Sound Transit Celebrates Opening of Lynnwood Link Extension

Starting Aug. 30, passengers in Snohomish County and Shoreline will be able to avoid traffic congestion and use Link light rail to travel quickly and safely to downtown Seattle and SeaTac airport. The 8.5-mile extension of the 1 Line includes four stations, one at Lynnwood City Center, one at Mountlake Terrace, and two in Shoreline, as well as three new parking structures.

This is the third opening in the past year for Sound Transit. Last September, the T Line opened service to Hilltop, and in April the 2 Line opened between South Bellevue and Redmond Technology Stations. The Lynnwood opening heralds the start of even more transformative expansions, with the 2 Line expanded to downtown Redmond early next year, followed by the opening of the rest of the 2 Line later in 2025 and the start of service to Federal Way in 2026.

Voters approved the Lynnwood extension in 2008 as part of the Sound Transit 2 ballot measure. The project broke ground almost five years to the day before service is beginning.

“The opening of Lynnwood light rail service is a major milestone for our region,” said Sound Transit Board Chair and King County Executive Dow Constantine. “For the first time, our light rail system connects two counties, bringing us closer to the vision of an integrated, high-capacity transit network for Central Puget Sound. This achievement is the result of community support, careful planning and construction, and sheer persistence. Now, it’s time for Snohomish County to hop aboard reliable, traffic-free, carbon-free Link light rail.”

Stacy & Witbeck/Kiewit/Hoffman L200 JV and Skanska Constructors L300 JV executed the civil construction on the extension. Mass Electric completed the systems work, which included the overhead catenary, traction power, signaling, and communications. The $3.1 billion project budget included up to $1.17 billion from a Full Funding Grant Agreement executed by the Federal Transit Administration. In addition, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Build America Bureau executed a $658 million low-interest loan supporting the project, including new light rail vehicles and support facilities.

The Lynnwood extension will serve the following stations, all of them with multiple transit connections:

• Shoreline South/148^th 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 is part of the project.
• 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 garage 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.

A fifth station at NE 130^th Street in Seattle was added to the alignment as part of the ST3 ballot measure approved by voters in 2016. The new station will serve a growing residential neighborhood between the Northgate and Shoreline South/148th stations. The NE 130th Street station is scheduled to open in 2026.

Over the past two decades, Sound Transit has built out its rail network, which has included several tunneled segments. Future plans to expand the network are underway, including the West Seattle Link Extension and Ballard Link Extension.

The West Seattle and Ballard Link Extension projects will provide fast, reliable light rail connections to dense residential and job centers throughout the region. In addition, a new downtown Seattle light rail tunnel will provide capacity for the entire regional system to operate efficiently. These two separate Link extensions are part of the regional transit system expansion approved by voters in November 2016 and as of May 2023 are on two separate environmental review processes and timelines.

The West Seattle Link Extension will add 4.1 miles of light rail service from SODO to West Seattle’s Alaska Junction neighborhood. The preferred alignment includes a tunnel route between Avalon and Alaska Junction stations.

The Ballard Link Extension will adds 7.7 miles of light rail service from downtown Seattle to Ballard, including a new downtown Seattle rail-only tunnel. In addition to the downtown tunnel, the preferred alignment includes a tunneled portion on the northern end.

Visit https://www.soundtransit.org/snocolink for maps and information about how to ride. 

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