In July, 2009, Seattle became the last of the West's
traditional big cities to begin
operation of a modern light rail route. Central Link goes just under
sixteen
miles from downtown Seattle to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, by way
of the SODO district, a tunnel under Beacon Hill, and then through the
Rainier Valley and Tukwila.
Central Link is a component of Sound Transit, an operating entity serving
three counties. It also runs two commuter rail routes, an extensive express-bus
network, and the short Tacoma Link streetcar line.
This view shows a train at Stadium, the last stop inbound
before the line heads under downtown Seattle. The tallest
skyscraper in the background is the city's highest: Columbia Center,
at 937 feet.
It was an absolutely beautiful summer day at the time this photo was taken,
within hours after Link's opening. |
