The train to SeaTac is a 21st century option

SeaTac airport is about half an hour closer to La Conner now that Sound Transit’s Link light rail service extends to Northgate.

As a frequent commuter between SeaTac and Skagit Station in Mount Vernon, I’m thrilled.

The public transit journey still has three legs and takes more than three hours, but the tedious traffic jams between Northgate and downtown Seattle are history. The whole trip costs about $8, compared to $40+ for the two-hour trip on the Airporter shuttle and keeps critical carbon emissions out of the atmosphere.

Northbound or south, I enjoy the trip. Getting around on public transit makes me feel smart, resourceful and adventurous. I love the behind-the-scenes views of familiar sites like Dagmar’s Marina, gorgeous panoramas of Snohomish County peaks and snapshots of diverse and laidback south Seattle neighborhoods. All were new to me.

To get to the airport on public transit, you’ll need a roller suitcase, an Orca card and two dollars. Two dollars pays for your trip to Everett on Skagit Transit. In Everett, you can buy an Orca card, good for the rest of your trip. If you’re using public transit round trip, put $20 on your card. You can add more money online at www.myorca.com

Start on the 90X SKAT bus. It makes 12 roundtrips to Everett on weekdays between 5:40 a.m. and 6:25 p.m. and five roundtrips between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. on weekends. Check the schedule at http://www.skagittransit.org. Buy a coffee at Skagit Station in Mount Vernon, give your two dollars (one, if you’re over 65) to the driver and see our beautiful county from a new perspective as you start your trip south. Everett station will be the last stop.

From Everett, you can catch a double-decker 512 Sound Transit bus every 15 minutes (see http://www.soundtransit.org). Pick up your Orca card at the customer service office or autopay machine and get a second latte or use the bathroom inside the soaring Everett Station. Swipe your Orca card as you board the 512. You will visit a few Park ‘n Ride stations on the 40 minutes to the last stop, the Northgate Link light rail station.

At Northgate, trains come every 12-15 minutes. The trip to SeaTac takes about 55 minutes. Swipe your Orca card at a reader before you board and again after you disembark at the airport. After 30 minutes underground, you will cruise through industrial south Seattle and a jumble of neighborhoods that mix expensive townhomes and condos with Vietnamese grocery stores, nail salons and halal butchers. Watch for the Duwamish River, the Boeing Field runway and Mount Rainier.

The walk from the SeaTac station to your gate is why you brought a roller suitcase. The long trek is made shorter if you hop onto one of the free electric carts that take you to the terminal.

Returning from California recently, I boarded the light rail at 12:40 p.m. and arrived at Skagit Station around 3:55 p.m. On the 512 I chatted with a traveler who had been with me on the train, too. She was visiting and perhaps buying into Sunnyside Village, a cohousing community in Marysville. Before we parted ways in Everett, I learned plenty about cohousing.

Public transportation within sparsely populated Skagit County will always be challenging. Replacing an 80-mile car trip to the airport, at least during the day, is feasible. (You’ll still need the Bellingham Airporter or your car for 6 a.m. or late-night flights.) If you don’t want to commit to the full 90X-512-light rail itinerary, you can still lower your emissions and traffic hassles by having someone drop you off or pick you up at Everett or Northgate.

Ready to give it a try?

I am sold.