Sound Transit taps consultant firm Manuel Padron and Associates to develop implementation plan for Regional Express bus service

Planning when and how riders will be served by the extensive Regional Express bus system being created for central Puget Sound will be the challenging task of the transit consulting firm of Manuel Padron and Associates. The Atlanta-based company has been selected by Sound Transit- The Central Puget Sound Regional Transit Authority - to help design and develop a service implementation plan (SIP) for their new Regional Express bus transit system. Enhancing the region's time-tested and effective bus transit systems, Regional Express will be a strategic web of 20 new, fast, limited-stop bus routes connecting the major urban centers of Bellevue, Everett, Tacoma and Seattle with other cities and communities in central Puget Sound. 

Over the next few months, Manuel Padron and Associates will work closely with Sound Transit, King County Metro, Pierce Transit, Everett Transit, Community Transit and other regional transit partners on the SIP to define Regional Express' routes, schedules and other service details. The SIP will also evaluate and refine the entire system and create a phased implementation schedule for rider service and supporting facilities such as park-and-ride lots and high-occupancy vehicle access ramps. The public is encouraged and welcome to review and comment on the SIP and Sound Transit is planning several opportunities for public participation. 

Manuel Padron and Associates have been involved in transit operations, systems planning and analysis nationwide, and locally they have worked on King County Metro's rail planning program, busway/HOV planning program and the system plan study. Assisting Manuel Padron and Associates will be engineering firms Entranco and Parsons Brinckerhoff and transportation consulting firm RLS and Associates. 

Approved by voters in 1996, Sound Transit is on track to implement a three-county region-wide transit system plan known as Sound Move. Regional Express will blend seamlessly with Sound Move's two other transportation systems: Sounder commuter rail, running 81 miles from Everett to Tacoma and Link light rail, a 24-mile all-electric system connecting the cities of Seattle, Tukwila and SeaTac and a 1.6 mile system connecting downtown Tacoma with the Tacoma Dome commuter station. 

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