Sound Transit opened a the new reverse-commute “City of Destiny” train (a Seattle-to-Tacoma route).
From the press release:

Today Sound Transit announced expanded Sounder commuter rail service starting September 24th that includes two new weekday round trips on the south corridor and one on the north corridor. The new south corridor trains include the introduction of a new “reverse commute” train that will run from Seattle to Tacoma in the morning and return northbound in the evening.

The reverse commute train will for the first time enable commuters to ride Sounder to jobs in South King County and Pierce County. The additional runs expand Sounder service hours in both the north and south corridors, with the first train starting at 5 a.m. and the last train making its final stop at 6:55 p.m.

More trains, more hours, and the new reverse commute train all add up to more choices for commuters who want to ride Sounder commuter rail and leave traffic behind.

Pretty awesome! I have been doing reverse commutes for years, first from San Francisco to San Jose, and now from Seattle to Redmond, and this is going to open possibilities for economic growth through that corridor, and give people more options to work where they want, and live where they please.

So what kind of commutes do you guys have? Anyone else do a reverse commute?

9 Replies to “City of Destiny Train Opens!”

  1. I used to commute from Portland to Hillsboro, but now I commute from Lake City to the U-district, so that’s not a reverse commute.

  2. I used to do a downtown Portland-to-Tigard commute which took about 15 minutes. Driving the other way took about 30 mins to an hour, depending on if it was a Friday or not. But then the reverse commute got pretty bad too.

  3. Although not a reverse commuter myself, I have rode SOUNDER a few times to see how it is doing. A reverse trip is needed, to maximize equipment utilization as more trains are added. I like the name for the Reverse Commmute, but I hope they do not call the Seattle-bound trains after what they called the Tacoma-Seattle portion of the old NP Main before Great Northern came, the Orphan Road!

    Now who would ride a reverse commute to Kent? Jurors and other employees at the Regional Justice Center. It provides riders for the current trains.

  4. I think “reverse commute” needs to be in quotes these days. Especially Seattle-to-Eastside, which actually has a higher traffic volume than the other way ’round. The distinctions are blurring.

  5. I think this is a great step forward for rail transit in the Puget Sound, I hope the ridership is high enough to prove its worth. I don’t reverse commute, but it is my hope that someday soon Sounder will run on Saturdays in both directions. I like the 590 don’t get me wrong. Especially since the weekends is mostly the nice coach buses. Or at least when I have rode.

  6. No, Actually, there are still more Seattle-Eastside commutes than Eastside-Seattle commutes. I think it’s 55-45.

  8. It just feels like there’s more Sea–>East commuters because there are less lanes (I-90 extra bridge favors the primary commute direction).

    I used to do Sea–>Bellevue, but recently switched to Sea–>Sea. I highly recommend removing your commute – I’ve freed up countless hours of life.

    -Matt the Engineer

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