Sound Transit Prepares Pinehurst Station Opening in North Seattle as East Link 2 Line and Regional Rail Expansions Connect Puget Sound

Welcoming Pinehurst Station to the Rapidly Expanding 1 Line Spine

SEATTLE, Washington — In a major expansion of rapid transit access for North Seattle neighborhoods, Sound Transit has completed civil structural construction and entered final system integration for the new Pinehurst Station (NE 130th Street Infill Station) along the 1 Line corridor. Positioned strategically between Northgate Station and Shoreline South/148th Station, the elevated rapid transit facility directly bridges a critical geographical gap, providing residents of Lake City, Pinehurst, and Haller Lake with high-frequency, congestion-free light rail connectivity into downtown Seattle, the University of Washington, and Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.

Designed with input from surrounding community coalitions, Pinehurst Station features illuminated all-weather passenger canopies, dual high-capacity traction elevators, seamless curbside drop-off bays for King County Metro feeder bus routes, and secure bicycle storage facilities, making multi-modal first-mile and last-mile commuting intuitive and safe.

Historic Milestones from Snohomish to South King County

The delivery of Pinehurst Station follows unprecedented regional expansion across the Puget Sound light rail grid. The system's reach broadened substantially with the landmark commercial launch of the 8.5-mile Lynnwood Link Extension, which brought high-capacity light rail service across the Snohomish County border for the first time, serving Lynnwood City Center, Mountlake Terrace, and Shoreline.

Simultaneously, passenger service on the 7.8-mile Federal Way Link Extension expanded the 1 Line southward into South King County, establishing vital transit hubs at Kent Des Moines, Star Lake, and Federal Way Downtown. Together, these extensions establish a unified, 40-mile zero-emission rail spine running continuously through the heart of western Washington’s metropolitan economy.

Connecting the Eastside via World-First Floating Bridge Light Rail

Parallel to North-South rail expansions, Sound Transit engineers are conducting final operational clearance and dynamic electrical testing on the full 2 Line (East Link) alignment across the Interstate 90 Homer M. Hadley Memorial Floating Bridge. Marking a world-first engineering feat of operating passenger rail over a floating pontoon marine structure, specialized curved track bridge joints and vibration-dampening rail fasteners allow trains to transition smoothly between fixed land viaducts and shifting floating highway spans.

Once the cross-lake link enters regular revenue service, the full 2 Line will seamlessly unite Seattle's downtown core directly with Bellevue, the Redmond Technology campus, and downtown Redmond, allowing passengers to traverse Lake Washington in approximately 20 minutes regardless of peak expressway gridlock.

Transit-Oriented Communities and the $970 Million Seattle Housing Levy

The multi-billion-dollar transit investments are serving as the cornerstone for comprehensive municipal housing initiatives championed by the City of Seattle and regional planning bodies. Station-area subarea zoning around Pinehurst, Shoreline, and Mountlake Terrace has unlocked thousands of transit-oriented, mixed-use residential units, backed by capital grants from Seattle's voter-approved $970 million Housing Levy.

Puget Sound civic and transit leaders highlighted that linking high-frequency, clean-energy passenger rail with permanently affordable family housing directly curtails vehicle miles traveled, mitigates regional greenhouse gas emissions, and ensures equitable economic opportunity across one of the nation's fastest-growing metropolitan corridors.