Sound Transit Unveils Plan to Boost Initial Lynnwood Link Frequencies
When the Lynnwood Link Extension opens later this year, service levels are expected to be better than projected by Sound Transit planners last fall thanks to a plan to stash additional trains at elevated stations overnight. It’s genuinely good news for riders, but to do it there will be more near-term pain for riders to prepare the fleet.
On Thursday, agency staff told the board members at the Rider Experience and Operations Committee meeting that the improved peak-hour service levels are being made possible by more overnight storage of light rail vehicles (LRVs) along the 1 Line corridor. An extra 36 LRVs will find overnight storage at three stations and the Operations and Maintenance Facility Central (OMF-C), with 12 LRVs at Northgate and Angle Lake stations each, eight LRVs at SeaTac/Airport station, and four LRVs at OMF-C.
With extra vehicles on hand, Sound Transit will be able to improve frequencies to every eight minutes during weekday peak hours using four-car trains. Last fall, the agency had forecast service levels closer to every ten minutes during weekday peak hours with some trips only having three-car trains. Officials warned that would likely translate to crowding issues on trains.
The near-term train shortage issue stems in part from not having access to Operations and Maintenance Facility East’s storage capacity in Bellevue until East Link fully opens across Lake Washington in 2025, connecting the 2 Line into the network.
https://www.theurbanist.org/2024/03/09/sound-transit-unveils-plan-to-boost-initial-lynnwood-link-frequencies-25/