Weekend Link Disruptions Extended

Sound Transit's guide to the bus shuttle that will run between Capitol Hill and SODO Stations in upcoming service disruptions.

As planned late last year, Link service has been disrupted for several weekends this winter as Sound Transit works to complete several projects requiring closure of track in Downtown and the U-District. The final planned disruption was scheduled for this weekend (February 21 to 23) as a contingency weekend in case work completed the previous weekend needed more time.

This week, Sound Transit announced they would be making use of part of the contingency weekend and an additional weekend to complete additional work. Link 1 Line service between Capitol Hill and SODO stations will be replaced by bus shuttles on Sunday, February 23, returning to normal service during the week. Link 1 Line service will then be replaced by bus shuttles between Capitol Hill and SODO stations from 10pm on Friday, February 28, to end of service on Sunday, March 2.

Operation Chilly

During the latest meeting of Sound Transit's Rider Experience and Operations Committee, agency staff presented an update on service disruptions planned for 2025 and 2026.

Sound Transit's project timeline for work requiring service impacts in January and February 2025.

The latest set of planned service disruptions started in January as part of Operation Chilly", a set of projects including installation of the roof at Pinehurst Station, integration of signals and electrical systems where the 2 Line meets the 1 Line near International District/Chinatown Station, repair of the overhead catenary wire near UW Station, and completion of multiple" unspecified projects to improve resiliency in the tunnel through Downtown Seattle.

According to the agency staff presentation, repair of the overhead wire near UW station was completed on February 2 along with some resiliency projects in other parts of the tunnel. Electrical tie-in work for the 2 Line was scheduled for last weekend (February 14-16) with this weekend (February 21 to 23) reserved as a contingency work period. It's not clear if the additional work scheduled for next weekend is due to delays completing the 2 Line tie-in work or if extra time is needed to complete the various resiliency projects the Sound Transit had hoped to complete earlier in the Operation.

Working Around Two World CupsMore service impacts are expected through 2025 and into 2026 (Sound Transit).

Looking ahead through 2026, Sound Transit is planning future service disruptions with an eye on service changes and two major international international soccer tournaments being partially hosted by Seattle: the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 this summer, and the FIFA World Cup 26 tournament next summer.

Future projects requiring service disruptions include:

• Completion of stairwells at Pinehurst Station in April 2025,
• Construction of pedestrian crossing gates at four at-grade stations from June 2025 through April 2026, and
• Replacement (again?!) of Downtown Transit Tunnel rail and an electrical power line tentatively scheduled for July-August 2025.

Additional details on these upcoming projects will likely appear in months to come. Hopefully, some of this maintenance work will reduce the frequency of Link's unplanned service disruptions, which Sound Transit declared to be an emergency last month.