Ferry System Versus Sound Transit

The Sunday Seattle Times Opinion page headlined, “Ferry feud gets us nowhere” detailed funding problems for those using ferries for public transit.   Kitsap County residents had approved a sales tax increase to fund the service, the question being whether to do so with car-carrying ferries or passenger-only vessels.  

The Kitsap County car-ferry-versus-passenger-only arguments are similar to the Sound Transit service area train-versus-bus service decision.  New ferries won’t be available until 2030. Passenger-only vessels far sooner. Rail extensions beyond Federal Way and Lynnwood face even longer delays; buses already serve the areas.  The passenger-only 118-rider capacity is similar to a 110-capacity bus.

Ferries have excess capacity beyond their weekend-and-commuter runs like light-rail-train capacity during off-peak operation. Wake restrictions limiting speeds to “slowest possible in order to maintain steerage and headway”, like the noise restrictions limiting light rail train speeds.

The ferry concern, “Each state route has its own challenges, but suffers from an aging fleet prone to breakdowns”, is like Sound Transit problems with 1 and 2 Line light rail train reliability.

One difference is passenger-only  boat advocates are willing to fund the service while Sound Transits 2026 adopted budget has riders paying only 11.6% in farebox recovery of light rail costs.  However the biggest difference is the legislature is funding a $750,000 study to determine how best to provide the service.  

The legislature needs to fund or require Sound Transit to fund a similar light rail train versus bus comparison before they proceed with their light rail extensions.

WSDOT’s I-405 Debacle is Coming

The recent closure of Northbound I-405 between Bellevue and Renton, part of the Widening and Express Toll Lanes Project, exemplifies a WSDOT more interested in increasing revenue than in reducing “the most congested roadway in the region”.  The reason being they plan to collect tolls on the new lanes as well as the existing +2 person HOV lanes between SR 167 in Renton and Northeast Sixth Street in Bellevue. 

The WSDOT travel time website shows the HOV 7:25 a.m. travel times for the 10.92-mile Renton-to-Bellevue, 14 minutes, were 17 minutes less than the 31-minute average on the remaining GP lanes. The 14-minute travel times the result of a 46.8 mph average travel velocity.

However, at 8:00 am, heavier traffic raised HOV travel time to 17 minutes and GP travel time to 36 minutes, dropping HOV speeds below the optimal 45 mph capacity threshold.   Later travel times were longer on both HOV and GP lanes, indicating increased traffic on both.

The WSDOT could have reduced that increase by imposing tolls on the HOV lane that would reduce traffic to the 2000 vehicles per hour (vph), and 45 mph velocity needed for assure peak capacity.   The increased capacity on the HOV lane and the added lane for GP vehicles would have benefited the entire roadway.  The HOV lane fees could’ve been raised to whatever was needed during peak commute and reduced during off peak, increasing the incentive for those using it to the 2000 vph.

The WSDOT approach is to “add new capacity by creating a two-lane Express Toll Lane (ETL)”,  imposing the fees on both the HOV and new I-405 lane.  While they reduce the fees during off peak, they limit them to $15.00 on each lane.  During peak operation, carpoolers forced to use the GP lanes, could increase congestion to where those willing to pay to use ETLs will slow their speeds below the 45 mph velocity.

During off peak operation, those willing to pay will be reduced to where travel times on two ETLs will be limited by safety concerns. However, capacity that could be used to reduce congestion will still result in carpoolers forced to use GP lane, slowing traffic.

The bottom line is the WSDOT’s purported ETL “added new capacity” with limited fees could result in slower speeds and longer travel times for those paying the fees.  Both could have been avoided if they would limit ETL fees to one lane raised to limit traffic and the added lane used to reduce GP lane congestion, travel times, and the incentive to pay the fees. 

 Instead, WSDOT’s I-405 debacle of longer travel for both those paying the ETL fees and those who don't is coming.

ST’s Sounder Boondoggle Continues

The April 9th System Expansion Committee meeting video included a presentation of Sound Transit plans for Sounder.  The S Line currently had  13 daily round trips between Lakewood and Seattle, the N Line, 4 between Everett and Seattle. Sound Transit contracted with BNSF Railway for Sounder operation, allocating 14% of its 2026 operating budget. 

The presentation included a  the following “Business Item”

 

B. Motion No. M2026-14: Authorizing the chief executive officer to execute a contract modification with David Evans & Associates to exercise a contract option for consultant services for the Sounder Rail Track & Signal Project’s Phase 3 Preliminary Engineering and Sounder Project Management Services in the amount of $12,680,410 with a 10% contingency of $1,268,041 totaling $13,948,451 for a new total authorized contract amount not to exceed $40,761,348.

 

One would think authorizing spending up to nearly $41 million adding service would be included in the agenda as a “For recommendation to the board”.   The funding would extend   Sounder Rail Track & Signal Improvement (SRTSI planning from current Conceptual engineering & environmental review through Preliminary Engineering in 2028.  However, the final design wouldn’t begin until 2038 with construction ending in 2045.  The presentation took about 4 minutes, raised no questions, and was unanimously approved. 

All three of the Enterprise Institute Capital Program approaches to reduce Sound Transit costs including maintaining the additional S1 routes and the affordable capital projects included the Sounder Maintenance Base. Though the number of additional routes or the costs of the maintenance wasn't clear.

The Sounder problem is the high cost per rider.  Sound Transit’s Q4 Quarterly Financial Performance Report provides the data for 2025:  $49.16 budget, $45.22 actual cost.  The 2025 ridership: 2,252 thousand budget, 1,988 thousand actual; fare revenue. $7,229 thousand, budget, $6,839 thousand, actual.  Thus, the average fare paid per rider $3.21 budget, $3.44 actual, leaving Sound Transit needing to spend $45.95 budget and $41.78 actual for each Sounder rider, total 2025 cost, $103,479 thousand budget, $83,058 thousand actual

The bottom line is Sound Transit has been authorized to spend up to more continues, $41million on preliminary engineering from 2023 to 2028 on a plan for constructing Sounder improvements that won’t be finished in 2045.   Just the latest example of an operation currently costing more than $83 million a year.  Another indication that Sound Transit’s Sounder boondoggle continues.

Sound Transit’s Cost Cutting Priorities

The video of Sound Transit’s Executive Committee 4/02/2026 meeting covered discussions about their recent retreat and their capital program approach.  Three illustrative approaches were proposed to “save cost or increase financial capacity” by “deferring” projects that “weren’t in planning or design phase”.  

All three proposed different approaches to extending current 1, 2, and 3 Line routes as well as future 4 Line from Issaquah to Kirkland.  The board could use the three capital program proposals for a modified capital program that delivers as much of ST3 as possible. Charts showed the Sound Transit staff's decision as to  projects to be “maintained” and “deferred”. 

The “maintained” included OMFs North and South that won’t be available until  2032 despite having an existing OMF east. All three included routes through a second tunnel with extensions beyond Lynnwood and Federal Way. Ballard lost access in all three proposals.  West Seattle extension lost Avalon station in 1st approach,  lost access when extension was truncated in 2nd, and was further truncated to eliminate Duwamish bridge in 3rd. 

The problem is all three Sound Transit approaches reflect a refusal to recognize  ST3 extensions won’t reduce the area’s congestion. That  4 car light rail trains don’t have the capacity needed to reduce peak hour congestion on the roads into Seattle and cost too much to operate off peak. That light rail should have never been extended beyond UW stadium, across I-90 bridge, or beyond SeaTac,  That light rail from Ballard and West Seattle won’t have the stations needed for access or the convenient stops in Seattle for egress.

The bottom line is Sound Transit has spent hundreds of millions on light rail extensions, additional light rail cars, and maintenance facilities for those cars.  They are currently planning to spend additional billions as part of their Enterprise Initiative to reduce the cost of continuing to do so,  

They need to recognize public transit priority should be increasing the system’s ridership, not providing additional access to light rail via further ST3 extensions.  That using light rail trains to replace current or future bus routes just adds to the cost of providing that service.

Sound Transit’s Ridership-Ridership Report?

 The April 2nd  Sound Transit Executive Committee Meeting video included CEO Constantine heralding the March 28^th 2 Line cross lake debut’s success. We appreciate everyone who contributed, noting that the 206,000 riders was surpassed only by participation in the Seahawk Superbowl celebration.  

The ridership number, the result from lasers counting those entering the train cars at each station.  Sound Transit uses those results for detailing boardings in the Link riders in a monthly report “Sound Transit Ridership-All Modes”.  It includes bar charts showing monthly total boardings for Weekday, Saturday, and Sunday from Jan 2024 to Feb 2025 for all their transit modes.  Also included are columns of boardings by Month, Total Boardings, Average Boardings per Day, Month-Over-Month % Change, and % Change vs. 2019 for the modes. 

The Link Average Boardings per Day column can be scanned to provide boardings at each of the Link’ stations. It’s not clear how the car entry results at each station are monitored.  Again, the data must be readily available since the results from the March 28^th debut were available at the April 2^nd meeting.  

Yet the latest result of a Ridership-Ridership report search for the data in the column for “Average Boardings per Day” is for December 2025.  Thus, Sound Transit, who recently authorized a design-build contract for $874,729,393 for a OMF South to service light rail train cars in 2032, won’t release the number of boardings for the train cars they will service in 2026.   

The bottom line is public transit’s goal should be to provide those who can’t or won’t drive with access to transit to where they want to go.  The boarding data in the monthly ridership reports on Sound Transit’s success.  Data needed to validate spending hundreds of millions on further ST3 extensions. They should not be allowed to continue not doing so in 2026. 

Sound Transit’s Colossal Boondoggle Continues

 The much-ballyhooed cross-lake 2 Line service has begun. Like all of Sound Transit’s debuts, the Seattle Times Traffic Lab project touting all the riders during service debuts or special events, and with details about how people will be able to use the extensions. 

Yet they neglect to “dig into” Sound Transit’s real problems. That its board is made up of well-minded, elected mayors or council members, each getting over $200,000 in compensation for serving as directors. They rarely, if ever, used public transit and likely never for a regular weekday commute.  

They have a staff with a 2026 budget of $1,138,903,000 with 1914 positions, $595,038 per position, yet spend hundreds of millions annually getting outside support. The result has been that the $54B voters approved for ST3 in 2016 has more than tripled to $185B in Sound Transit’s 2026 Approved Budget and Financial Plan. 

The 2026 budget summary includes the following regarding the $205 M spent providing transit service:

Sound Transit delivers transit services through a combination of

strategic partnerships with regional transportation agencies and

direct operations:

• T Line is the only mode operated directly by Sound Transit.

• The remaining modes are operated through agreements with

the following partners:

o King County Metro for Link Light Rail.

o King County Metro, Community Transit, and Pierce

Transit for ST Express Bus.

o BNSF Railway for Sounder Commuter Rail.

Sound Transit’s monitors how many commuters are using the various transit modes.  The number of boarders riding buses via payment on entry, the number of link riders by laser counters, again on entry.  Yet their monthly Ridership-Ridership report latest data is for December 2025.

The budget’s system expansion spending totaled $1,885 M with $995 M expanding the link, the total ~$2.1B, a 50% increase from 2025. The 261-page 2026 document provides mind-boggling details about how the money has been and will be spent on projects ranging from South Tacoma Access Improv to West Seattle Link Extension. They generally include details as to Program Scope, Authorized Allocation, Budget Year Activities, Allocation by Phase and Allocation by Subarea for funding until 2031, future funding and Total.

The budget’s Appendix J: Debt Obligation Schedules details how they intend to pay off the bonds issued from 1999 and beyond to fund the projects. Sound Transit’s normal approach has been to pay only the bond’s interest will be paid off in 2046, those from 2021 in 2050. 

The ultimate example was the budget’s schedule for paying off the Outstanding TIFIA and RRIF loans used for funding the East Link, OMFE, Northgate, and Downtown Redmond projects. The ~$3.5 B total loan principle will be paid down ~$20 M annually until 2039.  In 2040 the payments increase to ~$100 M annually until as late as 2058. More than 15 years after the 2041 end date for taxes the voters approved for Prop 1 ST3 in 2016.  

The bottom line is Sound Transit essentially farms out its transit service and pays others to implement the transit system expansion. Yet they fail to report on how many are using it. The fact they still need a staff with more than 1900 positions and $1.1B budget indicates their colossal boondoggle continues