Cantwell Celebrates Light Rail Extension Across Lake Washington

Cantwell Celebrates Light Rail Extension Across Lake Washington

"We want the Sonics back. We DON'T want to pay $30 to park." Crosslake Connection adds two stations, creating first-ever direct light rail link from Eastside to Seattle

SEATTLE, WA - Today, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA), ranking member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, joined local leaders and elected officials to celebrate the grand opening of Link's Crosslake Connection.

"All the young innovators want one thing: They want to be close to Sound Transit," said Sen. Cantwell. "And who can blame them? Because mass transit is now making life more affordable. It is 22.7 miles from Downtown Redmond to Sea-Tac airport. For a car getting an average gas mileage, that's about a gallon of gas -- and because of President Trump's illegal war now we're paying $5.50 a gallon, which we can't afford, but Sound Transit is delivering you with just $3 for a move across the lake.

"So -- we want the Sonics back. We don't want to pay $30 to park. We want the World Cup to be a success, and we want the first-ever floating bridge with a light rail system that goes across it and we're here to celebrate.

"So thank you engineers at WSP. Thank you to the UW engineering and engineers for making this possible. And thank you to the federal support which, Sound Transit has received $4 billion in federal grants in the last decade and is the largest single user of federal subsidized loan programs, which has saved Puget Sound taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars by this success."

The Crosslake Connection adds new 2 Line stations at Judkins Park and Mercer Island. Trains will leave from the new stations every eight minutes during peak hours.

2 Line will now run from Downtown Redmond to Lynnwood City Center. With the 1 Line also running along the I-5 Corridor, combined 1- and 2-Line headways will mean trains arrive every four to five minutes between the International District/Chinatown and Lynnwood City Center stations.

• Judkins Park Station is in the center of I-90, near residential neighborhoods, several major bus routes, and the I-90 trail. The location makes it easy for local residents, transit riders, pedestrians and cyclists to meet the train. Travel time to Westlake is just 10 minutes.
• Mercer Island Station is near the Mercer Island Park-and-Ride and Mercer Island Town Center. People walking or cycling can access the station from the nearby Mountains to Sound Greenway Trail. Travel time to Downtown Bellevue is just 10 minutes.

As Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee chair from 2021 to 2024, Sen. Cantwell worked to increase funding for transit programs by 50% to $89.9 billion in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, including $8 billion over 5 years for the CIG Program to fund transit expansion projects across the country. However, transit funding is at risk as Congress considers a surface transportation reauthorization this year, with the Trump Administration considering the complete elimination of transit funding.

A transcript of Sen. Cantwell's remarks at today's grand opening is HERE; photos are HERE.

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