Breaking records in 2026
First-in-the-nation ridership
The 2 Line’s Crosslake Connection opening in March boosted Sound Transit to the top of the ridership rankings nationally. By April, Link had become the highest-ridership light rail system in the country, ahead of Los Angeles, Boston, San Diego, and San Francisco.
Record-breaking days
In February, Link hit a new single-day ridership peak of 219,000. But that record was broken three more times in the months that followed, culminating in Sound Transit’s highest ridership day ever on July 6, with 313,000 light rail boardings.
219K
228K
292K
313K
Record-breaking moments
In February, Link hit a new single-day ridership peak of 219,000. But that record was broken three more times in the months that followed, culminating in Sound Transit’s highest ridership day ever on July 6, with 313,000 riders.
2 Line ridership growth
The Crosslake Connection opening in March spurred rapid 2 Line ridership growth. This chart shows how boardings at 2 Line-only stations — from Downtown Redmond to Judkins Park — more than doubled once service opened across Lake Washington.
Making transit simple
Tap-to-pay functionality means it’s now easier than ever to try transit, without the hassle of buying a ticket or pass. Since it launched in February, about 4.5 million boardings on ORCA-partner transit services regionwide used open payment — including about 2 million on Sound Transit.
A better-connected region
The Link light rail system has grown by leaps and bounds in recent years, but there’s more to come. Today’s system will nearly double with voter-approved future expansions to Everett, Tacoma, West Seattle, Ballard, and Issaquah on the horizon.