Seattle to Bellevue just got easier: Light rail hits I-90 before May 31
Dec 5, 2025, 5:15 PM | Updated: Dec 8, 2025, 9:05 am
A rendering for the East Link Extension project. (Image courtesy of Sound Transit)
(Image courtesy of Sound Transit)
Light rail service across Lake Washington on the I-90 floating bridge will begin before May 31, Sound Transit officials confirmed this week.
“We as an agency are doing everything we can to open it sooner than that,” Rachelle Cunningham, a Sound Transit public information officer, said.
The Crosslake Connection, part of the East Link Extension, will carry passengers between Seattle and Eastside communities. There will be two more stations at Judkins Park and Mercer Island.
System integration testing is nearly complete, and “pre-revenue testing” is expected to begin in mid-December. During that phase, trains will run across the floating bridge throughout the day.
“These are some very cool technologies that we have on the I-90 floating bridge, and it’s just going to be a world’s first,” Cunningham said. “We’re super excited about that.”
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Federal Way light rail opens this week
Also on the horizon is the Federal Way light rail. The new extension opens this week, and travelers will be able to catch a train at three new stations: Kent Des Moines, near Highline College, Star Lake, and downtown Federal Way.
Meanwhile, the Tacoma Dome Link Extension is still in the planning stage, with service scheduled to start in 2035.
Contributing: Frank Lenzi, KIRO Newsradio
