Hundreds Turn Out for Save Ballard Rail March

While on the chopping block and facing major light rail delays, Seattle's Ballard and Interbay neighborhoods made it clear at a rally Sunday they are not going down without a fight. Around 300 people turned out to Ballard's Gemenskap Park to hear speeches from political leaders and organizers before marching nearly four miles south along 15th Avenue to Smith Cove.

Citywide Seattle Councilmember Alexis Mercedes Rinck, King County Councilmember Jorge Barón (District 4), and State Senator Noel Frame (D-Ballard, 36th Legislative District) delivered speeches that fired up the crowd and underscored how hotly anticipated the light rail connection to 15th and Market Street is.

"I proudly represent the 20% of Seattle households who do not own a car and rely on a robust transit system to get them where they need to go. That is important for a healthy, vibrant city," Rinck said. "And just a few weeks ago, I joined alongside 217,000 people who showed up for the Crosslake [2 Line] Link connection. 217,000 people. Think about that. That's the second busiest day in Sound Transit history. People who have never ridden light rail before showing up. Because when you build it, people come. When you keep your promise, people show up. What this city feels like when transit actually works: it feels like freedom. It feels like belonging. It feels like we built something together that belongs to all of us."

A newly formed coalition called Save Ballard Rail organized the march and its leaders say they were shocked by the turnout, which was about triple what was expected. The group threw a kickoff rally at a Ballard brewery earlier this month, where they warmed up their talking points and rallying cries. Even with short notice, hundreds turned out Sunday.

https://www.theurbanist.org/hundreds-turn-out-for-save-ballard-rail-march/