King County wants input from North Puget Sound light rail riders

Sound Transit is extending the Link Light Rail north to five new stations in the next few years. King County Metro wants to improve ridership experience, so they are asking Washington passengers from King and Snohomish counties for input.

In 2024 and 2025, Sound Transit will expand the Link Light Rail to include five new stations in Seattle, Shoreline, Mountlake Terrace, and Lynnwood.

Link light rail expansion construction faces delays

In addition to the new light rail stations, Sound Transit may change the ST 522 Express route to match the planned Bus Rapid Transit service between Bothell and Shoreline as early as 2024 or 2025.

King County Metro’s Public Information Officer Elaine Porterfield said Metro wants to hear from riders so that they can have a voice when it comes to developing potential bus routes.

“This is a transformative opportunity for the region. And we want riders to have a voice. We’re working in collaboration with Sound Transit with community transit and other partners,” Porterfield said. “And we’re making adjustments to help connect riders to the light rail system, you know, from our neighborhoods to our hubs, and then back again.”

Porterfield said that the five stations are in northwest King and southwest Snohomish counties, which is a massive extension of Link Light Rail.

“We want people to get those stations conveniently as they need it. We want a world-class Regional Transit Center that will connect people with this reliable carbon-free transit,” Porterfield said. “But we need to hear from the people who use our transit to make sure we’re getting it right. Get them the service, say more.”

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Other community priorities included:

• Transferring between modes should be convenient, accessible, and reliable.
• Night owl service is important for those traveling later in the evening.
• There are destinations and neighborhoods in the area that don’t currently have transit service.

You can join the virtual meeting discussing the changes to the plans for the Lynnwood light rail extension here.

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