Executives of King, Pierce and Snohomish Counties issued proclamations last Friday declaring this week “Sound Transit Week.” The public transportation organization will celebrate the anniversary with a number of events scheduled throughout the week, including:
*Tuesday, September 21, 2004 — Rider appreciation outreach will take place at the Tacoma Dome bus platform, Bellevue Transit Center, Everett Station (Sounder and bus platforms) and Tacoma Link at Tacoma Dome Station.
*Thursday September 23, 2004 — “Wave Fest” (4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at the Union Station Great Hall) An open house celebration showcasing Sound Transit and its partners (transit and private) and what has been accomplished in the past five years.
*Saturday, September 25, 2004 — ST Express Puyallup Fair Service Staff will be out at bus stops greeting/directing bus riders
*Sunday, September 26, 2004 — Sound Transit will kick-off Seahawk Service from Everett and Tacoma to Seattle.
Sound Transits regular commuter service officially began at 3:53 A.M. on September 20, 1999, when ST Express Route #574 left the Lakewood Transit Center en route to Sea-Tac Airport. Since that time, the organization counts the following as its accomplishments:
*The ST Express regional bus service has expanded to 19 routes and now carries more than 29,000 passengers every weekday;
*Sounder commuter rail service began in September 2000 and now carries more than 3,000 riders per weekday;
*Tacoma Link Light Rail went into service August 2003 and immediately met its 2010 ridership goal by carrying more than 2,000 passengers every weekday;
*Regional Express and Sounder together have so far built more than 10,000 new Park-and-Ride spaces in the region with another 3,000 in the works;
*More than $720 million in construction contracts are underway right now on the Central Link light rail line;
*Sound Transit buses and trains have carried more than 30 million passengers enough people to fill Safeco Field 600 times, or to fill the Tacoma Dome 1,300 times.
Sound Transits network of express buses, commuter rail, light rail and transit facilities connects communities in King, Pierce and Snohomish counties.
For more information, visit L&I online at http://www.soundtransit.org.
