Passengers will for the first time cross Lake Washington on a train between Bellevue and Seattle this weekend, as Sound Transit's 2 Line finally opens to the public.
It is the world’s first light rail train to cross a floating bridge, according to Sound Transit. The ride features views of Mount Rainier and, during rush hour, backed up traffic on the freeway.
The train runs from Lynwood to Downtown Redmond, taking the public across the I-90 floating bridge and adding stops on Mercer Island and Judkins Park.
Dow Constantine, the transit agency’s CEO, said during a press tour this week that the new route will improve people's commutes.
"If you live in a Seattle neighborhood and you work at Microsoft, you're covered. If you live on the eastside and you're going to a Mariners game, you're covered,” he said. “We are improving the quality of life for people across the Puget Sound region."
King County Councilmember Claudia Balducci has been working on the project for most of her career as an elected official. She serves on the transit agency’s board of directors and hopes the new route gets people to explore different areas — moving away from habits developed during COVID.
“It's people getting out and about and enjoying each other and the region that we love and that we all get to live in,” Balducci said.
At least two people already had plans to do that this weekend. Julia Masterson, who lives in Seattle but visits her mom in Redmond, said she and her mom want to take a train across the lake to shop in the city’s Chinatown-International District.
"She's excited to be able to grab a couple tote bags, hop onto the link and then take the link over to the International District just to pick up a few things,” Masterson said. “And not have to worry about driving and parking or anything like that."
The eastside extension also brings new artwork to the Mercer Island and Judkins Park stations.
On Mercer Island, passengers can catch Seattle artist Beliz Brother’s two sculptures hanging above escalators at the entrances to the train platform. One is made up of wooden paddles that connect to a crank. It spins. The other is a skeleton-like boat made of steel and aluminum painted blue.
"It's an island here,” said Barbara Luecke, deputy director of public art for Sound Transit. "Many people have access to docks and boats, and, at various times in Mercer Island's history, there was only boat access to the island before this bridge connected it to the mainland."
At the Judkins Park station in the city's Central District, Hank Willis Thomas created two photo murals of Jimi Hendrix — one of his early life, the other depicts him at the height of his fame. They are near the guitar legend's childhood home. The work highlights Hendrix’s legacy as well as his connection and impact on Seattle.
The stop also features murals by Seattle artist Barbara Earl Thomas that draw inspiration from walks throughout the city: black paintings on glass in cut-paper style.
Sound Transit is holding a ribbon cutting ceremony and street fair at Sam Smith Park starting at 9 a.m. Saturday. Trains will start running at 10 a.m., kicking off several events at stations along the route.
Sound Transit’s eastside extension is years in the making, and comes a few months ahead of the World Cup soccer matches that will be played in Seattle.
