(The Center Square) – Sound Transit hit a post-pandemic ridership record in May with 3.2 million boardings, largely because of its light rail expansion into Redmond.
The May total marked an 11% jump from April and a 42% increase over May 2019, the system’s busiest pre-pandemic month.
Sound Transit Public Information Officer Rachelle Cunningham told The Center Square in an email that ridership significantly increased as a result of the 2 Line extension into Downtown Redmond, which opened services on May 10.
Initial ridership statistics show that the opening weekend of light rail services in Redmond saw nearly 30,000 boardings.
In the first full week of operations, the Marymoor Village and Downtown Redmond stations had approximately 47,000 boardings. By comparison, the 2 Line averaged about 22,400 boardings per week over the previous year.
“If you separate out the 1 Line and 2 Line, you’ll see that the 1 Line had an 8% month-over-month increase, and the 2 Line had a 94% increase,” Cunningham explained to The Center Square.
The increase in boardings can also be partly attributed to the fact that Microsoft’s headquarters is based in the city.
The Center Square previously reported on Sound Transit ridership increasing year-over-year between 1999 and 2018. The growth in boardings was attributed to the tech boom in Seattle, which saw employees of Amazon, Meta and Google use light rail to commute to downtown Seattle.
In 2020, ridership fell to 15.5 million, a 67% decrease in boardings, as a result of the pandemic. Since then, Sound Transit has added new extensions to Northgate, Lynnwood and Downtown Redmond.
Ridership numbers are anticipated to continue increasing as more stations open up. For instance, the I-90 segment of the 2 Line is expected to be completed in early 2026, which will connect the eastern and western parts of King County.
Additionally, light rail extensions into Federal Way, Tacoma, West Seattle, Ballard and Everett are anticipated to be completed between 2026 and into the next decade.
