New reserved permit parking options available for Edmonds Sounder Station

Photo courtesy Sound Transit

Permit parking areas reserved until 8am; new free park-and-ride available in Edmonds

Starting April 1, riders using the parking lots at the Edmonds Station will be able to reserve a spot up to 8am by purchasing a Single Occupant Vehicle (SOV) permit or signing up for a free carpool permit.

The permits, which go on sale Friday, March 1, 2019 will be available for a standard monthly fee of $90, with a discounted rate of $30 per month for riders who are eligible for ORCA Lift reduced transit fares.

Depending on demand, up to 50 percent of the parking at each station will be reserved for exclusively for permit holders arriving during the morning rush hours. All other station parking will remain open on a first-come, first-serve basis, as will any unused permit spaces after 8am, and on holidays and weekends.

On weekdays, parking lots at the Edmonds and Mukilteo stations are frequently full well before the last Sounder train departs for Seattle. This makes it difficult to access Sounder for those who can’t arrive before 7:00am, including parents who must drop children off at school or daycare, and other potential riders who don’t work a conventional 8am to 5pm schedule. These new permit options are intended to provide a reliable option for riders to find parking without arriving earlier than needed.

SOV permit applicants must use a valid ORCA card at least 12 times per month to board Sounder or a bus from the same station operated by Community Transit or Everett Transit. Carpool parking permits will be available free of charge to groups of two or more riders who all commit to use transit and share a ride to the station at least 12 times per month. ORCA records will be checked to verify regular ridership.

Riders can submit permit applications starting March 1. Apply online, or obtain more information about Sound Transit’s permit parking program HERE

Sounder riders can also park free of charge at the Edmonds United Methodist Church, located at 828 Caspers St. This new park-and-ride lot is a 20-minute waterfront walk or a short bus ride (Community Transit Route 196) away from Edmonds Station. If enough riders express interest, vanpools to the station may be formed. More information, or express interest in a vanpool HERE.

Solo-driver and carpool permits are also currently available at the Northgate Station Garage, which opened in 2018.