Sound Transit’s Operating Cost Debacle

The previous post detailed why Sound Transit Boards Jan 26^th plans for operating the Lynnwood expansion indicated they’d ignored Northgate Link’s failure to attract more than a fraction of the 41,000 to 49,000 riders they predicted. This post details what it currently costs Sound Transit to provide transit for those riders and what it will cost for their plans to operate the Lynnwood Link.   

Sound Transit budgets light rail car costs at ~$30 per revenue vehicle mile.  Thus, every extension mile adds $240 to the round-trip operating cost.  The 4.2-mile Northgate extension added ~$1000 to the round trip from and to Westlake Station. The current weekday schedule for headways between trains, 8-minute peak, 10-minute off peak and 15-minute late night requires 126 trips.  Thus, the Northgate extensions weekday operation currently add $126,000 to daily operating costs.

Sound Transit no longer provides quarterly Service Provided Performance Reports that would have included riders added by each of the three Northgate Link stations.   Assuming all the increase in ridership during the first three months after the debut were added by the three stations, ~8000 daily, gives $15.75 per rider.  The Northgate ridership did little to reduce congestion since most of the riders were commuters who previously rode bus routes into Seattle.

The Lynnwood Link’s 8.5-mile extension adds ~$2000 to the trip cost from Westlake and back.  The Jan 26th Board meeting approved a plan with Chinatown/ID to Lynnwood headways of 4-min. peak and 5-min. off-peak, essentially doubling the current Northgate trips per day. The combination of the longer routes and more frequent service resulted in the Lynnwood extension adding ~$500,000 to daily operating costs.

Typical of Sound Transit Board, no one asked how many additional commuters they expected with the extension.  Many of those along the route with access to transit were already riding on bus routes the Northgate Link replaced.  Replacing additional buses further reduces transit capacity into Seattle and doesn’t reduce I-5 congestion. The additional former bus riders also reduces access for current Line 1 Link riders.

The bottom line is, Sound Transit recently hired a new Chief Financial Official (CFO).  There is little the CFO can do about the $2.77B that will be spent extending light rail to Lynnwood.  However, the entire Sound Transit service area will benefit if he vetoes the Board’s Jan 26^th plan that requires spending $500,000 daily on operating costs and questions the financial viability of all the “voter approved” light rail spine extensions.