Final new light rail vehicle arrives for Hilltop Tacoma link

The final light rail vehicle to support the Sound Transit’s T Line Hilltop Tacoma Link Extension has arrived in Tacoma. The car, the last of five new vehicles, is part of a $26.5 million contract with Brookville Equipment Corporation that doubled the existing fleet.

Each of the 66-foot-long cars is designed to carry more than 100 passengers. The eight-foot-wide car has seating for up to 26 passengers with accessibility seating for passengers using wheelchairs and mobility devices and space for bikes.

The 2.4-mile Hilltop extension includes seven new stations, relocates the Theater District station and will bring light rail from downtown Tacoma to the Stadium business district and Hilltop neighborhood.

Major destinations include Wright Park, MultiCare Tacoma General Hospital, Stadium High School and St. Joseph Medical Center. The project also includes an expansion of Sound Transit’s Operations and Maintenance Facility in Tacoma. 

Hilltop Tacoma Link is scheduled to open for service in the first quarter of 2023. In the next weeks, crews will be performing rail grinding and testing cars on the new track. People in the area of the work should use crosswalks and not shortcuts to cross the street and tracks.

For more information on the Hilltop Tacoma Link Extension and to sign up for project updates, visit www.soundtransit.org/htlink