Cantwell Celebrates Grand Opening of New Eastside Transit Line

Cantwell Celebrates Grand Opening of New Eastside Transit Line

New light rail connecting Bellevue and Redmond will more than halve travel time for an estimated 6k daily riders

BELLEVUE, WA - Today, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA), chair of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, joined local, state, and federal leaders to celebrate the grand opening of the new Sound Transit East Link Starter Line connecting Bellevue and Redmond.

"Our region has become an economic powerhouse in so many things -- in computer science, in space, in next-generation technology -- but that doesn't all work if we can't get to and from work," said Sen. Cantwell. "I will continue to fight for more federal dollars in transportation. Our economy is working -- let's continue to make transportation an enabler of that economy."

The travel time between the two ends of the line - from South Bellevue to Microsoft headquarters in Redmond -- is 14 minutes, down from approximately 40 minutes to travel the same route by bus or 30 minutes by car during rush hour. Sound Transit estimates the 2 Line will service an average of 6,000 riders per day. The 6.6-mile line includes eight stops, with service every 10 minutes, 16 hours a day, seven days per week.

This August, the 1 Line will extend into Snohomish County to Lynnwood, and in spring 2025, the 2 Line will add two more stations in Redmond. The Downtown Redmond Link Extension is projected to open in spring 2025 with the Marymoor Village and Downtown Redmond stations. When completed, the I-90 segment will add the Mercer Island and Judkins Park stations to the 2 Line and connect to the 1 Line at the International District/Chinatown Station in downtown Seattle.

Approximately one-third of the $3.8 billion project was funded by a $1.33 billion transit loan through the Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (TIFIA). The subsidized interest rate for TIFIA funding was less than half of what Sound Transit would have gotten otherwise, reducing lending costs on the projects by $200 million to $300 million. In addition, Sound Transit worked with the U.S. Department of Transportation to refinance five TIFIA loans, including the East Link project loan, resulting in savings of more than $500 million for the agency.

Sen. Cantwell is a longtime champion of ongoing investments in Washington state's Light Rail system. Upon finalization of the Fiscal Year 2023 Omnibus Appropriations bill, Sen. Cantwell celebrated the inclusion of $329.14 million for the Federal Way Link Light Rail Extension - which fully funds the project three years ahead of schedule -- and $254 million for the Lynwood Light Rail Extension. As chair of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, Sen. Cantwell helped deliver large funding increases for transportation in the Biden-Harris Infrastructure Law.

Video of Sen. Cantwell's remarks is availableHERE; a transcript is HERE.