Sound Transit will continue to develop a new naming convention for its expanding light-rail network, but future maps will not include a “Red Line.” Sound Transit CEO Peter Rogoff informed members of the System Expansion Committee the color name, which had been used to describe the University of Washington to Angle Lake section of the Link system, will no longer be used and the section will be referred to as the Link light rail.
“A couple of months ago, Sound Transit started using the term Red Line more broadly to represent our current Link service. We are preparing for the addition of a second system line and wanted to start building rider understanding of the current and coming line names. As the term Red Line became more visible, we heard concerns from members of our community, that this term carries unfortunate associations with the punitive practice by lenders of ‘redlining,’” Sound Transit Chief EEO, Equity & Inclusion Officer Jackie Martinez-Vasquez wrote in a recent blog.
Redlining, by definition, is the refusal of services, such as a home loan, to a person deemed a poor financial risk based on the area where the person lives. As a practice, this denial of services was motivated by race or ethnicity and is pointed to as a clear example of institutionalized racism. The Fair Housing Act of 1968 outlawed the practice, but its effects linger.
“While numerous transit systems around our country have red lines based on the widespread practice of using primary colors to label transit services, at Sound Transit we want to build a system that welcomes everyone. The term Red Line clearly works against this goal,” wrote Martinez-Vasquez.
Sound Transit’s goal to finalize a new naming convention in March 2020, prior to the opening of the Northgate extension in 2021. The transit provider says new signs and system maps will be developed and appear in stations in advance of the start of Northgate service.
More information on Sound Transit’s decision to drop the “Red Line” term can be found in Martinez-Vasquez’s recent entry to Sound Transit’s blog.
Mischa Wanek-Libman | Group Editorial Director
Mischa Wanek-Libman is director of communications with Transdev North America. She has more than 20 years of experience working in the transportation industry covering construction projects, engineering challenges, transit and rail operations and best practices.
Wanek-Libman has held top editorial positions at freight rail and public transportation business-to-business publications including as editor-in-chief and editorial director of Mass Transit from 2018-2024. She has been recognized for editorial excellence through her individual work, as well as for collaborative content.
She is an active member of the American Public Transportation Association's Marketing and Communications Committee and served 14 years as a Board Observer on the National Railroad Construction and Maintenance Association (NRC) Board of Directors.
She is a graduate of Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism and Mass Communication.
