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Link light rail is a regional light rail system operated by
Sound Transit in the
Seattle metropolitan area,
Washington, United States. The network consists of two lines with 22 total stations:
Central Link in
King County and
Tacoma Link in
Pierce County. The two lines are not connected and operate with different equipment, station sizes, and capacities. In 2017, the system carried over 24 million passengers, or approximately 75,000 on an average weekday.[1]
Longest gap between stations: 5.5 miles from Rainier Beach to Tukwila[2]
Station platforms:
T Line – 90 feet (27 m) long except for Commerce Street, which are 42 ft long and 18 ft wide[3]: 44
The Northgate Link Extension is an under construction extension of the
Link light rail system in
Seattle, Washington, US. Upon opening in 2021, it will extend
Red Line service by 4.3 miles (6.9 km) to the
University District,
Roosevelt, and
Northgate. The $1.9 billion project includes the excavation of two 3.4-mile (5.5 km) tunnels from the University of Washington to
Maple Leaf.
History
Previous proposals: 1911, 1968
Previous service: Route 41 (since 1970)
1968 PSCOG: stations along I-5
1993 and 1995 plans?
1996: Northgate selected as potential project if funding found
1997: Alignments considered
Northgate deferred indefinitely, with addition of NE 45th station
2005: Underground alignment selected
2007: Funding rejected
2008: Funding approved in ST2
2012: Northgate Link approved, renamed Northgate Link
1961: Metro considers unified rapid transit proposal from Lynnwood to Des Moines[1]
1965: I-5 opens from North Seattle to Everett
1965: Forward Thrust proposes 110th/Fremont terminus along Interurban ROW[2]
Included long-range plan to reach Snohomish County from Ballard[3]
1982: PSCOG investigates Lynnwood to Seattle rail for future study
1983: Metro Council approves study of light rail or monorail corridors along I-5 or Aurora Avenue from Seattle to Lynnwood[4]
1984: Snohomish County proposes light rail from Seattle to Everett along I-5 as an extension of a UMTA study that funded Seattle–Alderwood, despite little state support[5]
1986 PSCOG/Metro: along I-5, with stops at Jackson Park (145th), North City (175th), Mountlake Terrace (236th), Mountlake Terrace North (220th), Lynnwood (44th), Alderwood Mall (I-405)
SNO-TRAN
1993 study: light rail along I-5, other options on SR 99[6]
1995 plan: light rail to 164th by 2010, via stations at Alderwood and 44th and provisional station at Mountlake Terrace[7]
Rejected heavily in Snohomish County, including Lynnwood[8]
2005 long-range plan
2007 plan: $1.4 billion[9] for light rail to 164th, via stations at Alderwood, Lynnwood, Mountlake Terrace
200 columns required (85 installed as of September 2020), with long girders fabricated in Tacoma and trucked via I-405 due to convention center lid constraints[26]
November 2021: 50 percent completion milestone, all 188 columns complete, 530 of 533 girders set[27]
Future
Project mitigation: Tree planting, restoration of Ronald Bog[28]
Potential delay into 2025 if 2 Line opens as starter[29][30]
Lynnwood service would be limited to 8 minutes at peak and 10 minutes all day until 2 Line is able to open; afterwards, 4 minutes at peak and 5 minutes mid-day[31]
Lynnwood mayor votes against studying East Link starter line[32]
Route
Lynnwood Link will begin at
Northgate, continuing on an elevated guideway from the northern portal of the
Northgate Link tunnel in
Seattle. The tracks will descend to ground level near North 115th Street, traveling north along the east side of Interstate 5.[33][34]
Stations
As of 2022: 3,273 units planned around Shoreline stations[35]
During the 20th century, several attempts to build a rapid transit system in the Seattle metropolitan area were made by city boosters, some of which included Ballard as a major destination. Civic planner
Virgil Bogue's rejected 1911 comprehensive plan envisioned a subway line from Downtown Seattle to
Golden Gardens Park at Northwest 85th Street, with elevated stations in Lower Queen Anne, Interbay, and Ballard.[2]
Background
1968/70 Forward Thrust: station at 15th & Market, 15th & Dravus, continuing on to Greenwood and Downtown[3]
1966 proposal: $111 million for subway from N 110th to Belleve, via Ballard and Downtown[4]
The Ballard Extension will be a continuation of the
Central Link light rail line serving Tacoma, South King County, and the Rainier Valley. In the project's preliminary design, the tunnel begins adjacent to the current
Stadium station at 5th Avenue South and Royal Brougham Way.[21] The tunnel runs parallel to the
Downtown Seattle Transit Tunnel, which carries the Red and Blue lines, and stops at the expanded
International District/Chinatown station. It continues north on 5th Avenue, stopping at
a station at Madison Street, and then drifts to 6th Avenue, intersecting with the current
Westlake station at Pine Street. The tunnel turns onto Westlake Avenue North, stopping near Denny Way, and makes a westward turn onto Republican Street, with a station near Aurora Avenue. It crosses under the
Seattle Center and stops on its west side in the Lower Queen Anne area, before emerging onto an elevated guideway over Elliott Avenue West.[22] Trains would stop at stations near the Smith Cove Cruise Ship Terminal and near West Dravus Street in Interbay before crossing the
Lake Washington Ship Canal on a movable, 70-foot (21 m) bridge adjacent to the
Ballard Bridge.[23] The line would terminate at a station near the intersection of 15th Avenue Northwest and Northwest Market Street in Ballard.[24]
Further west option near Gates Foundation proposed by Vulcan and Amazon to minimize Westlake Avenue disruption at Denny,[28] later rejected by ST Board in 2024 due to potential delays in planning[29]
The line is planned to reuse existing tracks that are part of the
1 Line and its future expansions; the 1 Line will then be rerouted through a new Downtown Seattle tunnel to be built for the
Ballard Link Extension. The 16.3-mile (26.2 km) Everett Link Extension to the north of
Lynnwood will have six stations and is scheduled to open between 2037 and 2041. The 4.7-mile-long (7.6 km) West Seattle Link Extension will include three new stations southwest of
SODO station and is scheduled to open in 2032. The 3 Line was created as part of the
Sound Transit 3 program, approved by voters in 2016, which included both projects.
History
The Everett Link Extension and West Seattle Link Extension are part of the
Sound Transit 3 program, which was a
ballot measure approved by voters on November 8, 2016. They were preceded by prior rail services in the early 20th century and various proposals to build a regional
rapid transit system before the formation of
Sound Transit in 1993. Buses also operate on both corridors with express and local service.
470 daily bus trips on I-5 corridor from Downtown Seattle and U District to areas north of I-405[9]: 16
Paine Field corridor: Swift Green Line since 2019
Prior plans
1957 highway rail plan
SNOTRAN plans from the 1970s
1984: Snohomish County proposes light rail from Seattle to Everett along I-5 as an extension of a UMTA study that funded Seattle–Alderwood, despite little state support[10]
1986 PSCOG report?
1995 RTA plan
Includes Sounder, which began in 2003
Planning
April 2020: County picks preferred configurations for Ash Way (east side of I-5) and Mariner stations[11]
Preferred alternative: South Crossing on south side of Spokane Street Viaduct/West Seattle Bridge on a high-level fixed bridge that crosses the northern tip of Pigeon Point, transitioning to retained cut-and-fill
Golf course alignment: tunnel if third party funding is available
Judkins Park is a future
light rail station located in
Seattle, Washington, United States. It is planned to open in 2024 and will be served by the
2 Line of
Sound Transit's
Link light rail system. The station is located in the median of
Interstate 90 between Rainier Avenue and 23rd Avenue in the
Atlantic neighborhood of south-central Seattle.
The site was formerly the Rainier Freeway Station, a median bus station served by
King County Metro and
Sound Transit Express buses. The bus station opened in 1992 and was constructed as part of the last phase of Interstate 90.
Location
Bisected by Interstate 90 interchange with Rainier Avenue
Nearby attractions
Parks and recreation: Sam Smith Park, Judkins Park, Jimi Hendrix Park, Amy Yee Tennis Center, Mountains to Sound Greenway (I-90 Trail)
Forward Thrust (1968–70): surface station in the median of I-90 at SE 24th Ave & 81st Ave SE, with pedestrian tunnels to parking and commercial centers[13]
PSCOG (1986)
Light rail
2007: East Link proposal
2007: Roads & Transit rejected
2008: ST2 approved
2017-06: Express lanes close
2024: Expected opening date
Controversy
1976: Agreement signed over I-90 design, with future transit conversion in mind
1989: New bridge opens; by 1993, I-90 is completed
2015-05: Bus terminal rejected by council after public outcry[14]
The
4 Line, approved as part of
Sound Transit 3 in 2016, is planned to interline with the 2 Line through Bellevue when it opens in the 2040s. An early concept envisions a second platform and third track at South Bellevue station to handle transfers between the lines.[1]
4 Line shown to interline from East Main instead[2]
The station is located on the west side of 112th Avenue Southeast south of Main Street; it is bordered to the west by the residential Surrey Downs neighborhood.[1]
Wig Properties redevelopment of two hotels into a mixed-use, six-tower complex (up to 38 stories) with 1,350 residential units, 340 hotel rooms, retail[2]
Northwest side of Main & 112th
Western redevelopment limited to SFH due to existing zoning covenants; 11 lots were demolished for construction[3]
History
Metro Transit, the countywide bus operator for
King County, began development of permanent
park and ride lots in the 1970s and selected Wilburton in Bellevue as one of 18 potential markets.[4][5]
July 2011 alignment: Tunnel with north-south station and entrances[3]
2012 cost-savings plan:[4] north-south station with entrances at 6th and 2nd (up to $10 million saved) or east-west station on hillside owned by Metro[5]
October 2012: Second option endorsed with $19–33 million cost savings[6][7]
Fully adopted in April 2013 by ST Board and city council[8]
On-site TOD: Bellwether Housing plans 333 affordable housing units to be built beginning in 2025 on surplus land[8][9][10]
Scheduled to open in 2027; units for 30% to 80% of area median income as part of ST agreement to sell for $250,000 instead of appraised value of $26 million[7]
Blackstone redevelopment of existing business park (15 acres) into housing[11]
Overlake Park and Ride nearby
Current transit service: B Line, 249, 269, 895, 541
WSDOT offramp from SR 520 eastbound
History
Overlake Park and ride opened in July 1981 with 395 stalls[12][13][14]
Moved into garage under "The Village" apartment building in 2002[15][16][17]
The station consists of two
side platforms on the south side of State Route 520, adjacent to the intersection of 152nd Avenue Northeast and Da Vinci Avenue. The station will have two entrances on the west and east ends of the eastbound platform, with an
at-grade crossing to access the westbound platform. A passenger drop-off area will be located on Da Vinci Avenue, which will have a temporary roundabout until it is extended south from the station. A 500-foot (150 m) bicycle and pedestrian bridge connects to the west side of State Route 520,[21] with its stairs and ramp covering a
bicycle cage adjacent to a pedestrian plaza.[22][23] The bridge opened in January 2024 and its main span is 260 feet (79 m) long.[7]
First Hill was a planned
light rail station serving the
First Hill neighborhood of
Seattle, Washington, United States. The station, located under the intersection of
Madison Street and Boylston Avenue, would have consisted of a split
island platform situated 215 feet (66 m) under street level, connected to the surface by high-speed
elevators.[2]
First Hill station, conceived as part of the initial light rail system in the 1990s, was reorganized under the
University Link Extension from
Downtown Seattle to the
University District in the early 2000s. It was to serve a major employment center, including nearby hospitals and the
Seattle University campus, and one of the region's most densely populated neighborhoods. In 2005, Sound Transit determined that construction of the station would pose major risks to the project's schedule and jeopardized key federal grants. The Sound Transit Board voted to remove the station from the light rail project and replace it with an alternative transit system. The
First Hill Streetcar, funded by Sound Transit, opened in 2016 to serve the neighborhood, in part as a replacement for the deleted station.
Early planning and approval
Streetcar history
Earlier proposals from Bogue, Forward Thrust, etc.
1992: Metro investigates light rail tunnel serving First Hill, Broadway/Capitol Hill, and Portage Bay to University District[3]
First Hill already an urban center with high employment, considered a core of the regional growth plan[4]
October 1994: Adopted long-range plan from RTA includes light rail tunnel for First Hill[5]
1995: Rejected RTA proposal included a potential light rail station serving First Hill[6]
1996: Sound Move adopted by ST Board, including light rail station on Madison Street serving First Hill
1999-11-18: ST Board selects Central Link route, including station at E. Madison Street on First Hill[7]
4 high-speed elevators per entrance (2 entrances, at Boylston and Summit);[10] emergency stairs
Above-ground plaza with TVMs and bike storage
Estimated 2030 ridership: 11,000
Removal
2004: ST Board rejects proposal to skip First Hill, citing importance as major employment center[11]
2005-07-28: ST Board removes First Hill station from preferred extension route, citing technical studies that found considerable engineering, geology and construction risks at station site that would have risked FTA funding[1][12][13][14]
Estimated cost of $350 million for the 210-foot deep station, also risking $650 million in federal funding[15][16]
^"B1.D First Hill - Montlake (Sheet 114-135)"(PDF) (Map). North Link Final Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement Appendix J.3: Segment B - University District to Downtown Seattle Conceptual Engineering Drawings. Cartography by T. Belihu. Sound Transit (published March 2006). November 22, 2002. p. 118. {{
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^"Chapter 2: Alternatives Considered"(PDF). North Link Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (Report). Sound Transit. March 2006. pp. 2–19.
DYK for 50th anniversary of Forward Thrust (February 13, 2018): ...that Seattle's rejection of a mass transit system led to the creation of Atlanta's
MARTA system?
Seattle, Washington, a major US city that was established in 1859, has seen several official plans in the 20th century to build a
rapid transit system to serve the city. The city had traditionally been served by a streetcar network that was dissolved in 1941 and later a bus network that grew under various public agencies.
Bogue Plan
Forward Thrust
The rapid transit element of the
Forward Thrust referendums, put before voters Seattle, Washington, in 1968 and 1970, would have consisted of a 47-mile (76 km) rail system and bus improvements.
The
Link light rail system is a public transit network serving the
Seattle metropolitan area of
Washington, United States.
Sound Transit, which manages the system, was established in 1996 and funds light rail expansion through the use of voter-approved spending packages.