Daylight hours are waning, the rains have begun, and there’s a collective sense of battening down for winter here in the Pacific Northwest.
Yet here at Sound Transit, momentum is only ramping up toward connecting the Eastside and Seattle across the I-90 floating bridge as crews remain hard at work testing the 2 Line’s Crosslake Connection.
In our last Crosslake Update blog, we shared the news of our first powered train test on the floating bridge during the overnight hours of Sept. 8-9.
Since that successful initial test with a one-car train, we’ve graduated to a four-car train, testing consistently at full speed — about 55 mph.
Watch the video below to learn more about this “live wire testing,” which is one component of our current system integration testing phase.
In addition to live wire testing to calibrate and adjust the overhead catenary system that powers our trains, we’ve also been testing signals, traction power, and communications in recent weeks.
We’ve made significant progress on systems testing, and while we expect to continue through the end of the year, we’re able to complete the majority of what remains at night.
This is good news, because it frees up the alignment for remaining track repairs during the day and completion of other remaining work before we prepare our operators for this new segment. These final construction tasks are related to dual blocks that support the track along the approaches to the bridge and other concrete work.
We’re making the most of every day in the schedule, flexing and coordinating numerous teams’ tasks as we advance toward the next phase, known as pre-revenue operations.
This means every day will be different on the project. Sometimes you may see trains or workers on the bridge, while on other days, progress might not be visible as a passerby.
The Homer M. Hadley bridge is a unique piece of infrastructure, with plenty of hidden complexities. Check out the video below to learn more about how this floating bridge supports highway traffic and light rail alike.
At the American Public Transportation Association’s annual TRANSform Conference in September, Sound Transit accepted a national Innovation Award for the Crosslake segment of the East Link Extension project.
What comes next?
Crosslake preparations won’t be limited to the bridge this month – we’ll also be performing work in downtown Seattle and beyond.
If you’re a Link 1 Line rider, you may notice extra trains running as we continue preparing to run four-minute headways between downtown Seattle and Lynnwood once Crosslake opens.
Toward the end of this month, during select morning and evening peak hours, passengers can expect to see an out-of-service, single-car 2 Line train “interlining” between regular 1 Line trains from International District/Chinatown Station to Lynnwood City Center Station.
These four-minute trials will happen intermittently over several weeks during peak periods as operators practice doubling our current service. Passenger service trains will continue to arrive every eight minutes during peak times.
Riders should also plan ahead for weekend 1 Line closures in December to allow crews to add advanced signaling capabilities in the downtown tunnel. This technology upgrade will support future four-minute headways as well.
During these weekend closures, buses will replace trains between Capitol Hill and Stadium stations. Be sure to visit our planned disruptions page for specific dates and help planning your trip.