With exactly six weeks left before the grand opening of the Lynnwood Link extension, Sound Transit has announced additional details about the opening day festivities as well as an update on progress completing the tasks necessary to open the 8.5-mile extension.
“Every day brings us closer to the launch of Lynnwood Link, and the anticipation is building,” said King County Executive and Sound Transit Board Chair Dow Constantine. “This extension, approved by voters as part of ST2, is now in the final stages, and we are eager to deliver on our promise.”
“It’s exciting to see the trains running every few minutes on the alignment now, because it’s a sign that we’re on the verge of delivering for our residents, the environment, and the region’s economy,” said Snohomish County Executive and Sound Transit Vice Chair Dave Somers. “The opening day is going to be a major step in acknowledging the significant investments of our taxpayers and our vision for giving people more options to get to where they need to go.”
The agency will hold a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the Lynnwood City Center Station at 11 a.m. on August 30. The event will include remarks from elected officials, board members, and stakeholders. At the conclusion of the event, regular service to and from Lynnwood will begin.
Starting at 4 p.m., members of the public are invited to enjoy festivities, including activities, exhibits and entertainment, at each of the four new stations led by the North City Neighborhood Association (NCNA), Shoreline Chamber of Commerce, Mountlake Terrance Chamber of Commerce, Snotrac, Asian Service Center and Lynnwood Chamber of Commerce. Visitors will also be able to participate in a Discover. Stamp. Win! activity at the new stations to win exciting prizes.
“This is a different format for celebrating an opening than any we have had before,” said Sound Transit Interim CEO Goran Sparrman. “By having festivities for the community late in the day just as the Labor Day holiday weekend begins, more people will be able to join us in marking this major milestone for transit in our region.”
Since July 8, trains have been running “simulated service” on the extension. This is the final phase of pre-revenue testing that we conduct before opening a new light rail extension, making sure our stations, tracks, utilities, escalators, elevators, systems, and vehicles all work together as expected before we welcome you aboard.
During this phase, all passengers disembark t at Northgate station and empty trains continue on to Lynnwood City Center station on regular practice runs. Video and photos of trains in simulated service is available at this link.
In addition, almost all assets on the project, such as stations and tracks, have been transferred from the construction team to Link operations, a major milestone among the goals necessary for opening.
The Lynnwood extension will serve the following stations, all of which provide multiple transit connections:
- Shoreline South/148th Station. Located just northeast of I-5 at the NE 145th Street exit, the elevated Shoreline South/148th Station includes a parking garage with approximately 500 new spaces.
- Shoreline North/185th Station. Located on the east side of I-5, the Shoreline North/185th Station serves Shoreline Stadium, the Shoreline Conference Center and the surrounding neighborhoods. Improved pedestrian pathways connect the station to the west side of I-5. A parking garage with approximately 500 new spaces is part of the project.
- Mountlake Terrace Station. Located east of I-5 at the Mountlake Terrace Transit Center just north of 236th Street Southwest, west of Veterans Memorial Park, the elevated Mountlake Terrace Station straddles 236th Street Southwest, and is a short walk from the Mountlake Terrace Library, new city hall and future Gateway transit-oriented development neighborhood. There are 890 existing parking spaces at the station.
- Lynnwood City Center. Located at the Lynnwood Transit Center, this elevated station serves one of the busiest transit centers in the region, with extensive connections to local and regional service. A new garage containing 1,670 parking stalls in a five-story structure opened last year.
