Construction has begun on a 14 mile rail link connecting Seattle-Tacoma International airport to downtown Seattle. The light rail will begin operating in 2009, initially carrying passengers between 12 stations.
The Downtown Seattle Transit Tunnel and its existing stations are being refitted for joint use by both light rail trains and buses. Developer Sound Transit is also building new light rail stations near the sports stadiums and at Lander Street just south of downtown Seattle; at Beacon Hill; at McClellan, Henderson, Othello and Edmunds Streets in the Rainier Valley; and in Tukwila.
Soon after this initial segment of the light rail line opens, Sound Transit will open a 1.7-mile extension to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, adding a thirteenth station.
Sound Transit spokesperson Geoff Patrick told ABTN: "The line between Downtown Seattle and Tukwila is scheduled to open in July 2009, and the 1.7-mile extension from Tukwila to the airport is scheduled to open in December 2009. During the several-month gap we”ll be providing free shuttle service for light rail passengers between the airport and Tukwila station."