By Associated Press - Friday, April 9, 2021

SEATTLE (AP) - Three light-rail stations in North Seattle will open Oct. 2, according to Sound Transit leaders.

The agency made the announcement about the new U District, Roosevelt and Northgate stations on Friday. The $1.9 billion extension is expected to add 45,000 daily passengers, who can travel from Northgate Station to downtown’s Westlake Station in 14 minutes, The Seattle Times reported.

The grand opening comes later than the September goal set by Sound Transit. Agency staff attribute the delay to COVID-19 construction disruptions.

King County Metro Transit will increase bus trips to the three stations in a service change this fall. The NHL Kraken hockey-team headquarters and ice rinks being developed at Northgate and a walk-bike bridge across Interstate 5 to North Seattle College should attract train riders.

Along with the three light-rail stations, new Siemens trains built in Sacramento, California, will join the 25-mile (40-kilometer) corridor, with wider midsections to hold about 10 more people per rail car.

Voters approved a sales-tax increase in 2008 to pay for the Northgate extension and future track being constructed to Overlake, Lynnwood and Federal Way. Seattle transit ridership showed the nation’s fastest growth in the 2010s, to include 80,000 light-rail trips on busy days before the pandemic.

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