The Link light rail is soon to officially connect Seattle and the Eastside.
On Saturday, March 28, the Crosslake Connection will open with Link light rail carrying passengers across Lake Washington, connecting the 2 Line to the 1 Line.
Service on both the 1 Line and 2 Line will run from about 5 a.m. to 12 a.m. seven days a week. Trains will run approximately every eight minutes at peak at the new stations, and between 10 and 15 minutes the rest of the day. Between Lynnwood City Center and International District/Chinatown stations, combined 1- and 2-Line headways will mean trains arrive every four to five minutes.
KIRO 7 spoke to riders Friday who expressed their excitement about the possibility of avoiding traffic across the water.
“520 is not as bad, but you have to pay $5 each time you cross it,” said Andreas Ramos. “I-90 can get really bad.”
Ramos lives in Kirkland and told KIRO 7 that previously, if he wanted to go Downtown, he had to take a 45-minute bus to connect with the light rail. Now, he can take a 10-minute bus.
“I never go east, and now I think I might with my kids and get to go explore more on the eastside,” said Katie McKellar, who lives in Maple Leaf. “Not having to deal with traffic is going to be a huge deal breaker.”
McKellar doesn’t take transit often now, but says this new connection could make it more likely.
“The communities have been waiting for the trains to cross the lake for decades,” said Jeff Switzer, a spokesperson for King County Metro. “I’m super excited to have this moment.”
Read more about the new connections here.
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