New Link Light Rail trains emerge from darkness into the light on a regular basis now. Within a couple of months of the new lines opening, the new smooth, silent trains are still a wonder to those who see them in the Downtown Transit Tunnel. Sound Transit and Metro are still working out operational and signal issues that are plaguing any new system. The "bus tunnel", originally built in the 80's and opened in 1990, housed dual-mode diesel/electric buses until a retrofit in 2005 that readied the tunnel for new light rail service. The remodel took two years. During the time, Sound Transit and Metro installed new rails, centenary, electrical substations, and emergency ventilation systems, and lowered the roadway 2" so trains could be boarded levelly. In the foreground track, three lime road turtles spot a 2-car train. Longer 3-4 car trains are to stop a the next set just down the track. Here, at the south end of the Tunnel, accents of Asian culture dot the concrete and stone, open-air station.
