Sound Transit opens $240 million Pinehurst station amid low near-term ridership forecasts

Pinehurst Station opened Sept. 30 as the first infill station added to the existing Link light rail line between Northgate and Lynnwood. Voters approved adding the stop in 2016 as part of a larger package to expand the regional light rail network.

Sound Transit officials have said 3,400 passengers a day will eventually use Pinehurst, but that projection applies when the full transit system is built out, extending into the 2050s. A 2016 projection for the same station estimated daily ridership could be as low as 1,100. The agency did not provide comment on the latest ridership figures in the article.

The station was originally intended to serve mid-rise housing planned for the surrounding area. Those development plans have been delayed because the Seattle City Council has not approved the zoning changes required for higher-density housing. Council approval has been debated for over a decade, and the housing that was expected to feed riders to the station has not materialized.

Because Pinehurst lacks parking, Sound Transit and local officials plan to rely on increased bus service to bring people to the station. The article notes this is the agency's intended access strategy rather than accommodating park-and-ride demand at the site.

Former Sound Transit board member David Baker called Pinehurst a "$240 million boondoggle" and said the station was unnecessary. He criticized political influence in the decision to build the stop, singling out former Sound Transit board member and Seattle City Councilwoman Debora Juarez for repeatedly lobbying for the station over many years. Juarez had argued the stop would improve access and social equity for parts of North Seattle.

Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson, who serves on the Sound Transit board, called the opening a milestone and said each new station expands affordable and convenient travel options. Other officials and board members issued similar supportive statements in the agency press release.

Sound Transit is managing a reported nearly $35 billion deficit tied to its expansion program. The agency has put some planned extensions on hold, including the Ballard extension, and delayed parts of other projects. Voters approved a package in 2016 worth more than $50 billion to build out the system and agreed to higher taxes and vehicle registration fees to fund it. Those funding strains frame criticism of expensive projects added to the existing line.

The next Sound Transit station after Pinehurst may not open until 2035, when the West Seattle line is scheduled to begin service. Budget issues already altered that timeline and reduced the size of that line.

Pinehurst is notable as the first infill station on Link, built into an operating corridor, but questions about nearby housing, ridership timing, and regional priorities are shaping how officials and critics describe its value.