The University District is one step closer to becoming a more attractive tech hub.

Sound Transit announced this week that construction to expand its light rail system is “early and under budget,” according to a report by King 5 News. The University Link is on track to open by the first quarter of 2016.

The just over three miles of tracks will connect the downtown Westlake Station to Capitol Hill and the University of Washington, with trains set to run “every six minutes,” during peak travel hours.

That’s good news for emerging companies in the U. District, creating another possible option for office space outside of the typical techie neighborhoods of Pioneer Square, South Lake Union or Fremont.

As we reported in 2013, University of Washington and City of Seattle officials have wanted to attract more tech talent and startups to their neighborhood — and have been looking forward to this UDistrict Link for quite some time. They started by transforming one floor in the old law school of Condon Hall into a startup hub.

We took a tour of Startup Hall last September, a 20,000-square-foot space occupied by Techstars, Founder’s Co-op and UP Global (formerly Startup Weekend).

“We really want to create that nexus,” Paul Jenny, who heads the University of Washington’s Office of Planning and Budgeting and has been directly involved in the redevelopment of Condon Hall, told us in 2013. “Everybody wants to be next to the University of Washington and the bright kids that we are producing and the companies that we are spinning off and our faculty.”

Now that the UDistrict Link is almost here, the intersection of a strong science and tech school like UW and easier transportation will likely make the neighborhood more appealing to companies seeking space — and talent.

The City has also been supportive of distributing innovative tech companies throughout Seattle’s many neighborhoods as well. The initiative Startup Seattle, as outlined in 2013 by former Mayor Mike McGinn, targeted the UDistrict as the first “innovation hub” to attract new “early-stage technology companies.”

Ready to move yet? One look at these gleaming, snazzy new train tunnels and you just might be.

Watch the King 5 video below on the Sound Transit update: