The holiday season is in full swing, and how better to celebrate than with a regional transit milestone?
Look no further than the 2 Line’s Crosslake Connection, where a new phase is officially underway: pre-revenue operations.
While plenty of testing will continue, this phase is when Link light rail operators start training on the alignment and maintenance staff establish new routines to support additional service.
That means you’re likely to start seeing more trains on the I-90 floating bridge, more often.
Last month’s Crosslake Update blog explored systems integration testing, when trains ran only at night to allow for other testing and construction work on the tracks during the daytime. And in this recent video update, we shared the latest on how the final steps of systems testing are wrapping up:
Starting today, trains will run during daylight hours as well. They’ll be intermittent through the holidays and then ramp up more regularly starting the first week of January.
During this phase, operators will be training on the new route and practicing a variety of operating scenarios. Crews also stress-test the system to validate that it performs well during continuous operations, ensuring that our stations, tracks, utilities, and vehicles work together as expected in preparation for the start of service.
Stay alert and look for trains
During pre-revenue operations, trains will be running between South Bellevue, Mercer Island, Judkins Park, and International District/Chinatown stations.
Passengers boarding the 2 Line at South Bellevue Station may see these Crosslake test trains —which will be marked “out of service” — pull in and out of the station. Be sure to check the head signs and listen for station announcements before boarding your train.
In addition to trains on the tracks, you can expect to see maintenance vehicles, testing equipment, and personnel involved in the testing process. If you’re nearby, you may also hear station announcements, wheels on the tracks, and warning signals.
Building momentum toward opening day
This week’s milestone represents a major accomplishment for our teams and partners, as well as a critical transition point as we prepare to welcome passengers aboard early next year.
While we don’t have an opening date set just yet, advancing into pre-rev operations (and eventually simulated service, when 2 Line trains will run all the way from Lynnwood to Downtown Redmond) will help us narrow the potential opening window in the coming weeks.
Be sure to stay tuned to The Platform blog and Sound Transit’s Instagram for every edition of the Crosslake Update!