Seattle and the Eastside are connected by light rail for the first time in history. Sound Transit opened its long-awaited Cross Lake Connection on Saturday, completing the 2 Line and allowing trains to cross Lake Washington between Bellevue and Seattle across the floating Interstate 90 bridge, a first for light rail systems anywhere in the world.
The final segment spans approximately 7.4 miles and includes two new stations, completing a vision first developed in the early 2000s and approved by voters in 2008 as part of the Sound Transit 2 package. Trains will run every eight to 15 minutes from 5 a.m. until midnight daily, giving tens of thousands of commuters, students, and residents a faster and more reliable alternative to driving across the lake.
For Mercer Island resident Scott Klein, the opening was a moment years in the making. “I’m just excited that it’s done. We’ve been watching it get built for so long,” he said. Klein, who commutes to Capitol Hill several days a week, said the new line will give him back time he currently loses to traffic. “We only have so many hours in the day because of the kids, and so I think to get a little bit of work time back while I’m commuting is going to be a big deal,” he said. He also looked forward to using the line for family outings. “We’ve got a 5 and an 8-year-old so we go to a lot of Seahawks games, a lot of Mariners games, and I’m excited to just get dropped off at the park-and-ride and take transit into the city.”
King County Councilmember and Sound Transit Board member Claudia Balducci, who has championed the project for nearly two decades, joined a preview ride Thursday that departed from South Bellevue Station, stopped at Mercer Island, and continued to Judkins Park Station in Seattle. “Building light rail has been a two-decade journey, and it hasn’t been easy,” Balducci said. “We’ve arrived at this transformational moment through the persistent efforts of hundreds of people who share a common vision for affordable, high-quality transit connecting the Eastside to our broader region.” She added that Saturday’s opening “proves that with sustained commitment, we can achieve big things, transform a region, and create real opportunity for people.”
Balducci played a central role in advancing the project through political opposition and construction setbacks, including a 2022 delay to the Interstate 90 bridge segment. During that period she advocated for a temporary Eastside-only starter line, which opened in April 2024 between South Bellevue and Redmond Technology Station, with an extension to downtown Redmond following in 2025. Sound Transit said ridership data from that interim service demonstrated strong demand for expanded Eastside transit.
Construction on the full line began in 2015, with work completed in phases across Seattle, Mercer Island, Bellevue, and Redmond. Engineers developed specialised track systems to accommodate movement on the floating bridge, one of the more technically complex challenges in the project’s history.
Law enforcement agencies are prepared for a significant increase in ridership. The Sound Transit Police Chief told reporters he hopes to hire additional deputies to meet demand, while the Bellevue Police Department launched its dedicated light rail unit, BLU, two years ago in anticipation of the opening. “We’ll have extra officers out on the platforms, on the trains, riding the trains, in the parking garages,” said BLU Captain Rob Spingler.
The public was invited to an opening day ribbon cutting near Judkins Park Station in Seattle at 9 a.m. Saturday, with the first train departing around 10 a.m. Sound Transit said the expansion is expected to broaden access to jobs, education, and opportunities across the Puget Sound region.
“There’s nobody I’ve talked to that’s not excited about it,” Klein said.
