Sound Transit Extends Light Rail to Lynnwood

Sound Transit, Seattle, WA, has extended its 1 Line Link light rail service, enabling passengers in Snohomish County and Shoreline to travel to downtown Seattle and SeaTac airport. The 8.5-mile extension 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 2 Line is anticipated to expand to downtown Redmond early next year, followed by the opening of the remainder of the line later in 2025 and the start of service to Federal Way in 2026.

“The opening of Lynnwood Link is a testament to the hard work of the construction teams and Sound Transit staff who have worked for years to make this project a reality,” said Sound Transit Interim CEO Goran Sparrman. “With the openings of the full 2 Line next year and the extension to Federal Way in 2026, we will have more than doubled the size of our system in just a few years, providing the residents of our region great options for easy, efficient travel to even more destinations.”

“As Senate Appropriations chair, when we went to negotiate, I put my foot down to protect Capital Investment Grants funding for the Lynnwood Link Extension, and told my colleagues on the other side, ‘You will not cut this public transit funding—not on my watch,’ said Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA). “I always bring Washington state into the negotiating room with me, and I will go to bat for public transportation—and projects like this—again and again. We are not just building public transit, we are not just connecting bus stops, and light rail stops, and lines on a map, we are connecting growing small businesses with new workers, new customers, and new opportunities.”

“You cannot have a big-league economy with little league infrastructure,” said Rep. Rick Larsen (D-WA), lead Democrat on the Transportation & Infrastructure Committee. “Thanks in part to historic federal investments, Sound Transit light rail has arrived in Snohomish County, and that means more jobs and opportunity for Northwest Washington. I will continue to support bold, long-term investments in public transit like the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law that are building a cleaner, greener, safer, and more accessible transportation system in the Pacific Northwest.”

The $3.1 billion project budget included up to $1.17 billion from an FTA Full Funding Grant Agreement. In addition, USDOT’s Build America Bureau executed a $658 million low-interest loan supporting the project, including new light rail vehicles and support facilities. Voters approved the Lynnwood extension in 2008 as part of the Sound Transit 2 ballot measure.

“FTA is proud to help bring Link light rail to Snohomish County, expanding rapid transit access for hundreds of thousands of residents,” said FTA Acting Administrator Veronica Vanterpool. “As the Link system continues to grow, it’s now easier than ever to reach UW, downtown, Sea-Tac, and destinations all over the region. Thank you to Sound Transit and all the community partners who delivered on this monumental project.”