Sound Transit Launches Pinehurst 130th Street Light Rail Station Ahead of Schedule to Expand North Seattle Transit

In-Fill Station Delivers Rapid Transit Connectivity Five Years Early

SEATTLE, Washington — Sound Transit, in close operational partnership with the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) and King County Metro, has officially prepared the grand opening of the new Pinehurst Station at Northeast 130th Street along the high-ridership 1 Line. Originally scheduled under early regional capital plans for delivery in 2031, Sound Transit accelerated civil construction, platform structural works, and digital signaling integration to inaugurate the state-of-the-art in-fill station on September 30, 2026, delivering high-speed, zero-emission mass transit access to North Seattle communities a full five years ahead of schedule.

Constructed strategically between the existing Northgate Station and the recently opened Shoreline South/148th Station along the Interstate 5 corridor, Pinehurst Station addresses a longstanding transit gap across northern King County. By introducing high-frequency light rail right to the heart of the district, municipal planners project daily boarding numbers will surpass 4,000 riders within its initial operating year, removing thousands of daily single-occupancy vehicle trips from the congested I-5 expressway.

State-of-the-Art Passenger Amenities and Multimodal Integration

The elevated island platform facility features architecturally striking weatherproof glass canopies, universal step-free access via high-capacity passenger elevators and escalators, tactile platform-edge guidance paving, and dynamic real-time journey information displays. Sound Transit engineers integrated advanced closed-circuit digital surveillance totems and emergency customer assistance pillars throughout the plaza and platform decks to ensure a safe and secure passenger environment 24 hours a day.

Surface-level integration has been meticulously coordinated with King County Metro. A dedicated multi-bay bus transit loop positioned directly beneath the elevated light rail tracks provides seamless, timed transfer connections to feeder bus routes serving Pinehurst, Bitter Lake, Lake City, and Haller Lake. Furthermore, newly constructed protected cycle tracks, secure on-demand bicycle parking cages, and signalized pedestrian crossings along NE 130th Street establish safe active-mobility corridors connecting residential neighborhoods straight to the station gates.

Rapid Regional Journeys and Clean Hydroelectric Traction

Operating on 100 percent carbon-neutral hydroelectric and renewable electricity supplied by Seattle City Light, Link 1 Line trains connect commuters from Pinehurst Station directly to Downtown Seattle (Westlake Station) in just 16 minutes, and through to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (Sea-Tac) without the risk of highway traffic delays. Peak operating headways of eight minutes ensure reliable, predictable transit service throughout morning and evening rush hours.

The opening complements broader regional expansions across the Puget Sound basin, following the full launch of the 2 Line across Lake Washington and ongoing environmental impact reviews for the upcoming Everett Link Extension, further expanding the Pacific Northwest's interconnected rail backbone.

Catalyzing Affordable Housing and Sustainable Urban Renewal

Seattle municipal leaders underscored that the early opening of Pinehurst Station acts as a powerful catalyst for North Seattle's Transit-Oriented Community (TOC) development. The City of Seattle has finalized comprehensive zoning adjustments surrounding the NE 130th Street corridor, encouraging the construction of transit-adjacent mixed-use housing complexes, grocery stores, and community healthcare facilities.

With hundreds of new affordable housing units already in planning and construction phases within a 10-minute walk of the new station, the project embodies equitable urban mobility, providing working families with direct, rapid, and sustainable transit connections to premier employment and educational hubs across the metropolitan region.