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Around the Sound

How to get to Seattle on the bus

Close to JBLM, Lakewood Station offers a great starting point to the Sound Transit system, which covers the South Sound area. Photo credit: J.M. Simpson

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Last Sunday morning, I took a seat on a Sound Transit Express bus.

The driver was courteous; the vehicle clean.

A few minutes later, the bus departed Lakewood Station at exactly 7 a.m. Seventy minutes later, the bus stopped in front of Century Link Field in Seattle. I got off and hiked into the Emerald City's International District for breakfast and then over to Pike Place Market to take in the sights.

The cost to me - from Lakewood to the Market - totaled $3.75.  Getting back would cost me exactly the same. I spent nothing on gas and parking; and someone else did the driving.

Blaise Pascal would appreciate that. A 17th century French mathematical prodigy, he created the first bus system in 1662. His system consisted of seven horse-drawn vehicles running along routes throughout Paris at very reasonable costs.

Since 1999, Sound Transit has followed the same route.

Sound Transit offers an inexpensive way to travel throughout the South Sound by express bus, light rail and commuter rail. Sound Transit Express (ST Express) is a network of regional express buses. The routes connect major regional hubs throughout 53 cities in King, Pierce and Snohomish counties. Most routes operate seven days a week and, when available, use various express lanes.

Another element to Sound Transit is the Link Light Rail. Currently, the system consists of two lines: The Tacoma Link is a streetcar line operating in downtown Tacoma; the Central Link connects from the University of Washington in Seattle to SEA-TAC Airport.

The heavyweight of the transit team is the Sounder Commuter Rail. Operated by Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railroad on behalf of Sound Transit, the Sounder runs Monday through Friday during peak hours from Seattle north to Everett and south to Lakewood.

Also, additional Sounder trains operate on some Saturdays and Sundays for travel to and from Seahawks, Sounders and Mariners games at Century Link and Safeco Fields, respectively.

"You can't beat the price and the scheduling," commented the guy sitting next to me on the way back to Lakewood. "It's an inexpensive way to get around the Sound."

For more information, visit www.soundtransit.org.

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