Long-awaited light rail service to Shoreline, Mountlake Terrace, and Lynnwood will begin shortly before Labor Day this year, Sound Transit announced today.
“The 8.5‑mile segment will add four new stations: Shoreline South/148th St., Shoreline North/185th St., Mountlake Terrace, and Lynnwood City Center,” agency staff noted in a news release. “During peak hours, trains will run approximately every eight minutes.”
“Community Transit and King County Metro have agreed to revise the date for bus service upgrades and improvements originally planned to take effect August 31st, the news release went on to say. “Bus changes will instead take place September 14th, allowing a smooth launch of extended 1 Line service before bus routing changes occur.”
“Opening the 1 Line to Lynnwood is a major milestone in the growth of light rail,” said King County Executive and Sound Transit Board Chair Dow Constantine. (Constantine also chaired the board when the last system expansion proposal was on the ballot in 2016.)
“For the first time, the light rail system is joining two counties, bringing voters’ vision for our region’s integrated transit system one step closer to reality. Thanks to the collaboration between our region’s transit agencies, we are ready for the start of service, with increased capacity for Link riders and a smooth service transition for other riders.”
“The opening of light rail to Lynnwood will be transformational for Snohomish County,” said Sound Transit Board Vice Chair and Snohomish County Executive Dave Somers.
“Light rail is essential for supporting our projected growth in the years to come, allowing residents to travel reliably, safely, and efficiently to downtown Seattle, Sea-Tac Airport, and beyond without having to contend with highway traffic. This is a game-changer. I’m looking forward to the next phase in Link’s growth in Snohomish County, as we work toward extending service to Everett.”
(The ST3 Everett extension is not currently anticipated to open to the public until the end of the 2030s, unfortunately… more than fifteen years from now. The Sound Transit Board still hasn’t chosen a final alignment for the Lynnwood to Everett segments.)
“The Link light rail extending into Lynnwood heralds the start of a new era for our city and the rest of Snohomish County,” said Sound Transit Boardmember and Lynnwood Mayor Christine Frizzell. “Light rail is number one in our list of strategic priorities as we fulfill our Community Vision for a sustainable and vibrant community. We are eager for the day at long last when we can be part of helping people get from where they are to where they want to be throughout the Puget Sound region!”
“The Biden-Harris Administration is committed to expanding transit across the country, including the Puget Sound Region,” said FTA Regional Administrator Susan Fletcher.
“By opening Lynnwood Link, Sound Transit takes another step to ensuring that people throughout Snohomish County and our entire region have access to fast, reliable transportation that avoids highway congestion while getting them where they need to go safely and efficiently. FTA is proud to have been a partner with Sound Transit in this critical project.”
Coincidentally, the Federal Transit Administration announced today that it is providing $20.5 billion in federal funding to support transit systems and boost communities. Puget Sound is one of the metro regions that will be getting a slice of that money. The communities receiving the most funding, based on population and service data, include:
The FTA’s news release doesn’t specify which agencies will get that money, but presumably Metro and Sound Transit will be among the recipients.
“Today’s announcement is the culmination of years of commitment and hard work on the part of Sound Transit’s project team, our contractors, and the construction workers,” said Sound Transit CEO Goran Sparrman, who recently took over from Julie Timm. “They deserve our thanks for maintaining their focus on this project despite the COVID pandemic and the months-long concrete strike.”
“I also want to thank our partners at King County and Community Transit for their ongoing collaboration in ensuring that we will have additional train capacity and transit options for riders when the Lynnwood extension opens.”
“Light rail service reaching Lynnwood and Mountlake Terrace translates directly to more bus service and better connections for people all over Snohomish County,” said Community Transit CEO Ric Ilgenfritz, a Sound Transit alum.
“Starting September 14th, we will shift Community Transit resources off I‑5 and redeploy more service locally, including great connections to light rail at Lynnwood, Mountlake Terrace, and Shoreline. Snohomish County residents can look forward to dramatic improvements to both local and regional travel options.”
“We’re excited to transform and improve bus service connections for riders as they travel between communities, the new light rail stations and the new RapidRide G Line,” said King County Metro General Manager Michelle Allison. “As the 1 Line expands northward, we’re ensuring a smooth and successful transition for tens of thousands of daily riders as they explore the upgraded transit network.”
The Lynnwood Link extension consists primarily of aerial segments, meaning elevated tracks. It stretches from Northgate (the current northern terminus of the 1 Line) up to Lynnwood City Center, near Interstate 5’s 196th Avenue exit (Exit 181B).
Here’s a map:
The following stations are part of the extension (descriptions courtesy of Sound Transit):
August 30th, 2024 is a Friday — the Friday of Labor Day Weekend 2024.
When the 1 Line (Central Link) initially opened in 2009, Sound Transit offered a weekend of free rides. It is unlikely to do so for the Lynnwood Link extension since these new stations are being added to a highly used existing system. However, there will be celebratory activities on August 30th and possibly continuing through the rest of the weekend.
This is the second light rail opening Sound Transit has planned for this year. The first will be the East Link / Line 2 extension, which is set to inaugurate service on Saturday, April 27th.
NPI will bring you coverage of both openings right here on The Cascadia Advocate.
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