Link light rail

Link light rail
A logo with a "T" that is overlaid by a stylized "S" next to a wordmark reading "Link".
A four-car light rail train seen on an elevated trackway that bends around a curve with an American flag and trees in the background.
A three-car light rail train enters a station with groups of people waiting on the platform under signs reading "Downtown Redmond".
A one-car streetcar stopped at a small station with an overhead canopy covering a paved platform with no passengers.
Clockwise from top: the 1 Line near Mount Baker station, the T Line at Convention Center station, and the 2 Line at Marymoor Village station
Overview
OwnerSound Transit
LocaleSeattle, Washington, U.S.
Transit typeLight rail
Number of lines
3
Number of stations
50
Daily ridership
169,300 (weekdays, Q2 2026)
Annual ridership
39,095,611 (2025)
Websitesoundtransit.org
Operation
Began operation
August 22, 2003 (2003-08-22)
OperatorsKing County Metro
Sound Transit
CharacterAt-grade, elevated, underground
Number of vehicles
226 (details)
Train length1–4 vehicles
Technical
System length62.25 mi (100.18 km)
Track gauge4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
ElectrificationOverhead line;
Top speed55 mph (89 km/h)

Link light rail is a light rail system with some rapid transit characteristics that serves the Seattle metropolitan area in the U.S. state of Washington. It is managed by Sound Transit in partnership with local transit providers, and comprises three lines that total 63 miles (101 km) with 50 stations. The 1 Line and 2 Line travel on shared tracks from Lynnwood in Snohomish County to Seattle and split to serve other portions of King County. The 1 Line continues south to the Rainier Valley, Seattle–Tacoma International Airport, and Federal Way; the 2 Line crosses Lake Washington to the Eastside cities of Bellevue and Redmond. The T Line is disconnected from the other lines and operates as a streetcar for 4 miles (6.4 km) in Tacoma. In 2025, the system had a ridership of 39.1 million, or about 169,300 per weekday as of the second quarter of 2026, primarily on the 1 Line. Trains run at frequencies of 4 to 20 minutes.

The Link light rail system was originally conceived in the 1980s following several earlier proposals for a heavy rail subway system that were rejected by voters. Sound Transit was created in 1993 and placed a ballot measure to fund and build the system, which was passed on its second attempt in 1996. Tacoma Link began construction in 2000 and opened on August 22, 2003, becoming the first modern light rail system in the state. Central Link construction in Seattle was delayed because of funding issues and routing disputes, but began in November 2003 and was completed on July 18, 2009. The trains initially ran from Downtown Seattle to Tukwila International Boulevard station before being extended south to Seattle–Tacoma International Airport in December 2009. Further extensions north to the University of Washington and south to Angle Lake station opened in 2016 to complete most of the line's original planned route. An extension from the University of Washington to Northgate station opened on October 2, 2021, followed by a northern extension to Lynnwood City Center station on August 30, 2024, and a southern extension to Federal Way Downtown station on December 6, 2025.

The first phase of the 2 Line opened on April 27, 2024, between South Bellevue and Redmond Technology stations; an extension east to Downtown Redmond opened in May 2025. It was extended west to Seattle on March 28, 2026, following construction delays on a section crossing Lake Washington. The 2 Line and Lynnwood sections were funded by Sound Transit 2 (ST2), a 2008 ballot measure to expand the transit system, along with planning work for other projects. The Sound Transit 3 (ST3) ballot measure was approved in 2016 and funds plans to expand the Link network to 116 miles (187 km) and 83 stations by the 2050s. The expansions are planned to cover the metropolitan area from Everett to Tacoma, along with branches to Kirkland, Issaquah, and the Seattle neighborhoods of Ballard and West Seattle.

This page is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.