Transit is a critical component of our nation’s transportation system. In communities across the nation, transit agencies are providing a reliable, affordable, and environmentally friendly alternative for millions of commuters. Using her leadership role on the Senate Transportation and Housing Appropriation Subcommittee, Senator Murray has secured millions of federal dollars to transit agencies throughout Washington State to help increase their service frequency, modernize transit fleets, and expand service to rural, underserved areas.
Senator Murray has a been a strong supporter of Sound Transit and its goal of increasing mass transit services in the Puget Sound region. She is a key leader at the federal level in helping to secure funding for Sound Transit projects, including pushing for a Full Funding Grant Agreement (FFGA) in 2003 which secured $500 million for the Airport Link Light Rail project.
Murray is committed to helping improve the environment, and she has long supported efforts by local agencies to decrease the carbon footprint of their systems. She has secured federal funding to help local agencies, purchase new buses that use clean, renewable fuels to reduce pollution, develop multi-modal stations, and support transit-oriented development that encourages greater transit use.