It’s official: Sound Transit carried more riders than ever in 2012

Annual ridership figures top all projections for buses and trains

Sound Transit set all-time annual ridership records in 2012 for boardings on its commuter trains, buses and light rail. Sound Transit had an estimated 28 million boardings last year. Average weekday boardings topped 93,000 for the year.

The combined annual numbers were up almost 12 percent over 2011 and boardings on all Sound Transit services topped agency projections for the year.

"It was a great year for Sound Transit riders with more people than ever discovering how much time, money and frustration they can save by taking the trains or buses," said Sound Transit Board Chair and Pierce County Executive Pat McCarthy. "With so many more people using our services it will be vital for Sound Transit to maintain the high standards our riders have come to expect."

Here's a look at the 2012 boardings by the numbers:

• ST Express regional buses: 15. 4 million boardings, 13 percent increase from in 2011
• Central Link light rail: 8.7 million boardings, 11 percent increase from 2011
• Sounder Commuter Rail: 2.8 million boardings, 10.5 percent increase from 2011

Also noteworthy, the Tacoma Link light rail line topped one million annual boardings for the first time since it opened in 2003.

The full annual ridership report can be found here:
www.soundtransit.org/Ridership