I enjoyed everything about my first visit to Seattle after 11 years, except for the mess at the Sea-Tac airport. So, I was determined to take the Link Light Rail from downtown to Sea-Tac at the end of my visit. (I was also told by a friend that rental car picked up at the airport is usually more expensive, another reason to take a public transportation to the Sea-Tac.) Finding the entrance to the Light Rail was not easy, because it is not marked. Most people would start the trip by taking a bus to the "bus tunnel," from where it's easy to get to the Light Rail. When we finally found the entrance (next to the Nordstrom store), the adventure continued... First, I didn't read every small sign on the way down to the platform. I just wanted to get there. I didn't even bother to use the elevator at the end, just carried my luggage and walked downstairs. When I got there, I didn't know what the Light Rail looked like, and asked a guy in uniform. He said this is where you get on the rail. I looked around and didn't see how I could get a ticket. So, I was sent back upstairs; this time, I used the elevator. Someone helped me to start the conversation with the ticket machine, and the rest was easy. A one-way ticket costs $2.75, and can be purchased using a credit card. No one was there to check the ticket, and we all got on the rail. I was curious about the system, and started to look around. There were some handouts, one of which says "A fine of USD 124" for not having the ticket (or not using the pre-paid card correctly). I wondered if anyone would dare to get on a cheap rail and risk the fine of USD 124. Midway, two guys in uniform showed up to check tickets. To my surprise, two people were "caught" without proper "tickets." One looked like a foreigner (non-Asian), who held dollar bills in her hand. She was lectured, but not fined. The other looked like a student in college. He was told that he didn't initiate the pre-paid card properly, and was put into the city data base for the record. Both were NOT fined. Clearly, the system is still new, and the fine will not come any time soon. The goal is to educate people! Link to the SoundTransit in Seattle: http://www.soundtransit.org/Rider-Guide/Link-light-rail.xml
标签: Rail
