Could light rail across Lake Washington make Seattle the next Copenhagen?
www.kuow.org
It’s taken 10 years and almost $4 billion. But light rail across Lake Washington should finally open on Saturday. For riders, that means shorter commutes and faster trips to the airport, sporting events, and parks. But economists say the impact could go much further. They point to a surprising example: a bridge in Scandinavia that helped transform two struggling cities into an economic powerhouse.

“Copenhagen is roughly Seattle’s size, by population. Malmö is about as big as Bellevue, Kirkland, and Redmond combined. The bridge carries about 50,000 train riders a day, the same number Sound Transit expects on the 2 Line, which begins service across Lake Washington on Saturday, March 28.

“Economic growth like this is one of the primary motivations for building light rail across Lake Washington.

“Fixed rail systems are proven to be economic development generators,” said King County Councilmember Claudia Balducci. “And the tech companies were some of the loudest advocates for us to build this because they know that you attract talent and you attract jobs when you have a transportation system that people enjoy riding.””

  • altphoto@lemmy.todayEnglish
    8·
    8 days ago

    Probably not. Its cold here. Don’t come. It’s basically night the entire day for 6 months of the year.

      • TaTTe@lemmy.worldEnglish
        3·
        7 days ago

        Probably Copenhagen, since it’s significantly further north. It’s around the same latitude as southern Alaska.

        • altphoto@lemmy.todayEnglish
          11·
          7 days ago

          OK looks like they are. Yeah, moving along, its a big lie. Don’t come here. Specially in spring. Spring here is like big boobs. You see it and you’re fascinated by it. But then you move here and you’re like George Carling’s dog…where the fuck’s the food??? What happened to the sexy boobs? Why is everything around us and every building both wet and green? That (anything with a shape) is green and it’s not even a tree! And why is it still raining? No its sunny, no raining. Actually I came here with my dog but the wind took him… Ah he’s wet and green now. Oh its raining again… 1 years later…ahhhh! Spring is here! The Cherry blossoms! Awesome! This is so coo…oh raining again. Oh.

          Yeah, don’t move here.