LYNNWOOD — Sound Transit will open the Crosslake Connection on March 28, delivering the first light rail service across Lake Washington and completing the 2 Line for seamless travel throughout the Puget Sound region—from Lynnwood to Chinatown to Mercer Island to Bellevue to Downtown Redmond.
Community celebrations are schedule to fill the day with events beginning at 9 a.m. with a ribbon-cutting ceremony and street fair at Sam Smith Park, just across from the Judkins Park Station east entrance. In partnership with the Northwest African American Museum, the gathering will feature live music, performances, food trucks, community partners, children’s activities and speeches from local leaders. Shuttles from Mount Baker and South Bellevue stations will run every 15 minutes from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. to bring attendees to the site.
At 10 a.m., the first train will depart Judkins Park Station and cross Lake Washington on the floating bridge, marking a world first for light rail passenger service on such a structure. Direct Link trips will then connect International District/Chinatown Station, Judkins Park Station, Mercer Island Station and South Bellevue Station in both directions. Community events will continue at these four stations from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., with food trucks, giveaways, live performances, children’s programming and community resources available for all.
Participants in the Discover. Stamp. Win! activity will collect stamps at the stations and enter drawings for prizes that include round-trip tickets on Alaska Airlines, with special gifts going to the first 1,000 finishers.
Festivities will extend to other stations along the full line. Sno-Isle Libraries will host a bookmobile with giant games, face painting and story time at Lynnwood City Center Station. The Seattle Symphony will present live music at Symphony Station. Bellevue Downtown Station will offer live music and food trucks, while Spring District Station features a petting zoo. BelRed Station will include art installations, and Microsoft will welcome guests at Redmond Technology Station with complimentary food, coffee, photo opportunities and lawn games.
Trains will operate every 8 to 15 minutes from 5 a.m. to midnight and integrate directly with the 1 Line at International District/Chinatown Station for easy transfers with other agencies throughout the Puget Sound.
The 2 Line will stretch more than 35 miles from Lynnwood City Center Station in the north, through downtown Seattle and across Lake Washington via the floating bridge to Redmond Technology Station in the east, with new stops at Judkins Park and Mercer Island along the way.
The Crosslake Connection forms the final piece of the East Link Extension after planners first advanced the concept in the early 2000s. Voters approved funding for the project on November 4, 2008, as part of Sound Transit 2.
Construction on East Link began in 2016, and a starter segment between South Bellevue and Redmond Technology stations opened on April 27, 2024. With the opening scheduled for March 28, the Crosslake Connection across Lake Washington will complete the long-awaited link between Seattle and the Eastside.”
Author: Mario Lotmore
