More Trains, Not Longer Trains

Seattle’s Sounder Commuter Line Needs to Transition to Regional Rail But Outdated Business Model Holds it Back

Sounder commuter trains at the Tukwila station. Photo from Wikipedia by Sounder Bruce. Used under Creative Commons license 4.0.

Since 1993, Sound Transit (ST) has been building a regional public transit system for the Seattle – Tacoma metropolitan region that comprises light rail, commuter rail, and express buses. Like other transit systems, its ridership plummeted when the pandemic struck in 2020. While its light rail passenger traffic has recovered, its commuter rail service is struggling to put fannies in the seats and is operating on an outdated business model.

The problems are not unique to ST’s commuter trains, known as the Sounder. Head counts on most other US commuter lines are still below pre-pandemic levels. Sounder is faring worse than many because much of Seattle’s tech industry workforce have not returned to the office and the railroad provides service only during peak commuting hours.

Sounder began service in September 2000 with two weekday-only roundtrips on a route that linked Tacoma and Seattle called the S Line. A second service, from Everett to Seattle and called the N Line, started up in December 2003. Over the next 17 years Sounder ramped up service on the S Line to 13 weekday roundtrips. In October 2012 S Line service was extended south to Lakewood and South Tacoma.

With increased frequencies S-Line ridership rocketed up to around 15,000 weekday riders in early 2020. Some trains were running with eight Bombardier multilevel cars. Ridership on the N Line, which serves a less populated territory, grew, as well, with six daily weekday roundtrips and a passenger count around 1,500.

Then the pandemic struck and Sounder passenger traffic fell off the cliff as people started to work from home. Both lines lost approximately 90 percent of their pre-pandemic traffic. While ridership has rebounded somewhat, it is still less than half what it was previously. Currently, Sounder serves approximately 6,900 weekday riders, almost all on the S Line.

Just before the pandemic closed down most of the US economy Sound Transit completed a strategic plan for the S Line. It called for extending platforms at existing stations to accommodate 10-car trains and adding additional trips at some future date.

The plan was a response to a 2016 ballot measure that authorized funding for infrastructure improvements to expand S Line service. In addition to the platform extension it provided for: improved station access for pedestrians, cyclists, buses, and private vehicles; track and signal upgrades to support additional trips; and extending the line south to DuPont and adding two stations.

As a consequence of the pandemic, work and commuting patterns changed dramatically. People were able to work remotely or on flexible schedules that did not conform to the 9-to-5 model if they went to the office. Many only came downtown during midweek, which meant Monday and Friday trains carried fewer riders.

Sound Transit’s board realized it needed to change course. Instead of expanding it would focus on targeted investments that would improve service for current patrons.

In 2022 the board authorized an additional $9.7 million for David Evans & Associates, the engineering firm that was planning and designing the expansion, to update the strategic plan. The fee was on top of an existing $12.5 million contract.

As part of its retooling Sound Transit is considering midday and weekend service for the S Line. Agency managers, planners, and directors realized the train could play a bigger role in the region’s future transportation than merely shuttling workers between their suburban homes and offices in downtown Seattle or Tacoma.

Currently many travelers cannot use Sounder because its schedule is inconvenient. For example, the S Line has a 6 ¾-hour gap between the last morning departure from King Street Station (Seattle) and the first afternoon departure. In addition, the last southbound train leaves at 6:30 pm. The last northbound run departs Tacoma at 5:15 pm.

The service is useful to commuters who work on a conventional 9 to 5 schedule. However, it is of little value to people who work remotely or have different work hours. For example, in healthcare many shifts end at 7 pm. In addition, people who work in Seattle often stay late for a variety of reasons: night classes; after-work activities and dining, or attending Mariner games at T-Mobile Park, a 13-minute walk from King Street Station.

Sound Transit customer surveys found strong support for more S Line service. Weekend service was favored by 82 percent of respondents and 57 percent called for more weekday trains. Three-fourths of those polled said they would be willing to have fewer peak hour trains in order to have more off-peak service.

Planners also reviewed traffic patterns drawn from mobile phone data. It showed between 70 and 80 percent of all travel in the Seattle area – car, rail and transit – occurs during times Sounder provides limited or no service.

Are Sound Transit’s directors getting the message? In 2023 they approved $360 million new parking facilities at the Kent, Auburn, and Sumner stations. These projects will provide approximately 1,500 additional parking spaces, which works out to a cost of $240,000 per spot. Some of that money could easily pay for double-tracking, signal upgrades, and other infrastructure improvements that would enable Sounder to run more trains.

“People need to drive to the station because that’s how we designed our communities,” said Washington Secretary of Transportation Roger Millar. “We’re hoping for a future where we have these walkable urban communities. If we want to get to that future, we should be investing in that future, not investing in the existing paradigm.”

Sound Transit needs to transform Sounder from a commuter carrier into a regional rail line that provides service at all time instead of just during rush hour. Rather than platform extensions, parking garages, and additional cars it should invest in improvements that would enable it to run more trains. This is contingent, of course, on being able to purchase more time slots from BNSF, the Class I freight line that owns the tracks Sounder runs over.

Around the country commuter lines that opened within the last 30 years are struggling to regain riders. For example, Altamont Commuter Express (ACE), which provides just four weekday roundtrips between Stockton and San Jose, is carrying around half its pre-pandemic ridership.

According to Wikipedia, Minnesota’s North Star passenger count fell from 767,500 in 2019 to 127,400 in 2024. The chair of the Minnesota House Transportation Committee introduced legislation to discontinue the service. Nashville’s We-Go Star saw head counts drop from 292,500 in 2019 to 125,900 in 2024.

Commuter railroads need to be transformed into regional rail services that run during times other than rush hour if they are to remain relevant and survive in their markets. Time and money will tell whether they can transition to a 21^st Century transportation model.

Tip of the hat to: Stephen Fesler with TheUrbanist.org whose excellent reporting provided much of the source material for this article.