Link light rail

Link light rail
Link light rail
	Clockwise from top: the 1 Line near Mount Baker station, the T Line at Convention Center station, and the 2 Line at Marymoor Village station
Overview
Owner	Sound Transit
Locale	Seattle, Washington, U.S.
Transit type	Light rail
Number of lines	3
Number of stations	48
Daily ridership	108,100 (weekdays, Q4 2025)
Annual ridership	37,763,800 (2025)
Website	soundtransit.org
Operation
Began operation	August 22, 2003
Operator(s)	Sound Transit, King County Metro
Number of vehicles	226
Technical
System length	54.85 mi (88.27 km)
Track gauge	4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Electrification	Overhead line; 1,500 V DC (1 & 2 Lines); 750 V DC (T Line);
Top speed	55 mph (89 km/h)
System map
System map
1 Line & 2 Line
	International District/
	Chinatown
link opening 2026
	Homer M. Hadley Mem. Bridge
	over Lake Washington
	East Channel Bridge
	over Lake Washington
	Operations and Maintenance
	Facility Central
	Operations and Maintenance
	Facility East
	Tukwila
	International Boulevard
T Line
	Operations and
	Maintenance Facility
	All stations are accessible

Link light rail is a light rail system with some rapid transit characteristics that serves the Seattle metropolitan area in the U.S. state of Washington. It is managed by Sound Transit in partnership with local transit providers, and comprises three non-connected lines that total 55 miles (89 km) with 48 stations. These lines are the 1 Line (formerly Central Link) in King County and Snohomish County, which travels for 41 miles (66 km) between Lynnwood, Seattle, Seattle–Tacoma International Airport, and Federal Way; the 2 Line in King County's Eastside region, which travels for 10 miles (16.1 km) between Bellevue and Redmond; and the T Line (formerly Tacoma Link) in Pierce County, a streetcar which runs for 4 miles (6.4 km) between Tacoma Dome Station, Downtown Tacoma, and Hilltop. In 2025, the system had a ridership of 37.8 million, or about 108,100 per weekday as of the fourth quarter of 2025, primarily on the 1 Line. Trains run at frequencies of 8 to 20 minutes.

The Link light rail system was originally conceived in the 1980s following several earlier proposals for a heavy rail subway system that were rejected by voters. Sound Transit was created in 1993 and placed a ballot measure to fund and build the system, which was passed on its second attempt in 1996. Tacoma Link began construction in 2000 and opened on August 22, 2003, becoming the first modern light rail system in the state. Central Link construction in Seattle was delayed because of funding issues and routing disputes, but began in November 2003 and was completed on July 18, 2009. The trains initially ran from Downtown Seattle to Tukwila International Boulevard station before being extended south to Seattle–Tacoma International Airport in December 2009. Further extensions north to the University of Washington and south to Angle Lake station opened in 2016 to complete most of the line's original planned route. An extension from the University of Washington to Northgate station opened on October 2, 2021, followed by a northern extension to Lynnwood City Center station on August 30, 2024 and a southern extension to Federal Way Downtown station on December 6, 2025.

The first phase of the 2 Line opened on April 27, 2024, between South Bellevue and Redmond Technology stations; an extension east to Downtown Redmond opened in May 2025. It is scheduled to be extended west to Seattle in March 2026 following construction delays on a section crossing Lake Washington. The 2 Line and Lynnwood sections were funded by Sound Transit 2 (ST2), a 2008 ballot measure to expand the transit system, along with planning work for other projects. The Sound Transit 3 (ST3) ballot measure was approved in 2016 and funds plans to expand the Link network to 116 miles (187 km) and 83 stations by 2044. The expansions are planned to cover the metropolitan area from Everett to Tacoma, along with branches to Kirkland, Issaquah, and the Seattle neighborhoods of Ballard and West Seattle.