Seattle Mayor Ed Murray and Sound Transit CEO Peter Rogoff officially inaugurated the city's University Link light rail extension on March 18, 2016, when hundreds of guests took their first trip on the 3.2-mile underground line from Westlake Station in the city center to the University of Washington (Husky Stadium).
Revenue service began the following morning on the $1.9 billion extension, which runs in twin-bored tunnels for its entire length and includes one intermediate station at Capitol Hill. The line has reduced the journey time between the University of Washington and the city center to eight minutes and to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport to less than an hour.
The line is expected to increase ridership on Sound Transit's light rail network by 71,000 to 114,000 passengers per day by 2030.
Construction began in 2012 on a further 4.3-mile extension from the University of Washington to Northgate that is due to open in 2021.