscape like untidy coils of garden hose across your lawn. It crosses I-5 at least twice; I-5 is straight; the rail right of way is anything but. Route determination was of course heavily political and had everything to do with servicing hyperlocal access demands, nothing to do with speed or efficiency, or getting to SEA faster than driving, or outdoing old, now-cancelled transit alternatives (the old Gray Line Airporter express coach was MUCH better).

The few times I tried it (before moving away from the area) I found it tedious and slow. You know you are dealing with transit rubes when they build something non-competitive and expect you to rally around it anyway, just because it's the only mass transit available.
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