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New trains, new bus trips bring big changes in June

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The first bus service additions from the Sound Transit 2 package will begin rolling with the June service change this year.  Highlights of the many changes that begin rolling out on Saturday, May 30 include more trips on twelve bus routes, the addition of a brand new Sounder shadow bus route in King and Pierce counties, and the addition of a ninth roundtrip Sounder train between Seattle and Tacoma.

The Sound Transit 2 package included the addition of 100,000 annual bus service hours, which will be phased in at regular service change intervals. The first phase of these bus service additions includes more trips on ST Express routes 510 Everett-Seattle; 511 Everett-Seattle; 513 Everett-Seattle; 522 Woodinville-Seattle; 532 Everett-Bellevue; 535 Lynnwood-Bellevue; 545 Redmond-Seattle; 550 Bellevue-Seattle and 554 Issaquah-Seattle.

Some ST Express bus routes will see other major changes along with the addition of ST2 funded trips. Route 550 will move all of its trips to the Downtown Seattle Transit Tunnel as the tunnel hours are expanded in preparation for Link light rail opening on July 18. Routes 554 Issaquah-Seattle, 555 and 556 Issaquah-Northgate will see new ST2 funded trips along with major routing changes in Eastgate and South Bellevue.

Starting June 1, the brand new ST Express Route 578 will provide early evening express bus service from downtown Seattle to Federal Way Transit Center, Auburn Station, Sumner Station and Puyallup Station, supplementing Sounder southline service and the ST Express Route 577 Federal Way-Seattle.

Also on June 1, Sounder commuter rail service will expand on the southline with the addition of one new round-trip train to the schedule. Adding these new peak-direction train trips will also introduce major schedule adjustments to southline Sounder service.

On July 18, Sound Transit’s Central Link light rail line will launch service between downtown Seattle and Tukwila. The on-schedule, on-budget project includes stops in Downtown Seattle, SODO, Beacon Hill, Rainier Valley neighborhoods and Tukwila. Frequent bus connector service will carry light rail passengers between Tukwila and Sea-Tac International Airport starting Monday, July 20 until the opening of direct airport service in December. Light rail rides will be free opening weekend. Sound Transit will announce detailed opening celebration plans in the coming weeks. Information will be posted at www.soundtransit.org/TravelLight. Beginning Monday, July 20, Link trains will run from 5 a.m. to 1 a.m. Monday through Saturday and 6 a.m. to midnight on Sundays.

On Memorial Day, Monday, May 25, ST Express buses and Tacoma Link will run on Sunday schedules and Sounder trains will not run.

Complete information about the June-September service changes for ST Express, Sounder, and Tacoma Link can be found at x10480.xml.  The changes include:

ST EXPRESS REGIONAL BUS

  • ST Express Route 510 (Everett-Seattle): Trip added
  • ST Express Route 511 (Everett-Seattle): Trips added 
  • ST Express Route 513 (Everett-Seattle): Trips added and major schedule adjustments 
  • ST Express Route 522 (Woodinville-Seattle): Trips added, minor schedule adjustments and modified routing in downtown Seattle
  • ST Express Route 532 (Everett-Bellevue): Trips added and minor schedule adjustments
  • ST Express Route 535 (Lynnwood-Bellevue): Trips added and minor schedule adjustments
  • ST Express Route 545 (Redmond-Seattle): Trips added and minor schedule adjustments
  • ST Express Route 550 (Bellevue-Seattle): Trips added, schedule adjustments and modified routing to use Downtown Seattle Transit Tunnel for all trips
  • ST Express Route 554 (Issaquah-Seattle): Revised routing at Eastgate, minor schedule adjustments; and more frequent mid-day service between Issaquah Transit Center and downtown Seattle
  • ST Express Route 555 (Issaquah-Northgate): Revised routing at Eastgate and in South Bellevue, trip added and major schedule adjustments
  • ST Express Route 556 (Issaquah-Northgate): Revised routing at Eastgate and in South Bellevue, trip added and major schedule adjustments
  • *NEW*—ST Express Route 578 (Seattle-Federal Way-Auburn-Sumner-Puyallup): New route serving downtown Seattle, Federal Way, Auburn, Sumner and Puyallup
  • ST Express Route 593 (South Tacoma-Seattle): Trips added and major schedule adjustments
  • ST Express Route 599 (Lakewood-Tacoma): Trip added and minor schedule adjustments

SOUNDER COMMUTER RAIL

  • South line: Round trip added and major schedule adjustments
  • North line: No changes

TACOMA LINK

No changes

CENTRAL LINK

Opens July 18