Tacoma Link
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Tacoma Link at the Tacoma Dome Station.
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| Overview | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Type | Light rail | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| System | Link Light Rail | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Termini |
Tacoma Dome Theater District/S 9th St |
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| Stations | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Daily ridership | 3,447 (May 2016, weekdays) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Operation | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Opened | August 22, 2003 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Owner | Sound Transit | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Operator(s) | Sound Transit | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Technical | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Line length | 1.6 mi (2.6 km) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Number of tracks | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Track gauge | 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Electrification | 750 V DC, overhead | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Operating speed | max 25 miles per hour (40 km/h); avg <13 miles per hour (20.9 km/h) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Highest elevation | At grade | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Tacoma Link is a 1.6-mile (2.6 km) light rail line located in Tacoma, Washington. Completed in 2003, this streetcar line connects the downtown core to the Tacoma Dome Station combined parking garage and transit hub. The service is currently free of charge, but a $1.50 fare is planned to be collected after the opening of the Hilltop extension in 2022.
A century ago Tacoma, like many American cities, had an extensive rail transit system. The first two streetcar lines in Tacoma were constructed in 1888 along the lengths of Pacific Avenue and Tacoma Avenue. A pair of horses pulled each of the yellow streetcars. The lines were a success from the start, carrying many passengers, and were very soon thereafter extended. From these few lines others sprang up, each emanating from Downtown Tacoma into the surrounding areas, allowing for houses and business areas to develop. At its peak the Tacoma Railway and Power Company was transporting in the range of 30,000,000 passengers a year, a number still not reached by the modern Pierce Transit. However, because of increasing government subsidies for road construction (some of which were paid for by transit riders) the trolleys were finding it more difficult to operate in an environment increasingly dominated by personal automobiles and taxis. The year that US 99 was completed commuter traffic between Tacoma and Seattle via the electric Interurban fell off nearly 40%, signaling the end of the trolley era. The last streetcars in Tacoma ran on June 11, 1938. The system was replaced with brand new rubber-tired buses that could more easily move in and out of the growing amounts of traffic in downtown. However, the system failed again and was eventually acquired by Tacoma, becoming the precursor of Pierce Transit.
Tacoma Link takes about 10 minutes to traverse its entire 1.6 mile route from the Tacoma Dome Station to the Theater District/ S. 9th St. Station. Tacoma Link service begins at 5AM on weekdays, 7:48AM on Saturdays, and 9:48AM on Sundays. Service ends at 10:10PM on weekdays and Saturdays and 5:48PM on Sundays.
Tacoma Link currently operates with the following headways:
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Wikipedia