Photo by Oran
Photo by Oran

Hopefully for real this time! A group of excited transit geeks (myself included) waited patiently 9:00am Monday at International District Station for the first Link train to roll through, only to find out that testing was canceled due to a problem with the tunnel’s control system.

Fortunately multiple sources report that testing will indeed begin tomorrow (Wednesday May 20th). A few of us will be back at International District Station around 10am to ogle. If you’re in the area, be sure to stop by and join the excitement!

Sound Transit plans to give bus and train operators two months of real-time experience before service begins in just under 60 days.

13 Replies to “Link testing in DSTT starts tomorrow”

  1. I’d love to be there, but I have two midterms and a presentation. Take lots of pictures!

  3. Rats, I have a meeting at 10 but I’ll hang around until 9:30.

    I received word that there’s going to be some press event at 10 right?

  4. “…but I have two midterms and a presentation….”
    “…I have a meeting at 10….”
    “…Crummy! I have a meeting at 11….”

    You mean you guys actually have lives outside of STB? ;-)

    Best,

    David

  6. Saw one in Westlake station a little after 10 heading southbound. Those things are huge compared to the S.L.U.T and the buses. Very excited now! I added my iPhone pics to the pool.

    1. Nice. The trains seemed to stop running northbound after 11 am for some reason. We stood in Westlake for more than 40 minutes without a train passing by. We also saw two guys running across the roadway.

      1. This testing of Sound Transit’s trains in a unique mixed-mode environment that puts buses and trains in one flow is not like turning on a light by throwing a switch and having it glow without interruption. There will be many interruptions of the testing program in the days ahead, I expect. Full dress rehearsal when everything needs to be working perfectly is early July.

        Pre-revenue testing is described by Federal Transit Administration at http://www.fta.dot.gov/publications/reports/other_reports/planning_environment_1341.html . Check it out.

        You may not recall that once upon a time there was a technical recommendation made to the Sound Transit Board that joint bus-rail operations in the DSTT should not be attempted. And I’m not talking about the report I wrote on the topic in 2001 … it was back in the 1990s with the original plan of light rail from NE 45th to Lander Street, the plan that crashed just as Joni Earl was coming on board.

      2. It shouldn’t be that difficult with modern signaling equipment and software. I mean we put men on the moon forty years ago, but running buses and trains together is too technically challenging? Please.

Comments are closed.