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Sound Transit history
Sound Transit company history timeline
Former Regional Transit Authority board chair Bob Drewel on 1996 vote authorizing initial Sound Transit funding
In June 1999, the agency announced the estimated cost of building light rail would be hundreds of millions more than expected, admitting publicly for the first time that it might not be possible to build the full first phase as promised.
In 1999 Sound Transit began operating its first express-bus lines and commuter trains between Tacoma, Seattle, and Everett.
In September 2000, the first Sounder service began between Seattle and Tacoma.
As 2000 rolled on, it became clear that Central Link was going to cost significantly more than expected.
Released in early April 2001, it admonished Sound Transit for lack of due diligence around budgeting and cost estimates and recommended that the FTA hold off on providing grant money.
In February 2002 an anti-rail group called Sane Transit sued Sound Transit, alleging that the massive reduction in project scope required the agency to put the issue to another public vote.
Though there was some grumbling in Congress about the $500 million FTA grant, Sound Transit finally got its full funding grant agreement for Central Link in November 2003.
Beacon Hill Station platform under construction, Seattle, June 20, 2006
The Central Link line from the airport to UW was projected to cost $1.7 billion and be completed by 2006.
Testing that theory, the board, now chaired by Nickels, began planning for an ST2 stand-alone vote in 2008.
In September 2010, Kemper Freeman and a pro-roads group in Bellevue sued the state to block light rail's expansion to the Eastside via the Interstate 90 bridge across Lake Washington.
In May 2015, Earl announced plans to retire once the University Link extension was complete the following year.
Opening day, Sound Transit Capitol Hill Station, Seattle, March 21, 2016
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Sound Transit competitors
| Company name | Founded date | Revenue | Employee size | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GO Transit | 1967 | $110.0M | 3,000 | - |
| MBTA Commuter Rail | 2013 | $71.3B | 510 | - |
| Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority | 1967 | $1.8B | 15,000 | 35 |
| MBTA | 1897 | $213.7M | 2,750 | 2 |
| San Francisco Municipal Railway | - | $990,000 | 7 | - |
| NJ Transit | 1981 | $1.1B | 7,500 | - |
| Chicago Transit Authority | 1947 | $625.0M | 5,065 | 26 |
| TriMet | 1969 | $5.5B | 3,500 | 2 |
| Louis Berger Services Inc | 1997 | $61.0M | 1,000 | - |
| Port of Seattle | 1911 | $76.0M | 2,150 | 18 |
Sound Transit history FAQs
Zippia gives an in-depth look into the details of Sound Transit, including salaries, political affiliations, employee data, and more, in order to inform job seekers about Sound Transit. The employee data is based on information from people who have self-reported their past or current employments at Sound Transit. The data on this page is also based on data sources collected from public and open data sources on the Internet and other locations, as well as proprietary data we licensed from other companies. Sources of data may include, but are not limited to, the BLS, company filings, estimates based on those filings, H1B filings, and other public and private datasets. While we have made attempts to ensure that the information displayed are correct, Zippia is not responsible for any errors or omissions or for the results obtained from the use of this information. None of the information on this page has been provided or approved by Sound Transit. The data presented on this page does not represent the view of Sound Transit and its employees or that of Zippia.
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