Sound Transit opens new Sounder Tacoma Dome commuter rail station

Sound Transit's popular Sounder Commuter Rail service rolled into its new Tacoma Dome Station alongside Freighthouse Square Monday morning. The opening of the commuter rail station puts the final piece in place at the most complete multi-modal facility in the region.

"It all comes together here," said Sound Transit Board Chair/King County Executive Ron Sims. "Nowhere in the region is the future of transportation more visible than at Tacoma Dome Station, where Sounder commuter rail, Tacoma Link light rail and ST Express regional buses connect people with local Pierce Transit bus service, Greyhound and nearby Amtrak."

The new Sounder platform is just across the street from a 2,400 stall free parking garage and features a wheelchair access ramp and canopies to protect passengers in bad weather.

"Tacoma Dome Station is the best example of the Sound Transit vision," said Sound Transit Boardmember/Tacoma City Councilman Kevin Phelps. "It is the vision of connecting people to their jobs, their schools, shopping and recreation."

"The completion of the complex at Tacoma Dome Station is symbolic for the entire region," said Sound Transit Vice Chair/Pierce County Executive John Ladenburg. "It shows what the agency is capable of doing as we prepare to build Central Link light rail in King County, extend Sounder service to Lakewood and Everett and complete more than $800 million in capital projects to support the ST Express regional bus network."

In addition to the new station, Sound Transit also completed $12 million in track and signal improvements between The Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway's mainline and the Tacoma Rail tracks at Freighthouse Square. This upgrade is a significant added benefit of the project.

For the past three years Sounder commuters have used a temporary platform at the nearby Amtrak Station, a short walk northeast of the Tacoma Dome Station Garage. Besides giving Sounder a new home in Tacoma, the station is the springboard for extending service to South Tacoma and Lakewood.

U.S. Senator Patty Murray will join Sound Transit and local officials at 2 P.M. on September 26 for the official dedication of the new station.

Sounder currently provides three roundtrips during peak hours between Tacoma and Seattle with additional stops in Puyallup, Sumner, Auburn, Kent and Tukwila.

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Sound Transit plans, builds and operates regional transit systems and services to improve mobility for Central Puget Sound.