Light-rail use grows 8 percent in May

Ridership on Sound Transit's new light-rail line increased another 8 percent last month.

The Link route from Westlake Center to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport averaged 21,774 average weekday boardings, compared to 20,129 in April. Spokesman Bruce Gray said the growth simply reflects more people becoming familiar with a high quality transit line. Many of the top days included fans going to Mariners baseball games.

Sound Transit previously issued a 26,600-rider target by late 2010, for ridership on the $2.6 billion corridor. Construction has begun on a $1.9 billion tunnel north from Westlake Center to densely populated Capitol Hill and Husky Stadium, to open in 2016.

Rail opponent Mike Ennis of the Washington Policy Center, in a statement Tuesday, said "we are spending billions upon billions in public money on trains that will mean very little to our overall transportation system." Citing government forecasts, he said rail transit would serve only about 1 percent of all regional trips, long-term.