3 Line (Sound Transit)

3 Line
3 Line
Overview
Status	Planned
Owner	Sound Transit
Locale	Seattle metropolitan area, Washington, US
Termini	Everett Station (north); Alaska Junction (south);
Stations	25 (9 new, 1 provisional)
Service
Type	Light rail
System	Link light rail
History
Planned opening	2032 (West Seattle); 2037 (Southwest Everett); 2041 (Downtown Everett)
Technical
Number of tracks	2
Character	Underground, elevated, and surface
Track gauge	4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Electrification	Overhead line, 1,500 V DC
Operating speed	55 miles per hour (89 km/h)
Route map
Route map
	Legend
Provisional route
	International District/
	Chinatown
	This diagram: view; talk; edit;

The 3 Line (colored magenta) is a future light rail line in the Seattle metropolitan area in the U.S. state of Washington, to be part of Sound Transit's Link light rail system. It is planned to connect Everett and Snohomish County to Downtown Seattle and West Seattle. The 3 Line would share tracks with the 2 Line from southern Everett to International District/Chinatown station along the 1 Line corridor.^[2]

The line is planned to reuse existing tracks that are part of the 1 Line and its future expansions; the 1 Line will then be rerouted through a new Downtown Seattle tunnel to be built for the Ballard Link Extension.^[3] The 16.3-mile (26.2 km) Everett Link Extension to the north of Lynnwood will have six stations and is scheduled to open between 2037 and 2041.^[4] The 4.7-mile-long (7.6 km) West Seattle Link Extension will include three new stations southwest of SODO station and is scheduled to open in 2032.^[5] The 3 Line was created as part of the Sound Transit 3 program, approved by voters in 2016, which included both projects.^[6]

The West Seattle Link Extension would include a high bridge crossing the Duwamish River adjacent to the existing West Seattle Bridge. In 2024, Sound Transit and HNTB proposed a cable-stayed bridge design that would be 1,690 feet (520 m) long and have two towers that are 374 feet (114 m) tall.^[7] The western end of the line would be tunneled between Alaska Junction and Avalon stations, where trains would begin to use an elevated guideway.^[8] The project is expected to cost $6.7 to $7.1 billion to construct and carry 26,000 daily passengers.^[9]^[10]

The Everett Link Extension includes a new operations and maintenance facility that is scheduled to open in 2034 at one of three sites near Paine Field and the Boeing Everett Factory.^[11] The project is estimated to cost between $5.05 billion and $6.9 billion and open either as a single phase in 2037 with its funding shortfall addressed or in two phases from 2037 to 2041.^[12]

Stations

Names and locations for future stations are provisional.

Station	City	Location	Planned opening ^[1]	Type	Connections and notes
Everett Link Extension (Everett Station to Lynnwood City Center)
Everett Station	Everett	3201 Smith Avenue	2041	Elevated	Transfer to Sounder commuter rail, Amtrak, Swift Bus Rapid Transit
SR 526/Evergreen	Everett	State Route 526 at Evergreen Way	2041	Elevated
SW Everett Industrial Center	Everett	State Route 526 at Airport Road	2037	Elevated
SR 99/Airport Road	Everett	Airport Road at State Route 99	TBD	Elevated	Provisional station
Mariner	Everett	4th Avenue West at 128th Street Southeast	2037	Elevated	2 Line terminus^[2]
Ash Way	Lynnwood	Interstate 5 at 164th Street Southwest	2037	Elevated
West Alderwood	Lynnwood	Vicinity of Alderwood Mall	2037	Elevated
West Seattle Link Extension (SODO to Alaska Junction)
Delridge	Seattle	Delridge Way Southwest near Southwest Genesse Street	2032	Elevated
Avalon	Seattle	Southwest Avalon Way near 35th Avenue Southwest	2032	Retained cut^[13]
Alaska Junction	Seattle	Southwest Alaska Street near California Avenue Southwest	2032	Underground

References

^ ^a ^b "Everett Link Extension: Timeline and milestones". Sound Transit. Retrieved September 4, 2024.
^ ^a ^b Sound Transit future service (PDF) (Map). Sound Transit. August 2024. Retrieved September 4, 2024.
^ "2022 Progress Report". Sound Transit. February 2022. Retrieved January 2, 2023.
^ Watanabe, Ben (December 8, 2021). "City of Everett outlines light rail priorities for 2037". The Everett Herald. Retrieved January 2, 2023.
^ "West Seattle and Ballard Link Extensions: Expanding light rail in Seattle" (PDF). Sound Transit. August 2022. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 17, 2017. Retrieved January 2, 2023.
^ Lindblom, Mike (October 24, 2019). "Pricier light-rail tunnels into Ballard and West Seattle fall by the wayside". The Seattle Times. Retrieved January 2, 2023.
^ Miller, Brian (August 19, 2024). "Behold! Sound Transit shows 'diamond pylon' span over Duwamish". Seattle Daily Journal of Commerce. Retrieved September 4, 2024.
^ Newcomb, Tim (October 30, 2024). "Sound Transit Finalizes West Seattle Link Extension Alignment". Engineering News-Record. Retrieved December 2, 2024.
^ Lindblom, Mike (November 12, 2023). "West Seattle's light-rail path finally takes shape, at a price". The Seattle Times. Retrieved September 4, 2024.
^ Lindblom, Mike (September 18, 2024). "West Seattle's light rail estimate soars past $6 billion". The Seattle Times. Retrieved December 2, 2024.
^ "Everett Link Extension fact sheet" (PDF). Sound Transit. September 2023. Retrieved September 4, 2024.
^ Lindblom, Mike (June 23, 2023). "Sound Transit charts its long light-rail journey to Everett". The Seattle Times. Retrieved September 4, 2024.
^ "Avalon Station". West Seattle Link Extension. Sound Transit. Retrieved December 2, 2024.

External links

This article about transportation in Washington is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

This United States rail–related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

[ST-EverettTimeline-1] "Everett Link Extension: Timeline and milestones". Sound Transit. Retrieved September 4, 2024.

[ST-Future-2] Sound Transit future service (PDF) (Map). Sound Transit. August 2024. Retrieved September 4, 2024.

[3] "2022 Progress Report". Sound Transit. February 2022. Retrieved January 2, 2023.

[4] Watanabe, Ben (December 8, 2021). "City of Everett outlines light rail priorities for 2037". The Everett Herald. Retrieved January 2, 2023.

[5] "West Seattle and Ballard Link Extensions: Expanding light rail in Seattle" (PDF). Sound Transit. August 2022. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 17, 2017. Retrieved January 2, 2023.

[6] Lindblom, Mike (October 24, 2019). "Pricier light-rail tunnels into Ballard and West Seattle fall by the wayside". The Seattle Times. Retrieved January 2, 2023.

[7] Miller, Brian (August 19, 2024). "Behold! Sound Transit shows 'diamond pylon' span over Duwamish". Seattle Daily Journal of Commerce. Retrieved September 4, 2024.

[8] Newcomb, Tim (October 30, 2024). "Sound Transit Finalizes West Seattle Link Extension Alignment". Engineering News-Record. Retrieved December 2, 2024.

[Times-West2023-9] Lindblom, Mike (November 12, 2023). "West Seattle's light-rail path finally takes shape, at a price". The Seattle Times. Retrieved September 4, 2024.

[10] Lindblom, Mike (September 18, 2024). "West Seattle's light rail estimate soars past $6 billion". The Seattle Times. Retrieved December 2, 2024.

[ST-EverettFacts2023-11] "Everett Link Extension fact sheet" (PDF). Sound Transit. September 2023. Retrieved September 4, 2024.

[12] Lindblom, Mike (June 23, 2023). "Sound Transit charts its long light-rail journey to Everett". The Seattle Times. Retrieved September 4, 2024.

[13] "Avalon Station". West Seattle Link Extension. Sound Transit. Retrieved December 2, 2024.

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v t e Mass transit in the Puget Sound region
Transportation in Seattle
Local and express bus	Community Transit Everett Transit Intercity Transit Island Transit King County Metro list of routes fleet facilities trolleybuses Kitsap Transit Pierce Transit Skagit Transit Sound Transit Express
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Other	Downtown Seattle Transit Tunnel ORCA card SODO Busway Sound Transit Trolleybuses in Seattle
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