Kent station

Kent station is a transportation hub in the city of Kent, Washington, served by Sounder commuter rail trains, Sound Transit Express buses, and King County Metro buses.The station was built in phases by Sound Transit around the BNSF Railway tracks in downtown Kent. Commuter rail trains first started running between the station and downtown Seattle on February 5, 2001, with service to Tacoma added on September 24, 2007. A 877 space park and ride structure opened in March 2002, followed by the transit center in 2005, which allowed more than a dozen bus routes to be shifted to the station.The station is the focal point for Kent's effort to redevelop the city's historic downtown.HistoryKent station was built as part of Sound Move, a measure approved by voters in 1996, which authorized the creation of Sound Transit, tax collections for funding, and the first set of regional transit projects. The projects it funded included peak-period commuter rail between Lakewood and Seattle via the Green River valley, express bus service linking cities in the region and investments in transit facilities.Sound Transit studied two potential locations for Kent station approximately 900 feet from each other, the north site would extend on either side of the BNSF railroad tracks between James and Smith streets and the south site would extend on either side of the BNSF railroad tracks between Gowe and Willis streets. While there was no clear consensus within the community on the best station location, the Kent City Council recommended that the south site be selected (concerned over the potential loss of business and tax base in the downtown area if the north site is selected), and Sound Transit staff recommended that the north site be selected. The Sound Transit board selected the north station site on June 11, 1998, with a promise to the City of Kent to design a station that would both minimize the amount of property takes required by incorporating a parking structure, to be partially funded by the city.