"Sound Transit" to be the Name for Regional Transit Authority Services

"Sound Transit," or "ST" for short, will be the name that will greet riders of the new light rail, commuter rail and regional express bus transit service being financed and developed by the Central Puget Sound Regional Transit Authority. The RTA Board adopted ÒSound TransitÓ as the popular name for marketing the services it is developing under the voter-approved financing proposal for Sound Move, the Ten-Year Regional Transit System Plan.

The Board also adopted names for the specific Sound Transit services. The new electric light rail service will be called "Link," the commuter rail line on existing tracks between Lakewood and Everett will be known as "Sounder," and RTA's 20 new regional express bus routes will be called "Regional Express." The agency will retain its official corporate name, Central Puget Sound Regional Transit Authority.

"Our goal is to provide a more 'user-friendly' and easily identifiable name for the services we will be providing," according the Edmonds City Council member Dave Earling, chair of the RTA'Õs Public and Government Affairs Committee. "We were after a name that was simple and easy to use, yet included a sense of place. I think the name 'Sound Transit' accomplishes that."

The name was selected following the review of more than 50 names suggested by a marketing and communication consultant team, and testing with marketing professionals throughout the community. Additional suggestions were made by local newspapers and listeners to a popular local radio talk show. The final selection boiled down to a choice between "Sound Transit" and "Regional Transit."

Pierce County Council member Sarah Casada, an RTA Board member, commented during the board discussion that she liked the play on words in the name Sound Transit. Besides being a geographic reference to the Puget Sound Region, "I see 'Sound' as also meaning solid and dependable," she said.

The new "Sound Transit" identity is scheduled to make its first appearance when the first RTA-financed transit service makes its debut in September. Beginning in mid-September, RTA funding will add eight weekday trips and two Saturday trips to Pierce TransitÕs highly popular Seattle Express routes between Lakewood/Tacoma and Seattle.

The Central Puget Sound Regional Transit Authority was authorized by the state Legislature to provide high capacity transit services for the urban portions of Pierce, King and Snohomish County. The region's voters approved local taxes to finance Sound Move, the Ten-Year Regional Transit System Plan in November 1996.

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Sound Transit plans, builds and operates regional transit systems and services to improve mobility for Central Puget Sound.