News releases
Read the latest Sound Transit news, expansion developments, and more here.

Link service returns to normal tomorrow, August 27

"Future Ready" work at Columbia City station completed six days ahead of schedule; trains will operate on regular schedule for Mariners’ Saturday game

Publish Date

Beginning with the start of service Saturday, August 27, Link light rail will return to normal operations as platform work at the Columbia City Station wraps up six days ahead of schedule. The early return to service means that Mariners fans headed to the Ichiro Hall of Fame Induction Night on Saturday can count on regular light rail service for the game. 

"Safety is our top priority, which is why we undertook this work at the Columbia City Station," said Sound Transit Interim CEO Brooke Belman. "The new tiles make the station platform safer for our riders. We thank our passengers for their patience and understanding during this disruption as we do the work we need to in order to improve and expand our system. We are excited to turn it back over sooner than expected."

The southbound platform at the Columbia City Station, which had been closed for construction, will be reopened, and all trains will run on a regular schedule between Northgate and Angle Lake Stations. Passengers should be aware that for a period during the transition back to regular service, trip planners may not display accurate information. 

To enable platform work at Columbia City Station, one track was closed to remove the existing platform tiles and replace them after establishing a new surface they will reliably adhere to, eliminating tripping hazards and safety risks from cracking tiles. Work on the northbound platform was done last month and was completed four days ahead of schedule. 

The work at the Columbia City station is the first in a series of "Future Ready" projects Sound Transit will undertake before the Link system expands from 26 to 58 miles within the next few years, which will prevent impacts to far greater numbers of passengers.

Later phases of Future Ready work, for which full details will be announced in advance, include electrical work to minimize future Downtown Seattle disruptions and work to replace more than three miles of overhead wire between Rainier Beach and Tukwila International Boulevard stations to increase reliable train performance.