Clanging bells ring along Link light rail

Train noise is hardly noticeable in Rainier Valley, where most of the Link light-rail line's neighbors live. But the clang of automated train bells can be heard two to four blocks away.

The high-pitched dings are meant to alert pedestrians and motorists. Nearby buildings dampen the volume, but a person next to Martin Luther King Jr. Way South might hear the sounds every 3 ½ minutes or so at peak times, every 5 minutes most times, and 7 ½ minutes apart in the wee hours.

Jenna Walden, president of the Othello Neighborhood Association, said she's heard only a couple of people grumble about the bells.

"It doesn't bother me. It's kind of nice to hear," said Eunice Ransom, a nurse who lives in a corner house a block away.

The Venerable Thich Dong Trung, master of the Duoc Su Temple, notices the clanging when he's in bed, even though he lives next to a tree-covered courtyard two blocks off the line. Trains run from 5 a.m. to 1 a.m., so residents who must sleep and wake up early for work are affected, he said.

He reminds himself that the bells come with a new transit system for the city.

"For me, I try to understand the conditions of society," he said. "We are living here, and our members try to fit in. For me, it is not to complain, and for my members. We try to get along."

Heading south from Othello Station, as train speeds increase to 35 mph along a slight downhill curve, the wheels can be heard squeaking somewhat.

Mike Lindblom: 206-515-5631 or mlindblom@seattletimes.com