Light rail service to Northgate begins in October
Apr 9, 2021, 9:41 AM | Updated: 9:59 am
Light Rail from Northgate to Lynnwood. (KIRO Radio, Chris Sullivan)
(KIRO Radio, Chris Sullivan)
Sound Transit will start running light rail trains between the University District and Northgate on Oct. 2, 2021.
Light rail disruptions coming every weekend in April
The 4.3-mile extension has been under construction for nine years, with most of the route underground.
“Our City is under construction before our eyes, and investments like light rail will be transformational for North Seattle,” Sound Transit Board Member and Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan said in a news release. “We are building a more connected city that has safe, affordable, and reliable options for people walking, rolling, taking transit, and biking, no matter where you live.”
Sound Transit said the extension is coming in under budget, at just under $2 billion, thanks to a $615 million credit agreement under the Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (TIFIA).
“With Northgate’s completion Sound Transit will enter an exciting period of opening major light extensions every year through 2024, nearly tripling the region’s light rail system from 22 miles to 62 miles,” Sound Transit Board Chair and University Place Mayor Kent Keel said in a news release. “This drumbeat of progress will extend service to Tacoma’s Hilltop in 2022, East King County in 2023 and Lynnwood and Federal Way in 2024. It will position us to keep building to complete voter-approved extensions to Tacoma, Everett, West Seattle, Ballard, DuPont and other destinations across the region.”
Sound Transit estimates soar and trains start running to Northgate
The opening coincides with the opening of the new NHL center in Northgate and with changes to bus service designed to get riders to the trains.
The first time University of Washington football fans will be able to take a train from Northgate to a game will be October 16 against UCLA.
