- The promise is to deliver light-rail to Lynnwood and north Federal Way by 2023, as well as the east-west line from Seattle to Overlake (near Microsoft headquarters) by 2021. A modest bus increase would start next year, while Sounder commuter trains would almost double their capacity by 2015 between Pierce County and Seattle. This could help traffic congestion.
- Seattle’s Mayor Greg Nickels is on the pro side; he says “The proposed light rail system is capable of serving as many users as local freeways, as population grows, streets will eventually become too crowded for a bus-based system to function.”
- Proposition 1 would boost Sound Transit's sales tax by a nickel per $10 purchase, or $125 for an average household next year, for at least 30 years. Businesses that pay sales taxes could likely pass some costs to consumers.
- Opponents argue that the rail plan ignores the much needed north-south service along the I-405 corridor.
- The Sound Transit’s history of cost overruns and delays. Case in point: A $2.7 billion rail line from downtown to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport will open late next year. The Rail will not reach Capitol Hill and the University of Washington until 2016, a decade late.
- Others say the trains won't be full, because the vast majority of people prefer to drive. By the time the rail is built, a large number of commuters will have converted to plug-in electric hybrid cars or other cleaner fuels.
Where It Stands
The local press has pointed out that an Eastside bus-rapid transit system, including stations, could be built for about $1 billion. If the lines operate on high-occupancy lanes on I-405, no tax increase would be needed, as Sound Transit would collect enough money through existing taxes.
In addition, local developers and businesses (including Microsoft) have contributed a combined total of $123,000 so far to support progress of a plan that appears better than no plan at all. Overall, Eastside supporters are counting on local, young Barack Obama supporters to put the measure over the top, in a high-turnout presidential year.