30¢ 1973: 20¢ Facilities Downtown Seattle Transit Tunnel A major Metro facility is the Downtown Seattle Transit Tunnel (DSTT), a 1.3-mile-long, four-station tunnel that allows Central Link light rail trains to travel under the heart of downtown Seattle. It formerly carried bus traffic alongside light rail trains, stopping at a fifth station in the north and connecting to the SODO Busway in the south. The tunnel was completed in 1990, at a cost of $455 million, to carry commuter buses. While it was planned from the outset to be convertible to use by trains, the tunnel began operation with a fleet of 236 Breda dual-mode buses that operated using a diesel motor on city streets and an electric motor (with power fed by overhead trolley wire) in the tunnel. In 2004, Metro switched to hybrid-electric buses that operate in a mostly electric "hush mode" while in the tunnel. The tunnel was closed between fall 2005 and fall 2007 to prepare it for light rail trains. Crews lowered the roadway to match the height of Central Link's low-floor light rail vehicles, replaced the overhead trolley wire with catenary wire, and built a stub tunnel where trains could reverse direction and allowed for construction of the University Link extension to the north (which was completed in 2016). The tunnel finished its retrofit and returned to service on September 24, 2007 and light rail trains began service on July 18, 2009. Bus service in the tunnel ended on March 23, 2019, as part of the demolition of Convention Place station to prepare for an expansion of the Washington State Convention Center. The project severed access to the north portal of the tunnel, while an upcoming light rail construction project in 2020 will also cause other disruptions. The tunnel is now exclusively used by light rail trains, and its ownership is planned to be transferred to Sound Transit in 2022. Transit centers While Downtown Seattle is Metro's main transit hub, transit centers act as smaller regional hubs and are served by many bus routes. Some transit centers also offer a park and ride facility. Metro operates out of several transit centers located throughout King County, some of which are shared with Sound Transit and other county agencies. Park and ride lots In King County, Metro has 132 park and ride facilities containing a total of 24,524 parking stalls . Half of the lots are