Funding regional transit

How do we pay for current and future transit?

Sound Transit's funding

Sound Transit’s funding for transit construction and operations comes from a combination of local taxes, federal grants and loans, borrowing through the issuance of bonds, interest earnings, fare income, and other miscellaneous revenues.

Funding sources and uses: 2017-2046

Why does Sound Transit calculate its revenues and expenditures from 2017-2046? That’s the program life of the voter-approved ST3 regional system expansion plan.

Pie chart depicting Sound Transit funding sources. In descending order, the funding sources are: local taxes $93.7 billion; debt $31.9 billion; grants $15.3 billion; fares and other $6.1 billion; interest earnings $1.1 billion.

Funding source

YOE$ in billions

Local taxes$93.7
Debt$31.9
Grants$15.3
Fares and other$6.1
Interest earnings$1.1
Total$148.2
Pie chart depicting Sound Transit funding uses. Funding uses in descending order: Link light rail $62.4b; operations and maintenance $40.6 billion; debt service $21.3 billion; state of good repair $9.9 billion; Sounder rail $4.7 billion; Stride bus rapid transit $2.9 billion; systemwide $1.9 billion; reserves and other $1.4 billion; ST Express bus $1.1 billion.

Funding uses

YOE$ in billions

Link light rail$62.4
Operations and maintenance$40.6
Debt Service$21.4
State of good repair$9.9
Sounder rail$4.7
Stride BRT$2.9
Systemwide$1.9
Tacoma Link$1.8
Reserves and other$1.4
ST Express Bus$1.1
Total$148.2