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).[8] 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.[9][10] 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.[11] 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.[12][13] A northern extension to
Northgate station with three stations opened on October 2, 2021.[14] The T Line was extended 2.4 miles (3.9 km) in September 2023 with six new stations and one relocated stop.[15]
As of 2023[update], Sound Transit is building four extensions of the Link network that will open between 2024 and 2026 with 20 new stations.[16][17] Among these are the
2 Line with ten stations from Seattle to
Bellevue and
Redmond on the
Eastside, scheduled to open in two phases split between 2024 and 2025; and extensions of the 1 Line north to
Lynnwood in 2024 and south to
Federal Way in 2026.[18] 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.[19][20]
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.[21][22] 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.[16][22]
All 1 Line light rail 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;[23][24][25] 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.[26] 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.[27][28] Only four current stations (Angle Lake, Northgate, Tacoma Dome Station, and Tukwila International Boulevard) have public
park and rides;[29][30][31] planned stations on the suburban extensions of Link will incorporate new or existing park and rides.[20][32]
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.[33] 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.[34] Stations are also required by
state law to be identified by simple
pictograms,[35][36] 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.[37][38]
The
Sound Transit 3 program, approved by voters in 2016, will expand the Link light rail network to over 116 miles (187 km) and 70 stations when completed in 2044. Other sections of the
Sound Transit 2 program, approved by voters in 2008, are anticipated to be complete by 2024.[22]
^
ab1 Line ridership is calculated from Q4 2019 (the last data gained before the COVID-19 Pandemic), while T Line ridership is calculated from 2015.[6][7]
^International District/Chinatown station was renamed from International District station by the
Metropolitan King County Council on October 19, 2004.[40]
^
abcdStations in the
Downtown Seattle Transit Tunnel opened on September 15, 1990 to bus service and were rebuilt for light rail from 2005 to 2007.[41] Light rail service to these stations began with the rest of
Central Link on July 18, 2009.[9]
^Originally named Commerce Street/South 11th Street until 2023.[42]
^
ab"Appendix D: Stop Level Ridership Data".
2016 Service Implementation Plan(PDF) (Report). Sound Transit. December 2015. pp. 169–170.
Archived(PDF) from the original on April 29, 2016. Retrieved April 28, 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.
^"Next stop: Lynnwood" (Press release). Seattle, Washington: Sound Transit. April 23, 2015.
Archived from the original on April 26, 2015. Retrieved April 23, 2015.