No Light Rail Between Tacoma and Sea-Tac?
http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/story/270966.html
Basically, a more limited plan for Sound Transit 2 would extend light rail to Overlake on the Eastside, up to Northgate and down to Kent/Des Moines. However, Pierce County would gain more Sounder and bus service.
In exchange, Tacoma Link would be extended from downtown to Tacoma General and TCC, and out to Fife.
Thoughts: This plan is actually more realistic. Light rail should be used to serve a city or smaller area. Heavy rail (Sounder) should be used intercity. Extending Central Link to Northgate and down to Kent/Des Moines allows bus riders and drivers to catch the train into Seattle from points well outside the city. Extending Link out to Overlake supports the growing employment centers of Bellevue and Redmond (and Overlake is actually right next to the Microsoft campus). On the other side, extending Tacoma Link to TCC allows riders to get into downtown from the North End and further points (TCC is the first stop in Tacoma from the Gig Harbor area). Extending it to Fife also allows for connections outside the city.
The question now is, will the voters go for it?
Ben