Light rail service will be suspended between Westlake and SODO this weekend (Jan. 10-12) as we take another step towards the opening of 2 Line service across Lake Washington.
This service interruption is the second of several planned closures and service reductions that allow crews to perform work that would be impossible to complete during regular service.
The first such closure in November allowed work crews to commission a new signal house and communications system to enable connection between the 1 and 2 lines. Now the work will focus on completing the installation and connection of the Overhead Contact System (OCS) that will power future 2 Line trains.
Unfortunately, there is no way to complete this critical project and continue to operate trains, as overhead power to the section of the 1 Line between Westlake and SODO must also be cut off during the construction. During the work, buses will replace trains for riders travelling to or beyond the impacted stations.
This bus shuttle will operate between Westlake and SODO every 10-15 minutes, stopping at all intermediate stations. Passengers travelling southbound from Westlake will have to get off the train and take the shuttle, reconnecting at SODO, and passengers travelling north will take the shuttle in reverse. Link trains will be running every 15 minutes between SODO and Angle Lake and Lynnwood and Westlake.
Stop specific details about the bus bridge are available online. Additional travel options in the downtown area can also be found on our website, and as with all our planned disruptions we will have Sound Transit staff at the affected stations to assist you. Passengers should also plan up to 30 minutes of additional travel time.
This disruption will be one of several in the coming weeks, as Sound Transit takes advantage of what is traditionally our lower ridership months to complete 2 Line tie in projects, make critical repairs, and continue work on key capital projects.
By the end of the construction period, riders should expect improved Link reliability, faster speeds through the University of Washington station, and advancements towards the completion of the 130th Street infill station.
On top of that, we’ll be several steps closer to the opening of the 2 Line.
We also appreciate that this lower ridership period does not mean low ridership, and we are grateful for the many thousands of passengers that choose to ride Sound Transit each week. We are thankful for your continued support and patience, and we apologize for the inconvenience these disruptions pose.
These efforts to repair and prepare our system are critical for our expansion efforts, and we appreciate your continued patience as we create a Link system that will carry more people, more reliably, to more places, than ever before.