Sound Transit

Infobox Public transit
name = Sound Transit


imagesize = 200px
ia
locale = Puget Sound, Washington
transit_type = Bus, Regional rail, light rail
began_operation = 1993
lines = 27
ridership =
operator = Community Transit, Metro Transit, Pierce Transit

Sound Transit has been the popular name of Washington state's Central Puget Sound Regional Transit Authority since 1996. It was formed in 1993 by the Snohomish, King, and Pierce County Councils. It operates express bus, commuter rail, and light rail service in the region and constructs capital projects in support and expansion of those services.

Express Bus

Sound Transit's express bus fleet is operated by local transit authorities Community Transit, Metro Transit, and Pierce Transit. Its Regional Express Bus Service provides service to cities in all three counties, including Seattle, Redmond, Issaquah, Lakewood, Bellevue, Auburn, Federal Way, Gig Harbor, Everett and Tacoma.

Light Rail

Sound Transit's light rail system consists of a 1.6-mile line known as the Tacoma Link, in Tacoma connecting the city's Theater District, Convention Center, train station, and Tacoma Dome arena.

Future plans

The Central Link, a 15.7 mile light rail line running between downtown Seattle and Sea-Tac Airport via the Rainier Valley, is currently under construction, scheduled to open in 2009.

The University Link is a 3.15 mile extension of the Link Light Rail system that is currently in the final design process. Construction on the line is expected to begin in 2009 with completion in 2016. The line will connect downtown Seattle to the University of Washington via Capitol Hill. The line will be underground for its entire route and cost about $1.5 billion with half of the funding expected to come from a grant from the Federal Transit Administration.

Proposition 1 will be presented to votes in November 2008 to decide whether to add 36 additional miles of light rail.

Sound Transit 2

2007 Vote

Sound Transit 2 (ST2) was part of a joint ballot measure with the Regional Transportation Investment District entitled Roads and Transit, which was presented to Snohomish, King, and Pierce county voters on November 6 2007. Sound Transit 2 would have made a number of mass transit related improvements. [cite news | url=http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/transportation/313393_sound27.html| title=Sound Transit expansion ballot-bound | publisher=Seattle Post-Intelligencer | author=Larry Lange | date=2007-04-26 | accessdate=2007-04-27] These changes included almost 50 miles in new light rail lines, four new parking garages, two new Sounder stations, a streetcar line connecting First Hill, Capitol Hill, and the International District, a transit center in Bothell, and two expansion studies, one for studying rapid transit across the SR-520 floating bridge and the other studying the use of the Woodinville Subdivision between Renton and Woodinville. [cite web | url=http://www.soundtransit.org/x5513.xml | title=Sound Transit completes major transit expansion package for November Roads & Transit vote | publisher=Sound Transit | date=2007-04-26 | accessdate=2007-04-27] The ballot measure was defeated by voters. [cite news| url=http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/transportation/338623_transpo07.html|title=Proposition 1: Voters hit the brakes|publisher=Seattle Post-Intelligencer|author=Larry Lange|date=2007-11-07|accessdate=2007-11-07]

2008 Vote

The Sound Transit Board on July 24, 2008 voted to put a reduced Sound Transit 2 plan before voters for this fall. The financial plan for the proposal shows $17.8 billion expenditure over 15 years, funded with a 5/10% rise in the regional general sales tax, which essentially doubles Sound Transit's revenue. Central Link Light Rail would be extended from the currently funded northern terminus at Husky Stadium north to Lynnwood. To the south, the tracks would continue from the currently planned southern terminus at Sea-Tac Airport to the northern edge of Federal Way. The proposed East Link Light Rail would depart from Downtown Seattle and end in Overlake via Bellevue. A First Hill Connector (streetcar) is proposed from Central Link's Capitol Hill Station to the Jackson Street terminus of the current Waterfront Streetcar. In total, 36 new miles of two-way light rail track are proposed. [cite web | url=http://future.soundtransit.org/news_pr_2008_07_24.aspx | title=Sound Transit System Expansion -- News Release | publisher=Sound Transit | date=2008-07-24 | accessdate=2008-09-17]

Sounder Commuter Rail will receive longer and more frequent trains, for a 30% increase in service. Express Bus service will be immediately boosted (17% increase in service; 25 additional buses) and Washington State Route 520 will receive a Bus Rapid Transit line. A new commuter rail line is proposed to run from North Renton to Snohomish if additional funding beyond the Sound Transit taxes is secured. [cite web | url=http://future.soundtransit.org/proposed.aspx | title=Sound Transit System Expansion -- What's Proposed | publisher=Sound Transit | date=2008-08-08 | accessdate=2008-09-17]

[http://www.masstransitnow.org Mass Transit Now] is the campaign that has been launched to support the measure, called Proposition 1. The organized opposition operates under the title [http://NoToProp1.org NoToProp1.org] .

Commuter Rail

Sound Transit operates the Sounder Commuter Rail, a commuter rail service between Everett and Seattle, and between Seattle and Tacoma. There are currently 4 daily round-trips between Tacoma and Seattle and 2 between Everett and Seattle. Sound Transit will eventually run up to 18 daily round-trips from Tacoma and 4 from Everett to Seattle once all trackwork is completed by BNSF Railway. They also plan on extending service to South Tacoma and Lakewood by 2010.

Current and soon-to-open stations are:
*Everett Station
*Edmonds Station
*Mukilteo Station
*King Street Station (Downtown Seattle)
*Tukwila Station
*Kent Station
*Auburn Station
*Sumner Station
*Puyallup Station
*Tacoma Dome Station
*South Tacoma (opening 2008 bus service/2010 commuter rail)
*Lakewood Station (opening 2008 bus service/2010 commuter rail).

Fleet

ee also

*List of rapid transit systems

Notes

* [http://www.soundtransit.org/x4642.xml]
* [http://www.soundtransit.org//x4649.xml]
* [http://www.eere.energy.gov/cleancities/conference/2003/pdfs/monroe_pierce.pdf]

External links

* [http://www.soundtransit.org Sound Transit]
* [http://www.masstransitnow.org Mass Transit Now! (campaign site 2008's Proposition 1)]
* [http://www.sireneinternet.net/pstran Puget Sound Transportation Projects (unofficial site)]
* [http://seattletransitblog.com Seattle Transit Blog]