Sound Transit Crosslake Connection set to open March 28

Sound Transit Crosslake Connection service is scheduled to start across Lake Washington on Saturday, March 28, creating a direct light rail link between Seattle and the Eastside, according to a Sound Transit news release.

This is reported by the railway transport news portal Railway Supply.

The 2 Line Crosslake Connection will run through the I-90 corridor and open new stops at Judkins Park Station and Mercer Island Station. Sound Transit says the new segment will connect Eastside communities to the regional “spine” of 1 Line service from Lynnwood to Federal Way.

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The agency adds that cross-lake service completes the ST2 transit expansion approved by voters in 2008 and expands the regionwide light rail network to more than 63 miles of fast, frequent, and affordable Link service, a point also reflected in Railway Supply.

Sound Transit Crosslake Connection will boost peak service

Sound Transit says the Crosslake Connection will make it possible to double current frequency. During peak hours, trains are expected to arrive every four minutes at 14 stations in the busiest part of the system, from downtown Seattle to Lynnwood.

King County Executive Girmay Zahilay described the service increase as a major shift for the Puget Sound region. “We have a breathtaking new normal that has never been done anywhere else in the world,” he said. “But, never been done before is part of who we are here in the Puget Sound region,” as quoted by MyNorthwest.

How the 2 Line Crosslake Connection ties into Link service?

Sound Transit says trains have been conducting test runs for months to prepare to connect the Link 2 Line with the 1 Line at International District/Chinatown Station. Once the Crosslake Connection opens this spring, the full Link 2 Line will stretch more than 35 miles from downtown Redmond to Lynnwood and connect with the 1 Line in downtown Seattle. Sound Transit says it is eager to welcome riders aboard on March 28.

I-90 floating bridge light rail described as unique

Snohomish County Executive and Sound Transit Chairman Dave Somers called the milestone “truly remarkable,” adding that it is “the only light rail that we know of going over a floating bridge in the world.”

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