Crossing Pacific With Sound Transit and The Sounder

Rec’d via email:

Since last year, Sound Transit and more recently, the city of Tacoma are saying that Heavy rail line is an absolute necessity in order to carry commuters from the current Sounder stop at freighthouse square on to Lakewood and further south.

Why can Portland, San Francisco, LA and every other recent embracer of public rail transportation find Light rail sufficient to effectively move passengers when Sound Transit can’t?  The reasons given for wanting heavy rail are somewhat glib and dismissive: such as: it’s too late to change our design, light rail isn’t meant to go long distances or light rail (the link) wouldn’t be “fast’ enough. It seems to be deemed fast enough to move people from downtown seattle to the airport-or from concord to daly city on BART in the bay area…  Light rail has many benefits over heavy rail: it is safer, quieter, cheaper and more flexibly rerouted…

Perhaps it’s because there is another agenda, and perhaps that agenda involves using the heavy rail lines to allow freight to share in the use, and the expense of the lines’ development. Perhaps it’s the link between Ft. Lewis (the military) and downtown/port via rail.

What is Tacoma Rail’s interest in this line?

Regardless of the reason; (although the true reason for this decision should be made public and justified to the public who will be paying for it) bringing freight through the dome district, with at grade crossings, bells, horns and switching would certainly limit any potential growth in the area. There are big questions about the wisdom of pursuing a course of actions simply because it is already in motion and I think this is a time when we should look at the wisdom of this choice.

Thank you