Hilltop Tacoma Link Extension Now Open for Passengers

Sound Transit announced that the new Hilltop District T Line station is now open for passengers.

"The Hilltop extension is a major step toward creating a more connected Tacoma and region as we continue expanding our transit network," said Sound Transit Board Chair Dow Constantine. "With this opening, riders will have even greater access to opportunities and the communities connected by this new service."

What the Hilltop Extension Provides

The 2.4-mile Hilltop extension more than doubles the length of the T Line and includes seven new stations.

They are:

• St. Joseph (Martin Luther King Jr. Way south of South 17th St.)
• Hilltop District (South 11th and M.L.K. Way)
• 6th Avenue (at M.L.K. Way)
• Tacoma General (M.L.K Way at MultiCare Tacoma General Hospital)
• Stadium District (North 1st St. at North G St.)
• South 4th (at South Stadium Way)
• Old City Hall Station (Commerce St. north of South 7th St.)

Passengers will have access to Wright Park, medical facilities, and regional transit via the Tacoma Dome Station.

Trains will run at approximately 12-minute intervals during peak periods Monday through Saturday and 20 minutes off-peak and Sundays.

Sound Transit will begin charging fares via ORCA and paper tickets ($2 per trip for adults; $4 day pass or free for youth 18 and under) and also conduct a targeted ORCA LIFT reduced fare promotion and awareness campaign in Tacoma. 

To ease the transition, 10,000 ORCA cards will be distributed to people living around the Tacoma Link alignment.

As part of the expansion, five new light-rail vehicles were purchased from Brookville Equipment Corporation of Pennsylvania, doubling the previous fleet.

Each of the 66-foot-long cars is designed to carry more than 100 passengers.

The eight-foot-wide car has seating for up to 26 passengers with accessibility seating for passengers using wheelchairs and mobility devices and space for bikes.

“Sound Transit thanks all the federal, state, regional, and local project partners that put in so much hard work and dedicated effort to plan, construct, and open the T Line,” said Sound Transit CEO Julie Timm. “This new extension connects residents and visitors to the heart of Tacoma more sustainably and more equitably from small local businesses and housing to parks, hospitals, and museums.”