Sound Transit continued to show ridership growth on its trains and buses in the second quarter, with a 6.8% ridership increase systemwide over the same period last year. Link light rail drove the increase, growing 14.5% as more riders used the University Link stations at Capitol Hill and Husky Stadium for a top choice to get around.

Boardings on Sounder for the quarter increased 1.6%, with a 2.7% growth on the Sounder South line driven by the popularity of the new mid-day train. Sounder North line ridership decreased 7.4%, and boardings on ST Express buses dipped 0.6%. Tacoma Link ridership jumped 8.4% as more special event trains served concert goers traveling to and from the Tacoma Dome.

Link averaged 73,907 riders each weekday from April — June, up from 63,732 weekday riders for the same period in 2016. Average weekday boardings on Sounder South line increased to 15,346 from 14,854 in the second quarter of 2016 and decreased slightly on North line, from 1,714 to 1,676. Average daily boardings on Tacoma Link grew to 3,369 from 3,227 during the same period.