Sound Transit logged light-rail ridership record in May

In May, Sound Transit's Link light-rail system averaged 81,000 riders on weekdays, which marked the first time weekday ridership topped 80,000 boardings for an entire month.

The May figure also marked a 10.8 percent increase over average weekday ridership in the same month last year.

"We typically see ridership start to climb in the spring and summer months (tourist season and summer events help explain the uptick), but the whopping [80,000-plus] milestone had us looking to the hard data for answers," wrote Sound Transit speechwriter Josh Feit in a blog post.

Feit cited local events — such as Mariners baseball games and a Taylor Swift concert — among the possible explanations for the ridership growth. Other potential factors include job growth, increases in housing near light-rail lines, booming tourism and rising costs of living in Seattle.

Last month, developers broke ground on a new transit-oriented development project near the Capitol Hill light-rail station.