Sound Move: Initial Thoughts on the Crosslake Connection

This is Post 1 of my Seattle Transit Series: Sound Move.

Sound Move is produced in collaboration with CreativeSystems of America. Providing voices to American communities and peoples.

On March 28th, 2026, Seattle welcomed a long-awaited and overdue rail connection – the Crosslake Connection. The 7 mile, 2 station extension connects a fragmented Link Light Rail system – giving Redmond and Bellevue a one-seat ride into Downtown Seattle, and onto Lynnwood, SeaTac / Airport, and Federal Way.

Coincidentally (and not planned at all!), I was also in Seattle on March 28th, 2026! Waking up at 6am, I decided to show up for the opening events to celebrate such a monstrous development in the Puget Sound.

Opening Events

The opening events were held across from the new Judkins Park station at Sam Smith Park. Living in Toronto, I’ve never really experienced a transit opening, but Seattle really did it up! The whole park was set up with community tents, vendors, and even transit advocate groups! The Cascade Cycling Club even set up a bike valet.

Thankfully, Seattle not only wants to throw a party, but people will show up in droves for it. It was already packed at 8 AM which is when the actual event starts. What did I expect in a city where the main activity is hiking and running?

Alas, there was no running or hiking this day, unless you wanted to trample a bunch of people. The main event was a bunch of speeches from important people. I can now tell people I saw the Governor of Washington, the Mayors of Seattle, Bellevue, Redmond, Mercer Island, and a United States Senator talk less than 50 feet away from me.

The other events included a stamp competition – get a commemorative stamp at four stations (Chinatown–International District, Judkins Park, Mercer Island, South Bellevue) and get a bucket hat. Fortunately (or unfortunately), there were literal quarter-mile lines to get on the train, so it was not possible for me.

Fortunately for me, this event was SWAG central. I love free swag, even though it’s actually so useless. I mainly got a bunch of stickers, but also the limited edition, corporate sponsored (thanks Microsoft!) Orca Card. Transit Cards are great souvenirs to collect because they’re 1. Useful and 2. A very small souvenir from the city. I will cherish this card forever.

After the speeches and the community tents (where I talked to so many great people), I headed over to Exit A of the station where the ribbon cutting would occur. After a mile-long parade of delegates, the line was finally open!

The Ride

For me, my ride started at Bellevue Downtown station. After the opening events, I had other plans in the ID to attend to, so after lunch I boarded a bus (King County Metro 271) to ride the actual train. I took a detour to Downtown Redmond (new mileage I haven’t riden yet), and headed back down to South Bellevue to ride the new segment.

Honestly, there was very little to say about the actual ride. It went as smooth as you’d hope. The train got up to max speed (55mph) as it crossed over I-5 and onto a viaduct to Mercer Island. The train then crossed the Homer M. Hadley Memorial Bridge at 55 mph, making it the first permanent light rail line on a floating bridge. It was actually pretty cool engineering too. The views were sick but honestly exactly the same as the views I got walking across the bridge.

The best part however, is the fact that it takes 10 minutes from South Bellevue to C-ID. It’s a life changer getting between the Eastside and Seattle. The bus I took to Bellevue took me around 40 minutes. I cannot say enough words how great this line will be for Seattleites.

Overall Thoughts

With the Crosslake Connection finally open, and high-quality rapid transit finally spanning the Puget Sound, the Crosslake Connection is the root turning Seattle into a true, transit-friendly city.

I’m not here to talk about Sound Transit 3 and why it’s become a fiscal disaster, but I can already see how people are taking this new line and turning their attention towards building more high-quality transit in the Puget Sound. While I was there, I was invited to many open consultations and events to save light rail in West Seattle, Ballard, and even Issaquah of all places. I’ve never seen a city change so quickly and embrace transit. Build it and they will come!