Sound Transit in Seattle area operates Siemens S700 light rail vehicles (LRVs), similar to the ones SacRT is using for its Light Rail Modernization Project. Dan Allison, STAR Action Team Lead, recently visited Seattle and used the LINK 1-Line light rail system a number of times.
LINK 1-Line is all grade-separated, not street-running, and the central core of the system is underground, so is different in that way from the SacRT light rail system. Probably most significantly, Sound Transit, which is a regional transit agency for the Seattle area of King, Snohomish, and Pierce counties, has been supported by voters three times, and can provide high-quality transit.
An earlier STAR post, Portland & Seattle light rail boarding, covered the LINK system in 2022-06-08, but that was before the SacRT S700 LRVs were in service. It is now possible to make a comparison between the two systems, with several key differences:
S700 Model
The Siemens S700 models used by Sound Transit are 95 feet long (28.94 m), a standard configuration of the S700, with a passenger capacity of 87 riders per car. In contrast, SacRT uses the Siemens S700 US, ultra-short, version of the LRV, 81.4 feet long (24.8 m), with a capacity of 72 riders per car. Even when full packed with riders, the Sound Transit vehicles feel more spacious, whereas the SacRT vehicles feel cramped even when not full. The regular Sound Transit version allows more room for wheelchair users to maneuver inside the car, whereas observations of users on SacRT indicate there is not easy maneuvering.
True Level Boarding
The Seattle LINK 1-Line platforms are true level-boarding, with platform heights 14 inches above top-of-rail. No deployable ramps are necessary. People with mobility devices can use any and all doors of the train, they are not restricted to half the doors. People with mobility devices are treated equally with all other riders.
Bicycle Storage
The Siemens S700 LRVs used for LINK 1-Line offer six bicycle storage locations per car. Though bicycle use was not heavy any of the times I was on the train, there was ample room on the car for bicycles. The bicycle storage area is very clearly signed. SacRT LRVs have no dedicated bicycle storage area, and the signing in one corner in front of the doors is not clear.
Communication with wheelchair users
The Seattle S700 LRVs have a call button installed at every wheelchair position, which allows the rider to ask the operator for more time to de-board. SacRT does not offer this.
On-board displays
The route and destination displays are much more useful than the ones on SacRT. As shown, it indicates the next or current station, and several future stations. Though there are announcements of the next station, they are not the repeated and obnoxious announcements of the SacRT system, which squeezes in three announcements between every station. And the announcements and displays are correct, which is not true of SacRT at many stations.
Sacramento Transit Advocates and Riders (STAR) 
Thanks, Dan. This is illuminating, as well as discouraging. But, knowledge is power, and this comparison list can be a very useful tool in our future discourse about this topic.
LikeLike