LYNNWOOD, Wash. — The wait is nearly over: Light rail will arrive in Snohomish County at the end of August, Sound Transit announced in a release on Thursday.
Sound Transit said the Link 1 line extension, which will serve four stations between Shoreline and Lynnwood, will welcome passengers on Aug. 30. The 8.5-mile light rail extension will add four new stations north of the current 1 Line endpoint at Northgate: Shoreline South/148th, Shoreline North/185th, Mountlake Terrace and Lynnwood City Center.
It will take about 28 minutes to go from Lynnwood to Westlake, 11 minutes to travel from Shoreline to the University of Washington and about 56 minutes to travel from Mountlake Terrace to SeaTac, according to Sound Transit. Officials expect 47,000 to 55,000 daily riders by 2026.
The roughly $3.1 billion project began in 2019 and took five years to complete.
The full 2 line – which will take travelers from downtown Seattle to Mercer Island, Bellevue and Redmond – was originally scheduled to open before Lynnwood Link, but is now targeting a 2025 opening, according to Sound Transit.
The agency said the delay will affect the Lynnwood light-rail extension because the 2 line connection over Lake Washington will allow trains to access Sound Transit's storage and maintenance base in Bellevue. That connection, Sound Transit said, is "critical" to achieve the frequency officials had planned for the Lynnwood light rail train.
During peak hours, Sound Transit wanted service in Lynnwood every four to six minutes. While the 2 line is under construction, however, trains will arrive in Lynnwood about every eight minutes.
Sound Transit plans to keep ST Express Route 510 in service from Everett to Seattle, running in the peak direction every 15 minutes, to provide riders with additional options and interim capacity. Sound Transit is proposing a temporary Route 515 from Lynnwood, with peak-direction service every 10 minutes, as another option.
According to officials, the ST Express routes will continue until the 2 line opens. At that point, officials could double Link service between Lynnwood and Seattle, with 15 trains per hour (every four minutes) during peak hours.
Community Transit and King County Metro will make their annual fall service changes on Sept. 14, two weeks after the Lynnwood light rail expansion. The agencies are expected to shift their bus services to better connect with light rail.
To account for the light rail expansion, King County Metro is planning route changes to communities within north Seattle, Shoreline, Lake Forest Park, Kenmore, Bothell, and Mountlake Terrace.
Pricing changes and one-tap fares
Officials said the new light rail service will mark a shift in Sound Transit’s fares for many passengers in price and structure.
In December 2023 the Sound Transit Board approved a new flat fare of $3 per trip for adults, which will take effect when the new light rail service begins. Before the expansion, fares will continue to be between $2.25 and $3.50 for adults traveling one way – depending on the distance. Sound Transit said the new fare structure won't affect low-income adult (ORCA LIFT) fares or senior/disabled fares, which will remain $1 flat. Youth under 18 can continue to ride free with a Youth Transit Pass.
After the Lynnwood extension opens, Sound Transit said you will no longer have to remember to “tap off” with your ORCA card at the end of your trip.
Boosting local business
For years, the light rail has come to a dead end at Northgate. But nobody likes dead ends. Just ask Lynnwood barber Justin Lemus.
"If I can make them look good and feel good, then that's a plus for me," said Lemus, barber and owner of Lawless Barbershop.
Even though the train is not even on the tracks yet, the Lynnwood light rail extension has already sprouted new life in the community it inhabits.
"You start seeing a little higher towers, like, a little higher buildings. But yeah, it's definitely changing," Lemus said.
Lemus is actually a part of that change: he opened his new business, Lawless Barbershop, only six months ago. The shop is conveniently located in a brand-new apartment building near Lynnwood's light rail station called Alexan Access. And being just steps away from a future light rail, community members like Lemus are betting big on new business.
"I'm pumped! I’m excited," said Lemus. "It's gonna be booming here. So that's kind of where I wanted to focus was Lynnwood.”
Lemus said he is also hoping that in the coming months, any vacant apartment units above him quickly fill up with renters.
"I'm looking to, hopefully, you know, spike up," he said. "The more people that come in-- move in-- I have, definitely have a higher customer base."