Northgate Link light rail extension set to open in October

Get ready for reliable, traffic-free, 14-minute trips between Northgate and downtown Seattle this October when the Northgate Link light rail extension finally opens to passenger service.

Although construction of the three new stations was completed in January of 2021, light rail test trains have been operating to test the overhead electrical power system and train signal system.

The light rail extension will open to the public on Saturday, October 2, and will stop at new underground stations serving Seattle’s U District and Roosevelt neighborhoods.

Sound Transit is currently working on having the opening coincide with fall service changes on ST Express, King County Metro Transit, and Community Transit bus routes. Several bus routes will be modified to allow riders to connect with the new Link service.

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“With Northgate’s completion Sound Transit will enter an exciting period of opening major light rail extensions every year through 2024, nearly tripling the region’s light rail system from 22 miles to 62 miles,” said Sound Transit Board Chair and University Place Mayor Kent Keel in a news release.

By 2024, Sound Transit is hoping to extend the Link north to Lynnwood, south to Federal Way, and east to Downtown Redmond.