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Originally Posted by M1EK
I'm not denying anything vigorously other than that commuter rail + bus transfer isn't going to attract a lot of people who weren't predisposed to take the bus anyways (and we already have much better bus service straight to those destinations).
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The Lakewood/Tacoma/Seattle buses go straight into downtown, further than the Sounder. They take 6,011 riders a day, compared to the nearly 9500 on the Sounder from Tacoma to Seattle, which stops half a mile from the south end of the CBD. In fact, the Tacoma - Seattle express bus stops in almost on the Columbia Center's doorstep.
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In Sounder's case, the commuter rail is a very different beast - going straight into downtown Seattle, far closer to some major employment centers than anything Austin's line hits.
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It is half a mile, as I said, from the base of the Columbia center. It's also at the bottom of a hill and crosses several strange intersections. The tracks are also at the bottom of stairs. Half a mile from the commuter rail station in Austin puts you at 8th and Congress. Add another 2 tenths of a mile and you're practically at the Capitol. On flat ground, I might add. That's beyond the bulk of office space that downtown Austin holds (isn't the Frost Bank Tower around a quarter of a mile away?). It's almost a mile to the center of the main office space in Seattle.
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And in the ferry's case, those people's other options (other than the long-ish walk for some) are to pay a LOT of money (10-15 bucks) to drive their car on the ferry, or spend a LOT more time driving the long way - neither scenario is remotely applicable here. We have to compete against CHEAP driving that DOESN'T take an hour more time each way than the transit alternative.
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In good traffic, It's 1h15m from Bremerton to Seattle on the Ferry or 1h21m if crossing through Tacoma. It would also be cheaper unless gas prices spiked above $4.00 or more, given average fuel economy.
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