Sound Transit’s Link light rail will not run between the SODO and Capitol Hill stations from 11 p.m. Friday, Oct. 11 through 1 a.m. Monday, Oct. 14, while construction crews prepare for the expansion of light rail service to the Eastside.
Beginning Friday night, Red Line trains will run only between Angle Lake (SeaTac) and SODO and between Capitol Hill and University of Washington, with shuttle buses making surface stops at all the closed stations between Capitol Hill and SODO. This is the first of three planned closures, according to a Sound Transit news release. Additional closures are scheduled for the weekends of Oct. 26-27 and Nov. 9-10.
Because buses have less capacity than light rail cars, travelers should allow more time (30 to 60 minutes) to reach their destinations and expect crowded conditions or seek alternate routes.
Learn more about the shuttle bus stops and subsequent light rail disruptions at soundtransit.org/shuttle.
The weekend closures are needed for the construction of a temporary center platform at Pioneer Square Station in preparation for Connect 2020, the 10-week period of major light rail service impacts beginning in January that will connect the existing light rail system in downtown Seattle to the Blue Line serving Mercer Island, Bellevue and Redmond. Construction of the platform requires de-energizing the Downtown Seattle Transit Tunnel’s overhead electrical power, which drives Link trains.
The upcoming weekend closures and the more extensive Connect 2020 work starting in January are part of the next chapter of the “Seattle Squeeze.” Sound Transit and partner agencies are working together closely during this period. Sound Transit’s commitment over the next five years is to complete light rail extensions that will more than double the reach of current service, expanding congestion-free commuting options for thousands of new riders each day.
Learn more about Connect 2020 at soundtransit.org/connect2020.
Talk to us
Please share your story tips by emailing editor@kentreporter.com.
To share your opinion for publication, submit a letter through our website https://www.kentreporter.com/submit-letter/. Include your name, address and daytime phone number. (We’ll only publish your name and hometown.) Please keep letters to 300 words or less.
