Sound Transit
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 Union Station, Sound Transit's headquarters since 1999 |
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| Agency overview | |
|---|---|
| Formed | September 17, 1993 |
| Type | Regional transit authority |
| Jurisdiction | Seattle metropolitan area |
| Headquarters |
Union Station 401 S. Jackson Street Seattle, Washington 47°35′55.32″N 122°19′42.6″W / 47.5987000°N 122.328500°WCoordinates: 47°35′55.32″N 122°19′42.6″W / 47.5987000°N 122.328500°W |
| Motto | "Ride the Wave" |
| Employees | 595 |
| Annual budget | $1.6 billion USD (2017) |
| Agency executive |
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| Key document | |
| Website | soundtransit |
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 operates light rail service (Link light rail) in Seattle and Tacoma, regional Sounder commuter rail, and Sound Transit Express bus service, as well as managing the regional ORCA fare card system. In 2016, Sound Transit services carried a total of 42.7 million passengers, including an average of 143,000 riders on weekdays.
Sound Transit was created in 1993 by King, Pierce and Snohomish counties to build a regional rapid transit system. After an unsuccessful proposal in 1995, the agency's plan for regional light rail, commuter rail and express bus service, named "Sound Move", was approved in November 1996. ST began operating its express bus service, taking over existing routes from local transit agencies, in September 1999; the first commuter rail line, between Tacoma and Seattle, started in December of the same year; and the first light rail line, Tacoma Link, began service in August 2003. Light rail service in Seattle began in 2009, and is the largest part of the Sound Transit system in terms of ridership. Union Station in Seattle has served as the agency's headquarters since its renovation in 1999.
Sound Transit is independent of local transit agencies and is governed by a 18-member Board of Directors made up of elected officials from member jurisdictions and the Secretary of Transportation. It is funded by local sales taxes, property taxes, and motor vehicle excise taxes, levied within its taxing district in portions of King, Pierce and Snohomish counties. The agency has passed three major ballot measures to fund system expansion, including Sound Move (1996), Sound Transit 2 (2008) and Sound Transit 3 (2016). Planning and construction of new light rail lines is anticipated to continue until 2041 under the Sound Transit 3 plan.
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