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Sound Transit set ridership records on commuter- and light-rail trains and buses in September.

Systemwide, average weekday boardings topped 98,000 last month, besting the previous record of 96,488 set in August and posting a 13 percent improvement compared with September 2011, Sound Transit officials said in a prepared statement.

Ridership was particularly strong on the Sounder North commuter-rail line, which set a new record of 1,212 average weekday boardings, up 19 percent year over year, agency officials said. Central Link Light Rail posted an average of 28,549 weekday boardings, up 13 percent. Special events in September helped set a record of 27,773 average Saturday boardings.

"The growth we are seeing shows more and more commuters want to save their money, time and sanity by taking advantage of our trains and buses," said Sound Transit Chairman Pat McCarthy.

Through 2012's first nine months, ridership was up almost 12 percent compared with last year.