Crossing the Tracks at East Link Stations

I've enjoyed riding the East Link starter line, and one of the things I've enjoyed is how conveniently the at-grade stations are designed.

To get between platforms at several of the East Link stations, you don't need to take stairs or ramps to go under or over the tracks; you just walk across the track. Sound Transit has learned from some of the problems they've had in the Rainier Valley, and they've designed these crossings very nicely:

Pictured: A crossing at Overlake Village station

The big advantage for users is, this is easy and fast to use. You don't need to rush up and down stairs or ramps; you just open a gate and walk across the track. I've done this many times, and I really like it. These stations are by far the easiest for me to access.

The big advantage for Sound Transit is, this is cheap to build. They don't need to build any of those stairs or ramps, or worry about escalators or elevators failing.

It's a win-win.

So far, this basic design isn't new; it's true in the Rainier Valley stations too. Of course, they aren't quite so easy to get to, since they're in the middle of MLK Blvd. (BelRed station along East Link is in the middle of Spring Blvd, but that's narrower and much less busy than MLK.) What Sound Transit's added here along East Link is new safety measures.

As you can see in the photo above, they've got the typical X-shaped railroad crossing crossbucks that you'll see when crossing a heavy rail line. When a train is coming, the lights flash and a bell rings. When trains are coming from both directions, the sign will light up saying Another Train Coming." None of these actually block you from crossing - you can pull open the gate at any time - but they give you a loud obvious warning.

Also, what you can't see quite so well in the photo above is a gate that you need to open to get onto the track. I think that's a nice measure to make you think rather than casually wandering across.

They open out from the track on both sides, so if you ignore the bell and end up in front of an oncoming train, you can just push to get out.

Unfortunately, the last time I was at Overlake Village Station, the gates didn't quite swing closed - but they degrade gracefully. If they don't help when they're stuck open, at least they don't hurt.

The one problem with these safety measures is that Sound Transit has set the warning bells and lights super-cautiously. I haven't timed them, but it feels like they start well before a train shows up. What's worse, the bells and lights for the crossing on the far side of the station start ringing and flashing as the train is pulling into the station, and continue all the time the train is at the station until it clears the far-side crossing.

A few times already, I've seen someone starting to cross the tracks after the bells start, and getting across well before the train comes. As East Link becomes more popular and more people start running to catch a train, I'm afraid this will become more common. I can hardly blame them, especially if they're on the far side of the station trying to catch the train that's only just pulling in.

But unfortunately, this will get people in the habit of ignoring the warning bells and lights. This will be dangerous in the future. So, I strongly advocate for Sound Transit to retime the warning bells and lights, and specifically, not have them start on the far side of the station for a train that hasn't yet pulled in.

I'm very pleased about these at-grade pedestrian crossings in East Link stations. I hope Sound Transit is watching how well they're working, and as they're looking at improving safety in the Rainier Valley, I hope they take lessons from here.