Sound Transit announces October 2 opening of Northgate Link
Written by David C. Lester, Editor-in-Chief
Northgate Station
Sound Transit
After 15 years of planning and construction, Sound Transit announced Friday that the Northgate Link will officially open on October 2 of this year.
The Northgate extension of the light rail system is 4.3 miles long, with 3.5 of those miles running underground. Tunnel boring equipment began work on the extension’s two underground tunnels in 2014 and took two years to complete.
The extension features two underground stations and one elevated station. The underground stations will serve the Roosevelt and University (U) District areas, and the elevated station will serve Northgate.
Sound Transit Board Chair and University Place Mayor Kent Keel said “With Northgate’s completion Sound Transit will enter an exciting period of opening major light rail extensions every year through 2024, nearly tripling the region’s light rail system from 22 miles to 62 miles. This drumbeat of progress will extend service to Tacoma’s Hilltop in 2022, East King County in 2023 and Lynnwood and Federal Way in 2024. It will position us to keep building to complete voter-approved extensions to Tacoma, Everett, West Seattle, Ballard, DuPont and other destinations across the region.”
Sound Transit Board Vice Chair and King County Executive Dow Constantine said “This milestone will transform commutes and communities, and further demonstrate the power of light rail to whisk riders to their destinations quickly, sustainably, and absolutely reliably. King County Metro Transit will expand Northgate Link’s benefits by tying local bus routes with stations, so thousands of commuters can simply skip the daily Ship Canal Bridge bottleneck.”
Sound Transit Board Member and Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan said “Our City is under construction before our eyes, and investments like light rail will be transformational for North Seattle. We are building a more connected city that has safe, affordable, and reliable options for people walking, rolling, taking transit, and biking, no matter where you live.”
For more information, check Sound Transit’s website.
