Sound Transit launches survey as it shapes cost-cutting plan that would ‘defer’ light rail to Ballard and West Seattle

As Sound Transit officials consider “cost-cutting approaches” that would “defer” light rail to Ballard and West Seattle, the agency is asking for feedback on how it should shift its plans in the face of soaring costs:

Sound Transit is working to reduce the impact of historic inflation, tariffs, labor shortages, supply chain disruptions and other factors on its ability to plan, build and deliver transit to the region. The agency currently estimates that it will need to close a $34.5 billion funding gap over the next 20 years to deliver what’s outlined in the voter-approved Sound Transit 3 program. ST3 includes light rail extensions to West Seattle, Ballard, Tacoma, and Everett, South Kirkland and Issaquah, and much more.

As part of its process to come up with a feasible “Sound Transit 3” plan, the board has launched a survey to gather rider priorities. The survey takes an estimated 5 minutes to complete, Sound Transit says. It did not provide a cutoff date for the survey.

Sound Transit says the survey will be part of the process as Board of Directors and Sound Transit staff are take “proactive steps to address this long-term financial challenge through a comprehensive agencywide process known as the Enterprise Initiative.”

You can read more about the initiative here.

CHS reported here on three options being floated for delivering a reduced set of ST3 expansions amid growing concerns about increasingly dismal economic forecasts for the package as officials were jockey to keep the West Seattle (2032) and Ballard (2039) light rail expansions on schedule.

Meanwhile, light rail has now reached the Central District as Judkins Park Station celebrated its grand opening last month. The milestone is part of a full transformation of the light rail routes into a two-line system — the original 1 Line serving the city and its north-south neighbors, and now the added 2 Line connecting Seattle to Bellevue and Redmond on the world’s first light rail on a floating bridge.

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