Operations and Maintenance Facility (OMF) North

Key features

80-100+ acres are required for the new OMF North facility.
Critical facility to support planned Sound Transit light rail expansion including Everett Link and Ballard Link Extensions to keep the system safe and clean.
Designed to maintain, store, and deploy 150+ light rail vehicles, with additional maintenance facility space for equipment and service vehicles.
Provides mainline track, systems, and station maintenance functions (Maintenance of Way).
OMF North is expected to support more than 500 high-skilled, living-wage jobs in Snohomish County.
The average employee wage is currently more than $45 per hour, or $85,000/year, at our existing OMF facilities.
To be designed to meet Sound Transit sustainability goal: Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold.
No preferred alternative was identified for OMF North.

What has changed since 2023?

During Level 2 of the Alternatives Development phases, we studied two overlapping locations for OMF Site B. Based on feedback and information we received during scoping, we refined this to one site, located slightly to the east of the options we were studying to reduce impacts to major employers.

The three Operations and Maintenance Facility alternatives, titled OMF Site B, OMF Site E, and OMF Site F, are all depicted with a purple shape to illustrate the approximately 80 acres the proposed facility requires. OMF Site B is the northernmost alternative and is located north of State Route 526 and south of Seaway Boulevard between the Southwest Everett Industrial Center and Evergreen stations. OMF Site E is located south of OMF Site B near Paine Field, east of Airport Road and South of 100th Street Southwest. OMF Site F is the southernmost alternative, located near the Airport Road station, south of Airport Road and along the western border of Evergreen Way.

Photo of a light rail vehicle sitting on the vehicle storage tracks in front of OMF East’s maintenance shop as it waits for regular maintenance.

Elements of an OMF site

Aerial image of the OMF East property in Bellevue.

Graphic showing an example of the elements all Operations and Maintenance Facilities have onsite. The graphic shows a mock-up of an OMF site that includes maintenance buildings, light rail tracks, a road, fencing, landscaping, trees, retention pond, and lead tracks that bring vehicles to the OMF site. — OMF options include the elements described below and shown in the graphic above, including buildings, tracks, parking, landscaping, and fencing/walls. | Click on image to enlarge

Buildings

Buildings are used for maintaining, repairing, and cleaning trains and other equipment.

OMF tracks

Track space for moving and testing trains around the facility, as well as outside storage for trains.

Lead tracks

Tracks to and from the main track alignment and the maintenance yard.

Parking

For various light rail service vehicles and for the OMF employees.

Landscaping, retention ponds, and other improvements

Landscaping around the facility reduces the number of hard surfaces, helps with drainage, and can provide habitat. The project will also add sidewalks and roadway improvements as needed.

Fencing/walls

Some sites would require retaining walls and fencing to provide security around the facility.

Want to learn more about Operations and Maintenance Facilities at Sound Transit? Watch this informational video about OMF South.

OMF Site B

OMF Site B would be located adjacent to the alignment along the north side of SR 526. The map shows potential lead tracks from both sides of SR 526.

OMF Site E

OMF Site E would be located adjacent to the alignment along the east side of Airport Road. Lead tracks to the OMF from the main tracks are included within the shaded purple area.

OMF Site F

OMF Site F would be located west of SR 99 at the intersection with Gibson Road. The map shows potential lead tracks from both sides of Airport Road.