The Platform

Your express stop for the latest Sound Transit news

An aerial view of the new light rail base on the Eastside, with downtown Bellevue visible in the distance.
Media Caption
The Link Operations and Maintenance Facility: East will maintain and store light rail vehicles for regional expansions.

Fresh pics: New light rail base opens in Bellevue

More space for more trains to more places

Publish Date

Today marks the opening of the new Operations and Maintenance Facility: East (OMF East), a key component of upcoming Link extensions to Northgate, Lynnwood, Federal Way and Redmond.

It may not seem glamorous, but facilities like this are absolutely critical in supporting regional transit expansion, and keeping the system safe and clean. Plus, the building is super cool! 

The state-of-the-art facility will accommodate the service, maintenance, storage and deployment of 96 light rail vehicles. Check out a video of its features:

Up to 260 employees will staff the facility, which will operate around the clock 365 days a year.

The OMF East has already begun storing new Series 2 light rail vehicles from Siemens, with the existing Operations and Maintenance Facility in Seattle nearing capacity. New cars will continue arriving through 2024.

Key features of the OMF East include:

The interior of the new Operations and Maintenance Facility features 14 service bays.
14 service bays.
Trains are washed in this facility, which looks similar to a car wash.
Cleaning and wash bay.

 

The art at the new OMF is a freestanding sculpture of large nails painted in shades of blue and orange.
A freestanding sculpture by Christian Moeller called “Nails” stretching for nearly 500 feet along the paved public bike path bordering the site, featuring 45 nails that are up to 30 feet tall.
A Link train is parked in front of the new Operations and Maintenance Facility.
Nearly 300 poles supporting train power.

The rooftop features a 100-kilowatt solar array to offset energy use. Sound Transit is pursuing a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold certification for the facility.

In addition to creating mobility throughout the region, the transit oriented development around this site will make it possible for more people to live and work near light rail.

The OMF East features almost 145,000 square feet of shops and office areas.

Hensel Phelps Construction Company designed and built the light rail operations and maintenance facility, using almost 600,000 hours of union labor. 

More stories on transit construction

Hopefully this isn't the first time you've run across our continuing coverage of these transit projects.

Check out our past stories for more action shots and information.

Fresh pics: a tour of East Link

Fresh pics: Making car-free connections in Redmond

Watch out for 'Nails' on the trail

Or you can see all of our Fresh Pics a stories by clicking on the category listing below (or on the right if you're reading this on your desktop or tablet).

Back to The Platform