Scoop: Light Rail by Numbers

At press time, Sound Transit planned to open the region’s much anticipated new light rail link—between the Westlake station in downtown Seattle and the Tukwila International Boulevard station—on July 18. We’re eager to see if it makes the deadline and how the numbers stack up.

$2.3 Billion: Amount spent on the Tukwila-to-Westlake link

14: Number of miles between the two stations

$250,000: Amount steel supplier David Appleby could be fined for falsifying documents and misrepresenting the strength of the steel used to support sections of the elevated track in Tukwila. (He’s also facing 5 years in prison.)

5: Years since construction began

$0: Cost of a ticket on opening weekend

$1.75: Base fare for a ticket after opening day

30: Minutes it will take riders to travel from Westlake to Tukwila (about the same as a car commute, minus the stress)

$124: Proposed citation for fare dodgers