Sound Transit: Frequently Asked Questions About Sound Transit 2

Frequently asked questions

General questions about the plan →

How much bus service does the plan add?
Does the mass transit expansion package reduce congestion?
Sound Transit's figures show 358,000 riders on Sound Transit services each weekday in 2030. This is a small percentage of the total trips that will occur around the region. Did the Board take this into account?
Is it possible to build these transit expansions faster?

Questions about light rail →

What are the advantages of light rail as a transit mode?
Did Sound Transit look at examples from other cities?
How much does it cost to operate light rail in comparison to buses?

East Corridor questions →

Will light rail on I-90 make traffic worse?
Why is light rail planned for I-90? Why not just wait and put it across SR 520 when that bridge gets rebuilt?
Can trains operate safely on a floating bridge?

North Corridor questions →

Why did the ballot measure increase Sounder service for Pierce County and South King County but not Snohomish County?

South Corridor questions →

What solutions are planned for parking shortages and other challenges for accessing Sounder stations?

Parking and transit access →

What does the plan do to improve parking capacity and access to stations?

Questions about costs →

How much will the mass transit expansions cost and how will they be funded?
When will taxes be rolled back?
How did Sound Transit develop its cost projections? Are they realistic?
Were other tax sources considered for the plan?
How much of the Mass Transit Expansion plan will be paid for through borrowing?

Comparing light rail and buses →

Did Sound Transit compare the advantages of light rail with those of bus rapid transit (BRT)

Environmental issues →

What are some of the environmental issues considered in shaping the plan?

General Questions about the plan

How much bus service does the plan add?

17 percent starting in 2009.
The bus service expansions in the package are targeted to the routes and corridors where the demand is greatest.
The package balances the immediate need for transit service expansions with the region's need to build a regional rail transit system that adds major new transportation capacity.
Buses will always be part of the transit system, but each year rising congestion keeps degrading service.
The ST Express bus service expansions will be complemented by partner agency service expansions already in the pipeline. King County Metro continues to roll out its Transit Now expansions – up to 20 percent increases across the county – and Community Transit in Snohomish County will begin its SR 99 "Swift" bus rapid transit service in the near future. With the addition of light rail services along our most heavily traveled corridors, partner agencies will be able to redeploy bus services that would normally travel those corridors. King County Metro planners estimate they will be able to redeploy 50,000-70,000 service hours once the light rail line opens to Northgate. That means local providers can redeploy services to feed into the light rail system spine.

Does the mass transit expansion package reduce congestion?

Yes. More than 300,000 daily riders using the expanded rail lines will experience zero congestion.
Those riders won't contribute to congestion on the road system. Light rail will add major new capacity to the region's transportation system. Each new leg of light rail can move up to 12,000 people an hour in each direction.
For purposes of comparison, a freeway lane can move 2,000 vehicles per hour in ideal conditions or as few as 700 during congested times.
Congestion will be worse in the future because of growth – 40 percent population growth by 2040 (1.5 million). Rail creates new, congestion-free corridors, and gives people a choice.
Forecasts project that the mass transit expansion investments will reduce vehicle travel by 268 million vehicle miles annually by 2030 and reduce traffic delay by 25 million hours annually.

Sound Transit's figures show 358,000 riders on Sound Transit services each weekday in 2030. This is a small percentage of the total trips that will occur around the region. Did the Board take this into account?

Yes. Mass transit targets rush hour congestion.
By 2030, public transit will serve more than 800,000 trips every day in our region. With the Mass Transit Expansion plan, Sound Transit will serve 44 percent of those trips.
The mass transit investments make the most difference when and where it matters the most – at rush hours into and out of the biggest job centers in the region. Today, about 40 percent of commuters into downtown Seattle take transit to and from work. With these expansions that number will rise to 50 percent. In Bellevue, these investments will increase transit use into and out of downtown by 50 percent – 12 percent of all commuters. That means fewer cars competing for space on the freeways during rush hours.
Our regional transportation system is formed by an extensive array of roads and transit services. The number of trips served by any one element off that system is relatively small, but that doesn't mean that element is not critical. For example, I-90‘s Lake Washington crossing between I-405 and downtown Seattle serves about 1 percent of daily trips; most people would agree that this is an important part of the regional transportation system. I-90 is one of those critical elements that the ST expansion plan focuses on.
Generalized statistics using "total trips in the region" are not very relevant to the question of how to move large volumes of people into and out of major population and employment centers during peak hours. This comparison looks at region-wide trips on a 24-hour basis, including rural areas and times of day with no congestion.
Sound Transit's rail stations will serve as transit hubs where people can access the congestion-free rail service by car, bus, bike or on foot, boosting the efficiency, integration and convenience of the region's transportation system.
The Mass Transit Expansion plan targets the areas where our greatest population growth will occur. In 2030, 70 percent of the regional population and 85 percent of its jobs will be located within easy access to light rail and/or commuter rail.

Is it possible to build these transit expansions faster?

Sound Transit worked to expedite the projects in the 2008 package. The light rail projects will be completed five to seven years sooner than in last year's Roads & Transit ballot measure package.
While longer-term investments come online, the current plans increase regional bus service in the busiest corridors almost immediately. As light rail services come online in those corridors, the bus services can be redeployed to serve other areas.
Any major expansion of transportation right-of way takes a significant amount of time to plan and build.
The time required to build major projects is one reason the Board and the public cited to move forward now.
The time it takes to design and build a project is not the only consideration. Another consideration is the rate of revenue collection.

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Questions about light rail

What are the advantages of light rail as a transit mode?

Fast, frequent service. Light rail travels quickly.
Light rail systems like those in ST2 that operate primarily in their own rights of way are significantly faster than buses.
Light rail will run up to 20 hours per day, every few minutes in peak hours, serving our region's most crowded corridors.
Light rail is easy to use – no schedule required.
Light rail is reliable because it operates in its own right-of-way. Trips on light rail take the same time, every time, because they're not slowed by traffic congestion.
Light rail helps the environment. Light rail makes it easier for people to leave their cars at home, helping keep air and water clean while addressing climate change.
The investments in this mass transit system expansion will reduce the amount of projected annual CO2 emissions by nearly 100,000 tons each year. That savings is equivalent to the amount produced from burning 323,000 barrels of oil a year; 1,900 gasoline-filled tanker trucks; 12,300 single-family homes and 1,000 acres of preserved forest land.
Light rail provides high people-moving capacity. Light rail is easily expanded and can run trains up to 400 feet in length, carrying more than 800 people every few minutes.
Light rail lines attract investment and spur the creation of walkable, high-density communities, making it easier for the region to handle growth and keep the economy moving.
Light rail works well as the core of a transit system. Stations serve as hubs, providing seamless connections for riders who walk, drive or take the local bus. Light rail also frees buses so they can better serve local routes.

Did Sound Transit look at examples from other cities?

Sound Transit closely evaluated cities across the country that have embraced light rail with impressive results. Some examples:

Portland. In its first year of operation, ridership on the MAX Yellow Line far outpaced ridership on the former bus line that operated along the same route. Overall, the line carries 95 percent more passengers than buses did.
Tacoma. In its first week of service, Tacoma Link more than doubled the previous bus ridership along that same route.
Dallas. The Dallas-area DART system has stimulated more than $3.3 billion in private investment since the rail line launched in 1996.
Salt Lake City. Since TRAX light rail opened for service in 1999, residents there have twice voted to expand the system. Last November, voters raised their sales tax to speed up construction of more light rail. Lines originally planned for completion in 2030 will now open for service in 2015.
Denver. Nearly half of light rail riders previously drove their cars to work. Overall, more than 25 percent of commuters into the city get there by transit.

How much does it cost to operate light rail in comparison to buses?

Sound Transit's forecasted operating cost per passenger mile is 15 cents, 86 percent less than $1.12 per passenger mile for bus service.
Light rail is not impacted by rising diesel fuel costs and relies on the region's clean and abundant hydropower-generated electricity.

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East corridor questions

Why is light rail planned for I-90? Why not just wait and put it across SR 520 when that bridge gets rebuilt?

Light rail can be quickly and cost-effectively built on I-90. This has been the plan for over 30 years and it still makes the most sense today. The I-90 center roadway was designed to accommodate light rail.
1976 Memorandum Agreement for I-90 was signed by the cities of Seattle, Bellevue and Mercer Island, King County, Metro Transit and the State Highway Commission. It directed that bridge design and construction accommodate future conversion to rail and commits the two-lane center roadway for that purpose.
In a 2004 Amendment, the parties agreed that I-90's ultimate configuration would be high-capacity transit in the center roadway and HOV lanes on the outer roadway and directed action to implement this as soon as possible.
I-90 better connects Bellevue and Seattle, the two biggest economic engines of the region.
In its 2002 Trans-Lake Project, WSDOT affirmed that I-90 makes the most sense for the first high-capacity transit service across Lake Washington because it will pass through Bellevue without an extensive detour, be finished sooner and could cost less than similar service in the SR 520 corridor. The study recommended consideration of future high-capacity transit on SR 520.
There are insurmountable technical and financial challenges to putting the region's first cross-lake rail connection on SR-520. For more information visit our East Link page.
The Mass Transit Expansion plan includes funding to implement bus rapid transit service on SR-520, and funding to study the possibility of adding future rail service on the corridor.

Will light rail on I-90 make traffic worse?

Light rail offers more than 50 percent greater people-carrying capacity than the current I-90 center lanes, with the ability to serve up to 12,000 people per hour in each direction.
The corridor will have the same number (eight) of general purpose lanes as today. New 24-hour HOV lanes in both directions will replace the express lanes that currently operate only in the peak direction (westbound in the morning, eastbound in the afternoon).
A WSDOT study found that with light rail on I-90, traffic flow will be better for most commuters in most directions during most times of the day. It also found some times when the projected traffic flow would be slightly impacted by removal of the reversible lanes.
- It is important to note that WSDOT's study did not take into account any potential mitigation measures. More detailed traffic studies are currently underway as part of the East Link Environmental Impact Statement.
The new configuration recognizes that nearly half (45 percent) of the trips across the I-90 bridge are now in the off-peak direction (to the Eastside in the morning, for example).
- Freight traffic on I-90 is heavier in the reverse-peak direction, heading eastbound in the morning as freight leaves the Port of Seattle and westbound in the afternoon as freight arrives.
Even with the worst-case analysis, the traffic study showed significant benefits, including reduced weaving across the bridge and increased capacity in the reverse peak direction.

Can trains operate safely on a floating bridge?

Extensive engineering work shows that light rail trains can operate safely on a floating bridge. Rail systems operate successfully on suspension bridges that experience greater movement than the I-90 floating bridge.
Two different independent panels of experts looked at the feasibility of adding light rail to the bridge. Neither found it could not be done.
A load test conducted by WSDOT in September 2005 simulated light rail train operation on the I-90 bridge. It affirmed 2001 computer modeling work and structural analyses demonstrating that the bridge is capable of accommodating light rail operation.
The bridge can be structurally retrofitted to accommodate the addition of light rail to general purpose traffic on the I-90 roadway.
Rail is successfully operating on aerial bridges in Vancouver and Lisbon that have similar or greater degrees of movement.

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North Corridor questions

Why did the ballot measure increase Sounder service for Pierce County and South King County but not Snohomish County?

In Snohomish County, the Sounder commuter rail service that already exists has enough capacity to serve expected ridership growth there well into the future, making light rail expansions on the I-5 corridor a higher priority for Snohomish County.
The planned light rail extension to Snohomish County will operate with fast, frequent and reliable service in both directions up to 20 hours a day, while commuter rail only operates into Seattle in the morning and back to Snohomish County in the evening.
Sounder commuter rail runs on existing freight lines. In Snohomish County and North King County, those tracks run along the shore of Puget Sound, which reduces the geographic area from which the system draws riders. This is a major factor behind the significantly higher demand on the south corridor, where the Sounder system pulls riders from both the east and west.
Snohomish County's Sounder service operates on BNSF's main rail connection between the Northwest and the Chicago area, a corridor where expanding capacity is very difficult and expensive due to location of Puget Sound on one side and steep embankments on the other.
Based on these considerations the Board recommended that Snohomish County resources be spent on express bus and light rail expansions.

South corridor questions

What solutions are planned for parking shortages and other challenges for accessing Sounder stations?

Along with Sounder service expansions will be money for expanded access to Sounder stations all along the south line.
That could include additional parking, bus connections, passenger drop-off space, walking or biking access or combinations of all of these things. System access improvements for each station will be determined in cooperation with local jurisdictions to ensure that expanded access benefits both commuters and the surrounding community.

Parking and transit access

What does the plan do to improve parking capacity and access to stations?

Factors considered in the public involvement process and Board deliberations include:

The package provides funding for expanding access to many of Sound Transit's busiest facilities, as well as new facilities. This includes funding for new parking as well as other access improvements.
Planning for increased parking is based on projections of future parking demand balanced with community needs and accessibility. It is difficult to provide more parking at some very popular park-and-ride lots because of constrained land area, access and traffic issues or sensitive adjacent land uses.
The system access plan will work with communities to determine the right mix of additional parking, bus connections, passenger drop-off space, walking or biking access or combinations of all of these things.
Where many people and jobs are not located within walking distance of stations or local transit services cannot meet demand to stations, parking facilities are an effective way to attract riders to the stations from larger surrounding areas.
Sound Transit tries to reduce demand for station parking by working with local transit partners to integrate regional transit services with local transit services.

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Questions about costs

How much will the mass transit expansions cost and how will they be funded?

The total cost of the package is $17.9 billion in year of expenditure dollars, including all capital, operations, maintenance, reserves and debt service from 2009 through 2023.
The typical new cost per adult is $69 per year. This will come from a sales tax increase of five-tenths of one percent, or five cents on a $10 retail purchase.
In addition to the sales tax increase, funding for the mass transit expansion package will also come from existing Sound Transit taxes, federal grants and fares.
The plan includes binding provisions for expediting bond repayment and rolling back the taxes.

When will taxes be rolled back?

The package features binding requirements for future rollback of the voter-approved tax increases. Sound Transit will be required to complete the projects and then reduce taxes to the level necessary to operate and maintain the system and pay associated debt service.
The Sound Transit 2 finance plan estimates that by 2038, the tax increase approved by voters in 2008 will not be needed and will no longer be collected.

How did Sound Transit develop its cost projections? Are they realistic?

Sound Transit applied industry best practices and all the experience gained since 1997 to estimate the costs of the proposed new projects and build a sound, reliable financial plan.
The cost estimates include contingencies of about 25 percent or more, as appropriate for the type of project and how far along the designs are.
This methodology was used to estimate the cost of light rail from downtown Seattle to the airport. Seven years later, the light rail project from downtown Seattle to the airport is more than 90 percent completed and is moving forward within the same schedule and budget that was established in 2001.
Cost-estimating methodologies have been rigorously reviewed by the independent, state-appointed Expert Review Panel (ERP). The ERP has evaluated Sound Transit's history and the agency's effort to incorporate lessons learned into the Sound Transit 2 planning process.

Were other tax sources considered for the plan?

Sales tax is the only major new local funding legally available to Sound Transit.
Board members discussed that while long term, there is growing interest in some quarters for exploring significant changes to taxes and how transportation projects are funded. Sound Transit does not have the legal authority to raise taxes from other sources.

How much of the Mass Transit Expansion plan will be paid for through borrowing?

ST2's financial plan anticipates selling bonds to cover approximately $6.5 billion, or around 49 percent, of the plan's capital costs of $13.4 billion in YOE dollars.
This compares to buying a house with a down payment of around 51 percent. Most homeowners sign mortgages with down payments of 0 to 20 percent.

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Comparing light rail and buses

Did Sound Transit compare the advantages of light rail with those of bus rapid transit (BRT)

Light rail and BRT can both be very effective high-capacity transit modes. Each has its place in a regional transit system.
Light rail works best in the most heavily-traveled corridors.
- BRT can get stuck in traffic. The HOV lanes suffer slowdowns and congestion due to heavy traffic, weather and accidents.
- Absent costly capital investments, HOV lanes used by BRT don't continue through major highway-to-highway interchanges or on arterials in congested population centers. This restricts buses to the constantly worsening speeds of rush hour traffic.
- One articulated bus can carry up to 80 people. A light rail vehicle carries up to 200 people. It would take 10 articulated buses to carry the same number of passengers as one four-car train. That requires 10 times as many operators, including their salaries and benefits.
There is no room on the streets of downtown Bellevue or Seattle for hundreds of additional buses.
The costs of increased labor and maintenance of hundreds of new buses, in addition to purchasing those vehicles, is usually not included in assumptions that claim BRT is less expensive than light rail.

Environmental issues

What are some of the environmental issues considered in shaping the plan?

The plan will reduce the amount of projected annual CO2 emissions by nearly 100,000 tons each year. That savings is equivalent to the amount produced from burning 323,000 barrels of oil a year; 1,900 gasoline-filled tanker trucks; 12,300 single-family homes and 1,000 acres of preserved forest land.
Extending the regional light rail line to 55 miles will give more people more alternatives to driving alone.
Greater system access including bike and pedestrian improvements, connecting bus feeder service and more parking will make it easier to access transit.
Greater transit use and particularly electric light rail trains translate to reduced reliance on fossil fuel and reduced greenhouse gas emissions.
Reduced use of cars also translates into better air and water quality.
- Light rail stations have been proven to foster development of more livable and walkable urban communities along light rail lines and help regions manage growth. With another million people expected in the Central Puget Sound region by 2030, that was a major consideration in shaping the package.