At public hearing, Everett commuters say they want to see light rail in their lifetime

EVERETT, Wash. -- Snohomish County commuters say they’re tired of waiting. They don’t think it should take another 25 years to get light rail service.

Right now, Sound Transit is expanding service north to Lynnwood, south to Des Moines and east to Bellevue. They hope to have those routes completed by 2023. Their latest proposal is to expand to Everett, Tacoma, Redmond and Issaquah. But that won’t happen until 2041.

The mayor of Everett says Sound Transit has been promising to bring light rail to his city for decades.

“As far back as 1995, they talked about building a spine from Everett to Tacoma,” says Ray Stephanson.

It hasn’t happened yet, and Sound Transit’s latest proposal to expand the regional light rail system still won’t reach Everett until 2041.

“I can't see why it's taking so long to get here,” says Judy Frederick, who lives in Everett. “Where have the taxes gone that we've been paying?”

That’s what many people asked at a Sound Transit public hearing Monday night. They say if Sound Transit wants Snohomish County taxpayers to approve another $50 billion ballot measure in November, their service should be a priority over places like West Seattle or Ballard.

“I’ve got a 5-year-old and 1-year-old at home,” says Patrick Pierce, CEO of Economic Alliance Snohomish County. “They'll be my age before we see a train coming in this station. I think that's something people just don't see as acceptable.”

Sound Transit says the project will take time, because of the number of stops that need to be built. One option to get to Everett quicker is to eliminate a planned stop at Paine Field. But Pierce doesn’t think that’s the answer.

“I think getting to Paine Field makes a lot of sense for the region,” he says. “If you're building a long-term system, you want to connect it to where all those jobs are.”

Community leaders like Stephanson agree. He says Sound Transit needs to go back to the drawing board.

“2041 is just too long, I think a lot of us want to see this in our lifetime.”

Sound Transit will be taking public comments through Friday, April 29. Go to soundtransit3.org  to learn more, or you can attend one of these public meetings: