The Link light rail system serves the Seattle metropolitan area in the U.S. state of Washington and is operated by Sound Transit. It consists of 39 stations on three unconnected light rail lines in King and Pierce counties: the 1 Line from Seattle to SeaTac; the 2 Line from Bellevue to Redmond; and the T Line in Tacoma.[1][2]
The first Link segment began service on August 23, 2003, with the opening of five stations on the 1.6-mile-long (2.6 km) Tacoma Link (now the T Line).[3] The initial, 14-mile-long (23 km) segment of Central Link (now the 1 Line) with 12 stations was opened from Seattle to Tukwila on July 18, 2009, and was later extended 1.7 miles (2.7 km) to the Seattle–Tacoma International Airport on December 19, 2009.[4][5] The first infill station of the Link system was Commerce Street/South 11th Street station on the T Line, which opened on September 15, 2011.[6] The 1 Line was extended north 3.15 miles (5.07 km) to the University of Washington on March 19, 2016, and 1.6 miles (2.6 km) south to Angle Lake station on September 24, 2016.[7][8] A northern extension to Northgate station with three stations opened on October 2, 2021.[9] The T Line was extended 2.4 miles (3.9 km) in September 2023 with six new stations and one relocated stop.[10] The first section of the 2 Line opened on April 27, 2024, with eight stations in Bellevue and Redmond.[11]
As of 2024[update], Sound Transit is building extensions of the Link network that will open between 2024 and 2026 with 12 new stations.[12][13] Among these are an extension of the 2 Line to Seattle and Downtown Redmond; and extensions of the 1 Line north to Lynnwood in 2024 and south to Federal Way in 2026.[14] These extensions are planned to add an additional 30 miles (48 km) to the light rail network, carrying an estimated 280,000 daily riders by 2030.[15][16]
Further expansions approved by Sound Transit 3 in 2016 are planned to expand the light rail network by 58 miles (93 km) and 39 stations to a total of 108 miles (174 km) of track and 70 to 75 stations by 2044, carrying 500,000 daily passengers.[17][18] The light rail network will include lines to Ballard and West Seattle in Seattle in 2039 and 2032, respectively; Kirkland and Issaquah on the Eastside in 2044; and extensions to Everett and Tacoma in 2041 and 2032, respectively. Three infill stations in Seattle and Tukwila will also be built as part of the Sound Transit 3 program.[12][18]
All 1 Line and 2 Line stations are built with 380-to-400-foot-long (120 to 120 m), 14-inch-high (0.36 m) platforms, arranged in the center or sides of the two tracks, with capacity to handle a four-car train with 95-foot-long (29 m) vehicles;[19][20][21] T Line stations are built with 90-foot-long (27 m), 8-inch-high (0.20 m) platforms that can accommodate a one-car train measuring 66 feet (20 m) in length.[22] The majority of stations are built at-grade on the surface, with the platform elevated slightly above street level; there are also elevated stations and underground stations that include mezzanines (with the exception of Mount Baker station) with access the platform from the surface as well as ticket vending machines and bicycle facilities.[23][24] Only four current stations (Angle Lake, Northgate, Tacoma Dome Station, and Tukwila International Boulevard) have public park and rides;[25][26][27] planned stations on the suburban extensions of Link will incorporate new or existing park and rides.[16][28]
All stations include works of public art as part of the "STart" program, which requires one percent of station construction funds go to art installations.[29] The stations are named in accordance to facility naming guidelines that include using surrounding neighborhoods and street names, avoiding words used by existing facility names, and being limited to 30 characters in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act.[30] Stations are also required by state law to be identified by simple pictograms,[31][32] known as "Stellar Connections", that are used in station signage, maps and other printed materials as a wayfinding aid; the icons are composed of points that correspond with local landmarks near Link stations, while also forming a picture that represents the station's identity.[33][34]
^"Modes of service". Sound Transit. Retrieved April 27, 2024.
^Sound Transit current service(PDF) (Map). Sound Transit. April 2024. Retrieved April 27, 2024.
^"Sound Transit launches Tacoma Link Light Rail" (Press release). Seattle, Washington: Sound Transit. August 23, 2003. Archived from the original on September 3, 2014. Retrieved August 28, 2014.
^"Link light rail launches new era of mobility for central Puget Sound" (Press release). Seattle, Washington: Sound Transit. July 18, 2009. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved August 28, 2014.
^"Sound Transit opens Link light rail service to SeaTac" (Press release). Seattle, Washington: Sound Transit. December 19, 2009. Archived from the original on February 3, 2016. Retrieved August 28, 2014.
^"Tacoma Link Commerce Street Station opens tomorrow" (Press release). Seattle, Washington: Sound Transit. September 14, 2011. Archived from the original on December 14, 2013. Retrieved August 28, 2014.
^Beekman, Daniel (March 19, 2016). "Capitol Hill, UW light-rail stations open to big crowds". The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on January 1, 2017. Retrieved May 1, 2016.
^"Light rail service to Angle Lake starts Sept. 24" (Press release). Sound Transit. August 24, 2016. Archived from the original on August 27, 2016. Retrieved December 13, 2016.
^Lindblom, Mike; Baruchman, Michelle (October 2, 2021). "New light-rail stations now open at U District, Roosevelt and Northgate". The Seattle Times. Retrieved October 3, 2021.
^Sailor, Craig (September 14, 2023). "Tacoma Link doubles in length Saturday. Sound Transit isn't delivering what they promised". The News Tribune. Retrieved September 18, 2023.
^Lindblom, Mike; Kroman, David (April 27, 2024). "Eastside light rail line opens as huge crowds try out the ride". The Seattle Times. Retrieved April 27, 2024.
^ abSound Transit future service (Map). Sound Transit. May 2023. Retrieved September 18, 2023.
^"2023 System Expansion Progress Report" (PDF). Sound Transit. March 2023. p. 8. Retrieved September 18, 2023.
^Lindblom, Mike (August 24, 2023). "Eastside-only light rail should open in March, Sound Transit says". The Seattle Times. Retrieved September 18, 2023.
^"Sound Transit kicks off East Link light rail construction" (Press release). Sound Transit. April 22, 2016. Archived from the original on April 25, 2016. Retrieved May 1, 2016.
^ ab"Lynnwood Link moves into final design" (Press release). Sound Transit. April 11, 2016. Archived from the original on May 15, 2016. Retrieved May 1, 2016.
^Lindblom, Mike (March 24, 2016). "$50B Sound Transit proposal: big taxes, big spending, big plan". The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on October 16, 2016. Retrieved April 30, 2016.
^ abLindblom, Mike; Baruchman, Michelle (August 15, 2021). "Sound Transit faces a $6.5 billion shortfall. Here's what it might do". The Seattle Times. Retrieved October 3, 2021.
^"Four new light rail cars proposed for Sound Transit's Airport Link extension" (Press release). Sound Transit. October 20, 2005. Archived from the original on August 16, 2016. Retrieved August 1, 2016.
^"Chapter 2: Link Initial Segment/Airport Link System Description". Central Link Operations Plan - Westlake to SeaTac/Airport (PDF) (Report). Sound Transit. July 29, 2008. p. 9. Archived (PDF) from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved August 29, 2016 – via Global Telematics.
^"East Link Extension: Light Rail 101" (PDF). Sound Transit. June 2017. Archived (PDF) from the original on January 26, 2018. Retrieved January 25, 2018.
^Parsons Brinckerhoff (March 2005). "3.3.2 Station Platforms". Tacoma Link Integration with Central Link (PDF) (Report). Sound Transit. p. 5. Archived (PDF) from the original on September 10, 2015. Retrieved May 23, 2016.
^"Link light rail stations". Sound Transit. Archived from the original on August 3, 2016. Retrieved August 4, 2016.
^"ORCA Ticket Vending Machines" (PDF). ORCA. March 22, 2016. Archived (PDF) from the original on April 14, 2016. Retrieved August 4, 2016.
^Lindblom, Mike (January 11, 2010). "Seattle to allow all-day parking lots near light-rail stations, after all". The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on September 18, 2016. Retrieved August 4, 2016.
^"Tacoma Link light rail Stations". Sound Transit. Archived from the original on August 19, 2016. Retrieved August 4, 2016.
^Lindblom, Mike (July 27, 2016). "Light rail's Angle Lake Station in SeaTac nears the finish line". The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on August 22, 2016. Retrieved August 4, 2016.
^Chen, Natasha (March 29, 2016). "Parking problems intensify around light rail stations as more riders hop on". KIRO 7 News. Archived from the original on September 18, 2017. Retrieved August 4, 2016.
^"STart Public Art Program". Sound Transit. Archived from the original on June 12, 2010. Retrieved August 28, 2014.
^"Resolution No. R2012-02: Facility and Link System Naming Policy – Staff Report" (PDF). Sound Transit. February 23, 2012. p. 2. Archived (PDF) from the original on December 2, 2015. Retrieved November 10, 2014.
^Cohen, Aubrey (March 31, 2014). "Help design pictograms for new Sound Transit stations". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Archived from the original on December 8, 2015. Retrieved December 1, 2015.
^"RCW 81.112.190: Requirements for signage". Revised Code of Washington. Washington State Legislature. Archived from the original on December 8, 2015. Retrieved December 1, 2015.
^"Stellar Connections". Sound Transit. Archived from the original on June 12, 2010. Retrieved April 3, 2015.
^"Stellar Connections: The story of the pictograms at Link light rail stations" (PDF). Sound Transit. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 8, 2015. Retrieved April 3, 2015.
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