08.30.24

Cantwell Celebrates Grand Opening of Lynnwood Link: ‘The Day Has Come For a Faster, Cheaper Way For Us to Commute to Seattle’

Lynnwood Light Rail expansion establishes traffic-free, dependable transportation between King and Snohomish counties every 10 minutes

LYNNWOOD, WA – Today, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA), chair of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation joined local leaders and elected officials to celebrate the grand opening of the Lynnwood Link Light Rail expansion.

"People don't realize, but 130,000 people commute from Snohomish County to King County every day. And not only does Snohomish County have the most commuters to King County of any other region in our state -- this congestion costs our commuters around $700 a year," Sen. Cantwell said. "This project offers us relief, cutting that traveling time down and giving us an option. So for all the Snohomish County residents -- and I'm one, too! -- for all the people in Mountlake Terrace, in Edmonds, in Lynnwood, in Mukilteo, in Martha Lake, even up in Everett, we can say finally, the day has come for a faster, cheaper way for us to commute to Seattle and have a more connected region."

"Today is Snohomish County's moment, and we're going to celebrate."

The Lynnwood Link project included construction of 8.5 new miles of rail and four new stations, extending the Sound Transit 1 Line from Northgate to the Lynnwood Transit Center. Trains will leave from the new stations every 10 minutes. The expanded line will allow Lynnwood residents to reach downtown Seattle in just 28 minutes – around half the time the trip takes by car during peak travel times. The expanded line will also help folks in Snohomish County reach the airport in a little more than an hour.

In addition, the Lynnwood Link can ease the cost burden congestion imposts on commuters.  One study found both that Seattle is the 19th-most congested area in the entire nation, but that congestion costs the average commuter $770 per year.  Expanding transit options can ease congestion and costs for commuters.

In 2025, Sound Transit plans to connect the Bellevue-Redmond 2 Line to Lynnwood, which will increase the train frequency to every four minutes during peak hours and six minutes during non-peak hours. By 2026, Sound Transit estimates the line will serve between 47,000 and 55,000 riders per day.

The total cost of the Lynnwood Link project was $3.26 billion. It was funded in part by $1.17 billion from the Federal Transit Administration’s Capital Investment Grant (CIG) Program, as well as a $657.9 million Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (TIFIA) subsidized loan. In 2021, Sound Transit worked with the U.S. Department of Transportation to refinance five TIFIA loans including the Lynnwood Link project loan, which saved the agency more than $500 million.

As Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee chair, Sen. Cantwell worked to increase funding for transit programs in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, including $8 billion over 5 years for the CIG Program to fund transit expansion projects across the country.

Video of Sen. Cantwell’s remarks at today’s grand opening is HERE; photos are HERE.