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The Lynnwood Link extension is a planned Link light rail extension traveling north from Northgate to Lynnwood in Snohomish County, Washington, United States. The 8.5-mile (13.7 km) light rail extension includes stations in Lynnwood, Mountlake Terrace, and Shoreline along Interstate 5. It will be served by the 1 Line when it opens on August 30, 2024, and the 2 Line in 2025. The project was funded by the Sound Transit 2 (ST2) package approved by voters in November 2008, and began construction in 2019. [1] Ridership is expected to be 63,000 to 74,000 daily in 2035. [2]
In April 2015, the final environmental impact statement (EIS) for the extension was released, and a Record of Decision from the Federal Transit Administration was received in July 2015. [3] The Lynnwood Link Extension begins at Northgate station in Seattle and follows Interstate 5 with stations at Northeast 145th Street, Northeast 185th Street, Mountlake Terrace Transit Center, and Lynnwood Transit Center. [4] The EIS also included accommodations for infill stations at NE 130th St and 220th St SW. [5] [2]
In August 2017, Sound Transit announced that the project would be delayed six months (from late 2023 to mid 2024) and would cost $500 million more than expected, bringing the final budget to $2.9 billion. The changes were due to rising costs associated with land acquisition, labor, and materials in the local market. [6]
The project's groundbreaking ceremony was held on September 3, 2019, and included Governor Jay Inslee, U.S. Senators Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell, and U.S. Representatives Rick Larsen and Suzan DelBene. [7] Testing of trains on the extension began in January 2024 and progressed in June to pre-revenue service with simulated schedules. [8] [9]
Service on the 1 Line to Lynnwood is scheduled to begin on August 30, 2024. [10] Construction delays on the 2 Line will limit the number of available trains to Lynnwood until 2025. [11] Major changes to the bus network in Shoreline and Snohomish County, including the truncation of most commuter buses, are scheduled for September 14, 2024. [12] Some Sound Transit Express buses will continue to connect Snohomish County to Downtown Seattle during peak hours to provide additional capacity until the 2 Line is extended in 2025. [13] An infill station at Northeast 130th Street in Seattle was funded by the Sound Transit 3 package and is scheduled to open in 2026. [14]