Sound Transit service improvements add new express bus route, new stops

Improvements to ST Express regional bus and Sounder commuter rail service starting Saturday, Feb. 7, will make taking transit in the Puget Sound region more convenient. Changes include the addition of new ST Express bus route 593 to serve the new South Tacoma Station, new routing and stops for express bus routes in Everett, and minor schedule adjustments for both ST Express routes and Sounder commuter trains that serve the Seattle-Tacoma corridor.

New ST Express Route 593 service will serve Sound Transit’s new South Tacoma Station starting on Monday, Feb. 9. The new route and new park-and-ride facility will make taking transit more convenient for south Pierce County residents. Seven other ST Express bus routes will see minor changes, such as new routing and stops to serve more places, new bay assignments at busy transit centers, or minor schedule adjustments.

Minor adjustments to the Sounder commuter rail schedule for the Seattle-Tacoma corridor start Monday, Feb. 9.

Sounder commuter rail and the Sounder connector service on ST Express Route 599 will run special holiday hours on Monday, Feb. 16, for the Presidents Day holiday. ST Express buses and Tacoma Link light rail trains will operate a regular weekday schedule. Details of the Sounder holiday schedule are available at x7127.xml.

Sound Transit’s next service change will be in May 2009, when the first express bus service expansions included in the Sound Transit 2 Plan may be implemented. The Sound Transit Board currently is seeking public comment on a proposal to phase in the Sound Transit 2 express bus service additions over the course of 2009-10 at regular service change intervals. Targeted for expansion are key corridors with the highest ridership increases in 2008. More information about the proposals is available at www.soundtransit.org/sip.

Complete information about the February-June Sound Transit schedule and route changes that get underway on Saturday can be found at x10480.xml.

The changes include:

ST EXPRESS REGIONAL BUS

• ST Express Route 513 (Everett-Seattle): Revised routing to serve new terminal in Everett
• ST Express Route 532 (Everett-Bellevue): Stops added in Everett
• ST Express Route 545 (Redmond-Seattle): Bay reassignment at the Overlake Transit Center
• ST Express Route 564/565 (South Hill-Federal Way-Overlake): Bay reassignment at the Overlake Transit Center
• ST Express Route 590 (Tacoma-Seattle): Some trips shifted to Route 593 and minor schedule adjustments
• ST Express Route 592 (DuPont/Lakewood-Seattle): Minor schedule adjustments
• ST Express Route 593 (South Tacoma-Seattle): New route added to operate between South Tacoma and Seattle via Tacoma Dome

SOUNDER COMMUTER RAIL

• South line: Minor schedule adjustments
• North line: No changes

TACOMA LINK

No changes