Sound Transit system-wide ridership rose 10 percent in 2017

More than 47 million people rode Sound Transit trains and buses last year, with light rail ridership up 22 percent as Link becomes a top choice for getting around

Forty-seven million people rode Sound Transit trains and buses in 2017, a 10 percent system-wide increase over the previous year. Light rail ridership alone surged 22 percent as more people took advantage of fast, consistent travel times to stations at Capitol Hill, the University of Washington and Angle Lake that opened in 2016.

"As more people chose the Pacific Northwest as a place to live and work last year, more commuters rode public transit," said Board Chair and Snohomish County Executive Dave Somers. "Link light rail remained a top choice for getting to and from work, sporting events and other destinations—which means the hard work of expanding our regional rail network remains more important than ever."

Average weekday ridership system-wide during the fourth quarter increased 9.4 percent over the same period in 2016, with light rail average weekday ridership climbing 8.3 percent.

The fourth quarter ridership report can be found here: soundtransit.org/ridership.