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Amid questions over Lynnwood station parking, Sound Transit says ridership is steady

After an opening weekend of 71,000 boardings, the agency says weekday afternoon trips have been near capacity.

LYNNWOOD, Wash. — Two months after the Lynwood station opened, Sound Transit says ridership has been steady on the Link light rail extension, despite recent questions about the availability of parking space.

While official ridership numbers aren't expected to be available until mid-November, a spokesperson for the agency said many trains on weekday afternoons are nearly full. 

The 1 Line extension opened on Friday, Aug. 30, with Sound Transit reporting 71,000 boardings for the entire weekend. 

While updated statistics haven't been released, a trip on any given day through the parking garage appears to tell a story of continued success.

"Oh, it was pretty busy," passenger Don Whedon said on Saturday. 

The topic was first brought up this week when The Seattle Times questioned whether parking capacity at the Lynnwood station was impacting ridership.

"There isn't a way of tracking that," said Sound Transit spokesperson John Gallagher. 

The garage, touted as the largest in Snohomish County, has space for 1,670 vehicles. There are more than 200 parking spaces available in the adjacent surface lot.

"We had to go all the way to the top, there were still some spots there but anywhere else? This whole parking place is loaded," Whedon said. 

Beyond observations from passengers, it's unclear exactly how many spaces are occupied on any given day, but Gallagher acknowledged the concern.

"We're aware that the Lynnwood garage in particular has been filling up, which is a sign of how popular the extension is," he said. "We encourage people to consider their options to get to light rail, including and especially taking transit."

Gallagher suggested drivers may find more availability at the Montlake Terrace, Shoreline North and Shoreline South stations, the other new stations as part of the extension.

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