Slide show: Riding the rails into Puget Sound history

Published 4:52 pm Saturday, July 18, 2009

Saturday was a day of history for local commuters as well as train buffs.

On a sunny, warm morning promising a hot afternoon, the Sound Transit Link Light Rail train glided into the Tukwila International Boulevard Station. It was a poignant moment, for the Sound Transit employees and government officials who had gathered at the spacious station to watch the train slow, and finally come to a halt.

The doors to the empty train slid open as if they’d been oiled.

It was time to officially roll.

The ride marked a new age for commuting in south King County. The $2.3 billion line now whisks riders from Tukwila to Westlake, with trains running every 10 to 15 minutes.

By December 31, the line will be extended to nearby Sea Tac Airport, giving passengers an easy, quick launch into Seattle.

That kind of rail service is a first for the modern-day Puget Sound region.

During Saturday’s ribbon-cutting ceremony, the significance of that was not lost on Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels, who helped Tukwila Mayor Jim Haggerton wield a giant pair of scissors at the ribbon, signifying the start of the rail service.

Referring to the generation of children now growing up in the Puget Sound area, Nickels noted, “they will never know a region that didn’t have link rail.”