West Seattle group launches campaign for gondolas as alternative to light rail December 21, 2020 at 9:19 am High-speed gondolas are used in cities around the country and have been pitched as an option in Seattle before. (AP) A local group is ramping up a push for an alternative to light rail, proposing a network of aerial gondolas that would connect West Seattle to downtown. The group is calling its proposal the West Seattle SkyLink, and recently launched a website and social media presence as part of its advocacy. Activists claim that compared to Sound Transit’s light rail roadmap, aerial gondolas would be cheaper, finish construction faster, and carry the same projected daily ridership. In order to fully service West Seattle, it would entail 100 cabins circling a route pulled by wire, “each with about 10 seats, carrying 4,500 people per hour.”