A surge of fans, tourists and locals drove another record for Seattle’s light-rail system: on Friday, 280,000 trips were recorded. The reason was a combination of the World Cup match between the United States and Australia, which sold out completely, the fully booked home game for the baseball team “Mariners,” and summer crowds in the downtown area. Interestingly, the previous day—Thursday—was also a record: 236,000 passengers, despite the city hosting only one baseball game.
Both figures surpassed the previous high of 219,000 trips recorded on March 28, the day the line opened across Lake Washington, as well as 215,000 during the Seahawks victory parade in February. By way of comparison: at the first World Cup match in Seattle (Egypt vs. Belgium) on June 15, the tram carried 210,000 people. If the U.S. team reaches the round of 16, scheduled for July 6, the numbers could be even higher, said Henry Bandon, a representative of the Sound Transit transportation agency. Sound Transit is the regional transportation authority that coordinates the construction and operation of high-speed rail transit (Link Light Rail), commuter trains (Sounder) and express bus routes. This organization manages the entire light-rail network in Seattle, connecting the city with the suburbs and the airport.
To cope with a flow of more than a quarter of a million passengers, staff took unusual measures. The “International District/Chinatown” station is a key transfer hub between light-rail lines, bus routes and taxis. It makes it easy for passengers to get to downtown Seattle, the University of Washington campus and Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. The surrounding neighborhood is the oldest Asian-American district in the United States, known for its historic shops, restaurants and cultural centers, which makes it popular with tourists and locals alike. After the football match, people were redirected from the overcrowded “International District/Chinatown” station to “Pioneer Square” for boarding the northbound trains. Temporary green signs made movement along the platforms one-way to avoid overcrowding. Fortunately, the busy days passed without major breakdowns—just one technical glitch on Line 2 on Thursday evening forced trains to turn back at “Northgate.”
As for Thursday, operators noted that people were taking short trips throughout the day, especially around the “Westlake” and “Pioneer Square” stations. Passengers were riding to fan zones for the football match, the famous Pike Place Market and other places to stroll. A large number of trips were also headed to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, although exact statistics are not yet available. Overall, Thursday went smoothly: queues outside the stations barely formed—except for a small crowd after the baseball game outside “Chinatown.”
Based on: Seattle light rail ridership just beat its last World Cup-driven record - The Seattle Times