The team will perform systems construction management services for the $3.7 billion East Link Extension, a 14-mile-long extension, and the $1.9 billion 4.3-mile Northgate Link Extension between the University of Washington at Husky Stadium, the University District, and the Northgate neighborhood.
Northwest Transit Systems Partners (NTSP), a joint venture consisting of STV and Mott MacDonald, will oversee the systems construction of two transformative new light rail extensions that will serve tens of thousands of commuters who will ride future extensions of Sound Transit’s light rail system.
NTSP was approved by the Sound Transit Board of Directors in May. The team will perform systems construction management services for the $3.7 billion East Link Extension, a 14-mile-long extension connecting Seattle, Mercer Island, Bellevue, and Redmond; and the $1.9 billion 4.3-mile Northgate Link Extension between the University of Washington at Husky Stadium, the University District, and the Northgate neighborhood. Both light rail extensions were approved by voters and are key components of a larger system expansion being undertaken by Sound Transit over the next 25 years.
“These two extensions will provide commuters with easier, more reliable access to jobs, schools, retail, and cultural institutions all across Seattle and the surrounding area,” said John Ponzio, STV VP and systems national practice leader. “The end result is a Sound Transit system that aspires to be one of the nation’s best transportation networks.”
Sound Transit estimates that at least 50,000 people a day will use East Link by 2030. Once completed, the extension will be the world’s only passenger light rail service operating over a floating bridge – referring to the section of I-90 over Lake Washington connecting Mercer Island and Seattle.
Trains for the Northgate Extension, which is estimated to serve more than 60,000 weekday riders by 2030 and connect Northgate residents to Sea-Tac Airport in 47 minutes and downtown Seattle in 14 minutes, will operate in twin tunnels from the University of Washington Station.
Company officials said that this latest contract extension with Metrolinx consolidates the company’s position as the leading private provider of Operations and maintenance services in North America.
The new cars, model R262, will be funded by the MTA’s 2025-29 Capital Plan, which received a historic $68 billion in funding from Governor Hochul and the State Legislature in the FY26 Enacted State Budget.
Amtrak will open grant applications March 23 for community projects near the Frederick Douglass Tunnel alignment in Baltimore as part of a $50 million investment tied to the B&P Tunnel Replacement Program.
The Denmark Station $2.3 million construction investment project includes a new 280-foot concrete boarding platform, built eight inches above the top of rail, for improved accessibility for passengers with disabilities and families with small children and much more.
Caltrain and its partners have implemented safety improvements at specific locations in response to known risk conditions, operational needs, and available funding since the agency’s founding.
On a recent episode of METROspectives, METRO Magazine’s Executive Editor Alex Roman sat down with Ana-Maria Tomlinson, Director of Strategic & Cross-Sector Programs at the CSA Group, to explore a bold initiative aimed at addressing those challenges: the development of a National Code for Transit and Passenger Rail Systems in Canada.
Competitive FTA grants will support accessibility upgrades, family-friendly improvements, and cost-efficient capital projects at some of the nation’s oldest and busiest transit hubs.
The 3.92-mile addition will soon take riders west beyond its current Wilshire and Western station in Koreatown, continuing under Wilshire Boulevard through neighborhoods and communities including Hancock Park, Windsor Square, the Fairfax District, and Carthay Circle into Beverly Hills.
