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History of Link light rail
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Link light rail in the Seattle metropolitan area of Washington is a light rail system managed by Sound Transit since its inception in 1996. As of 2024[update], it consists of the 1 Line, the 2 Line, and the T Line; with several extensions under construction and other lines in planning.
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The first lines were approved by a ballot measure in 1996, but a series of financial missteps and planning errors resulted in escalating costs and delayed construction for Central Link (now the 1 Line). The 21-mile line was shortened to a 14-mile line running from Westlake Center in downtown Seattle south to Seattle–Tacoma International Airport, and opened in 2009.[1] Federal grants received in 2005 funded a northern extension to the University of Washington in 2016.[2] Further funding extended the line south to Angle Lake in 2016, and north to Northgate in 2021.[3]
Further ballot measures Sound Transit 2 (ST2) in 2008 and Sound Transit 3 (ST3) in 2016 have funded further expansions, as well as the construction of new lines across the region that will total 116 miles (187 km) by 2041.[1] Construction is underway on the 2 Line, which will open in two phases: from South Bellevue to the Microsoft campus in Redmond in 2024; and to Seattle in 2025.[4] Other ST2 projects include an extension north to Lynnwood to open in 2024 and south to Federal Way in 2026.[5] Future extensions to be built with ST3 funding to Tacoma, Issaquah, and Everett are scheduled to open by 2044.[6]