From now on, board the third car if you want to avoid crowds like this.

Photo by SounderBruce

Sound Transit will be rolling out increased capacity on Link Light Rail beginning Monday, featuring twelve 3-car trains from opening of service to at least end of PM peak, seven AM peak-only 2-car trains, and seven 2-car trains in the PM peak that will stay out through close of service. On event nights, all 3-car trains will stay out, and the 2-car trains will come back to base at the end of PM peak.

What that means for those of you waiting for a train on a weekday, delineated by time of day, is as follows:

Before 6 am: Expect a 3-car train. Stand to the left of the last between-car-barrier, and board the third car, for maximum spaciousness.

6 am to 9 am: You have a 12-in-19 chance of your train being a 3-car train. Stand near the left-most between-car-barrier between the second and third car , and be prepared for either length.

Between-car-barriers / photo by Matthew Bates

9 am to 3 pm: Expect a 3-car train. Stand to the left of the last between-car-barrier, and board the third car, for maximum spaciousness.

3 pm to 6 pm: You have a 12-in-19 chance of your train being a 3-car train. Stand near the left-most between-car-barrier between the second and third car , and be prepared for either length.

6 pm to close on Mariners game nights and other major event nights: Expect a 3-car train. Stand to the left of the last between-car-barrier, and board the third car, for maximum spaciousness.

6 pm to close on non-event weeknights: You have a 5-in-12 chance of your train being a 3-car train. Stand near the left-most between-car-barrier between the second and third car , and be prepared for either length.

Weekends and holidays have been all 3-car trains for most of the past year. However, most riders have not caught on. So stand to the left of the last between-car-barrier, and board the third car, for maximum spaciousness.

If you are boarding in the transit tunnel, there are no between-car-barriers yet, so just stand toward the left end of the platform any time besides weekday peak and weekday evenings.

In Westlake Station, there are floor markers showing where the doors of the first two cars are, so use them to judge where the break would be between the second and third car. Please don’t stand on the arrows pointing away from the train. They are there to provide a clear path for riders to disembark.

Westlake Station door marker / photo by SounderBruce