Link light rail

Sound Transit tallied a record-smashing day, exceeding 200,000 boardings on Link light rail during Seattle's victory parade day. Lime added nearly 60,000 rides on its shared scooters and e-bikes.

Hoping to avoid simply delaying projects or shortening lines, Sound Transit has been looking high and low for potential cost savings. Those options are set to be contemplated at a March 18 board retreat that will set the stage for major decisions in the months ahead.

In this episode of The Urbanist Podcast, our newsroom discusses what the crosslake 2 Line opening will means for the region, what removing Claudia Balducci as System Expansion Committee Chair means for Sound Transit, and what the region is doing to address a constitutional crisis created by Trump's illegal campaign of mass deportation.

The $5.6 billion to $6.3 billion light rail line between South Kirkland and Issaquah is currently set to open by 2044 but could see further delays. Newly elected Mayor Mark Mullet wants the project to serve as an example of how to get creative in response to funding shortfalls.

On Saturday, February 14, simulated service on the full 2 Line will commence, with train operators mimicking the service patterns they intend to operate after the March 28 grand opening. Light rail riders will be able to benefit from doubled train frequency in stations from the International District to Lynnwood.

Anticipation is building for the 2 Line extension March 28, crossing Lake Washington and tying the Eastside into Sound Transit’s broader light rail network. But much work remains to get the next set of expansions right, and removing Claudia Balducci as System Expansion Chair launches that work on a weaker footing.

A pair of bills advancing this week at the state legislature would finally allow Sound Transit to rise above the local permitting fray in several key areas. The reforms could save as much as nine months on key transit projects, according to the agency.

Claudia Balducci, the second longest serving member of the Sound Transit board, will no longer be a member of the committee she's lead since 2018. The swap out comes just as the board faces critical decisions around the future of the Sound Transit 3 expansion plan, work that will largely be hashed out in policy committees.