Sound Transit Unveils Virtual Tour of West Seattle Link Extension; Dropping One Station Saves Over $2 Billion
Seattle is a city in King County, Washington. Sound Transit has released a "flyover" virtual tour of the West Seattle Link Extension, taking viewers on a simulated ride on the future Link 3 Line from a reconstructed SODO station to the Alaska Junction Station in West Seattle. The project is expected to open in 2035.
According to Railway Age's October 13 report, the 3.9-mile extension will add three new stations — SODO, Delridge and Alaska Junction — and is part of the regional transit system expansion approved by voters in November 2016. The tour represents the project's progress in reaching the 30 percent design milestone in July, rendering design decisions into a 3D model that includes site-specific geotechnical information gathered through fieldwork. When the 3 Line connects to the regional light rail network, travel time between Alaska Junction and Westlake will drop from approximately 30 minutes to about 16 minutes, the transit agency said.
Sound Transit reported that over the past 18 months, work on the project has focused on identifying, evaluating and implementing measures to reduce project cost and community impacts. The most notable change is the removal of Avalon Station; eliminating it shifts more of the route to a tunnel, reducing project cost and community impacts as well as the number of properties needed for construction. In total, the agency said it identified over $2 billion in cost savings while keeping stations at SODO, Delridge and Alaska Junction.
Sound Transit said it will work in the coming months to confirm these design refinements with the Federal Transit Administration, and will continue engaging communities on station design and access projects, development near stations, public art and construction planning.
(Source: Railway Age; Railway Track and Structures)
Source: Railway Age; Railway Track and Structures
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: Sound Transit Link 轻轨列车（资料图）。图片来源：Wikimedia Commons · Oran Viriyincy 摄，CC BY-SA 2.0 授权
