New Bellevue facility will allow Sound Transit to triple its light rail fleet
May 20, 2021, 10:54 AM | Updated: 11:00 am
Bellevue's new light rail facility. (Sound Transit, courtesy photo)
(Sound Transit, courtesy photo)
A new maintenance facility opening soon in Bellevue is expected to help with planned light rail expansions across the Puget Sound region.
The Operations and Maintenance East (OMF East) facility will accommodate nearly 100 light rail vehicles, and is considered to be a key piece in the light rail expansion to Northgate, Lynnwood, Federal Way and Redmond in the coming years.
Light rail service to Northgate begins in October
“The completion of this Operations and Maintenance Facility drives home that Link light rail will soon serve the Eastside,” King County Executive Dow Constantine said in a written release. “This critical element of our system will make it possible to connect the entire Puget Sound region with healthy, high-capacity transportation for generations to come.”
By 2024, Sound Transit estimates that the new Eastside facility will allow it to triple its light rail fleet from 62 to 214 total vehicles.
OMF East has already begun housing light rail vehicles, with new cars expected to arrive continually over the next three years.
New Link light rail trains enter passenger service
The facility will be staffed “around the clock 365 days a year” by as many as 260 employees, according to Sound Transit.
