Sound Transit (ST), officially the Central Puget Sound Regional Transit Authority, is a public transit agency serving the Seattle metropolitan area in the U.S. state of Washington. It manages the Link light rail system in Seattle and Tacoma, regional Sounder commuter rail, and Sound Transit Express bus service. The agency also coordinates with the regional ORCA fare card system used by transit operators across the metropolitan area. In 2023, Sound Transit services carried a total of 37.6 million passengers and averaged over 114,000 riders on weekdays.
The 1 Line, formerly Central Link, is a light rail line in Seattle, Washington, United States, and part of Sound Transit's Link light rail system. It serves 23 stations in King and Snohomish counties, traveling 33 miles (53 km) between Lynnwood City Center and Angle Lake stations. The line connects Lynnwood, Mountlake Terrace, Shoreline, the University District, Downtown Seattle, the Rainier Valley, and Seattle–Tacoma International Airport. The 1 Line carried over 26 million total passengers in 2023, with an average of nearly 80,000 daily passengers on weekdays. It runs for 20 hours per day on weekdays and Saturdays, with headways as low as six minutes during peak hours, and reduced 18-hour service on Sundays and holidays.
Link light rail is a light rail rapid transit system serving the Seattle metropolitan area in the U.S. state of Washington. It is managed by Sound Transit in partnership with local transit providers, and consists of three non-connected lines: the 1 Line in King County and Snohomish County, which travels for 33 miles (53 km) between Lynnwood, Seattle, and Seattle–Tacoma International Airport; the 2 Line in King County's Eastside region, which travels for 7.5 miles (12.1 km) between Bellevue and Redmond; and the T Line in Pierce County, which runs for 4 miles (6.4 km) between Downtown Tacoma and Tacoma Dome Station. In 2023, the system had a ridership of 23.9 million, or about 94,500 per weekday as of the third quarter of 2024, primarily on the 1 Line. Trains run at frequencies of 6 to 24 minutes.
The Federal Way Link Extension is a planned Link light rail extension of the 1 Line that will travel 7.8 miles (12.6 km) south from Sea-Tac Airport to Federal Way, along the west side of Interstate 5. It was approved in 2008, but scaled back in 2010 to terminate at Kent Des Moines station. The Star Lake and Federal Way Downtown stations were re-instated in 2016, with the passing of Sound Transit 3. The project began construction in 2020 and is expected to open in 2026.
The 2 Line, also known as the East Link Extension, is a light rail line serving the Eastside region of the Seattle metropolitan area in the U.S. state of Washington. It is part of Sound Transit's Link light rail system and runs for 6.6 miles (10.6 km) in the cities of Bellevue and Redmond. The initial segment serves eight stations between South Bellevue and Redmond Technology stations and opened on April 27, 2024. The full line is scheduled to open in 2025 and is planned to span 18 miles (29 km) from west to east and serve twelve stations in Downtown Seattle, Mercer Island, Bellevue, and Redmond. The 2 Line will continue through the Downtown Seattle Transit Tunnel and share stations with the 1 Line through to Lynnwood City Center station.
International District/Chinatown station is a light rail station that is part of the Downtown Seattle Transit Tunnel in Seattle, Washington, United States. The station is located at the tunnel's south end, at 5th Avenue South and South Jackson Street in the Chinatown-International District neighborhood, and is served by the 1 Line of Sound Transit's Link light rail system. The station is located adjacent to Sound Transit headquarters at Union Station, as well as intermodal connections to Amtrak and Sounder commuter rail at King Street Station and the First Hill Streetcar.
Westlake station is a light rail station that is part of the Downtown Seattle Transit Tunnel in Seattle, Washington, United States. The station is located under Pine Street between 3rd and 6th avenues in Downtown Seattle, near Westlake Center and Westlake Park. It is served by the 1 Line, part of Sound Transit's Link light rail system, and also connected above ground by buses at several stops, the South Lake Union Streetcar, and the Seattle Center Monorail.
Link light rail in the Seattle metropolitan area of Washington is a light rail system managed by Sound Transit since its inception in 1996. As of 2024, it consists of the 1 Line, the 2 Line, and the T Line; with several extensions under construction and other lines in planning.
University of Washington station is a light rail station on the University of Washington campus in Seattle, Washington, United States. The station is served by the 1 Line of Sound Transit's Link light rail system, which connects Northgate, Downtown Seattle, and Seattle–Tacoma International Airport. University of Washington station is at the intersection of Montlake Boulevard Northeast and Northeast Pacific Street, adjacent to Husky Stadium and the University of Washington Medical Center.
Capitol Hill station is a light rail station in the Capitol Hill neighborhood of Seattle, Washington, United States. The station is served by Sound Transit's Link light rail system and is located near the intersection of Broadway and East John Street. It is situated between the Westlake and University of Washington stations on the 1 Line. The station consists of an island platform approximately 65 feet (20 m) under street level, connected to three surface entrances via two mezzanines. It contains pieces of public art, including Mike Ross's sculpture Jet Kiss and two murals by cartoonist Ellen Forney.
South Bellevue station is an elevated light rail station located in Bellevue, Washington, United States, an eastern suburb of Seattle. It opened on April 27, 2024, as the western terminus of the 2 Line of Sound Transit's Link light rail system. The station has a park and ride garage with 1,500 stalls and bus service from King County Metro and Sound Transit Express.
Bellevue Transit Center (BTC) is a bus station and light rail station in Bellevue, Washington, a suburb of Seattle. It is the main transit hub for the Eastside of King County, serving 20 routes from King County Metro and Sound Transit Express. The transit center is the western terminus of the RapidRide B Line, which runs east to Redmond.
Wilburton station is an elevated Link light rail station in Bellevue, Washington, United States. It is served by the 2 Line, part of Sound Transit's Link light rail system, and opened in April 2024 as part of the line's starter segment. The station serves the area immediately east of Downtown Bellevue, including Lake Bellevue and the Overlake Hospital Medical Center.
The Lynnwood Link extension is a Link light rail extension traveling north from Northgate to Lynnwood in Snohomish County, Washington, United States. The 8.5-mile (13.7 km) light rail extension includes stations in Lynnwood, Mountlake Terrace, and Shoreline along Interstate 5. It is served by 1 Line when it opened on August 30, 2024, and the 2 Line in 2025. The project was funded by the Sound Transit 2 (ST2) package approved by voters in November 2008, and began construction in 2019. Ridership is expected to be 47,000 to 55,000 daily on the section in 2026.
Redmond Technology station, formerly Overlake Transit Center, is a bus and light rail station in Redmond, Washington, United States. The bus station opened in 2002 adjacent to State Route 520 on the headquarters campus of Microsoft. It was served by Sound Transit Express and King County Metro, as well as Microsoft's private shuttle buses. The light rail station is the eastern terminus of the 2 Line, part of Sound Transit's Link light rail system, and opened on April 27, 2024.
Overlake Village station is a light rail station in Redmond, Washington, United States. It is at-grade station on the 2 Line, part of Sound Transit's Link light rail system. The station serves the Overlake neighborhood and its existing park and ride. Construction began on the station in 2017 and it opened on April 27, 2024.
Pinehurst is a future station on Sound Transit's Link light rail system in Seattle, Washington, United States. It would be built on a section of the Lynnwood Link Extension, adjacent to the intersection of Interstate 5 and Northeast 130th Street in northern Seattle. The station was originally deferred from Lynnwood Link but restored as an infill station project under the Sound Transit 3 ballot measure, with an opening tentatively set for 2026.
Marymoor Village station is a future Link light rail station near Marymoor Park in Redmond, Washington. The station is located along the south side of State Route 520 southwest of its interchange with State Route 202 near Downtown Redmond. It also includes a 1,400-stall park and ride in a garage built on the site.
Sound Transit 3, abbreviated as ST3, was a ballot measure during the November 2016 elections in Seattle, Washington, proposing an expansion of the regional public transit system. The measure was proposed by Sound Transit, which was established by a similar initiative passed in 1996 and expanded by the Sound Transit 2 vote in 2008, who have operated regional transit systems in the Seattle metropolitan area since 1999. On November 8, 2016, Sound Transit 3 was approved by over 54 percent of voters in the Puget Sound region; voters in Pierce County rejected the measure, but the measure passed in King and Snohomish counties, and had an overall majority.
