Seattle breaks ground on $2.4B light rail system

Public officials and community leaders broke ground Saturday on Seattle's light rail system, which will connect downtown to the southern suburb of Tukwila, Wash. Sound Transit's 14-mile Central Link line is scheduled for completion in 2009 and is expected to move more than 42,000 people a day by 2020. Of the $2.44 billion cost, $2 billion will come from local sources and $500 million will be a federal grant. Light rail is part of Sound Transit's overall plan, which includes express buses and heavy trains, to improve transportation and ease congestion in the Puget Sound region.