Lynnwood Link Begins Simulated Service
In preparation for its August 30 opening, Sound Transit has begun simulating full service on Lynnwood Link as part of its pre-revenue" testing. Northbound 1 Line trains will operate as usual, showing Northgate as their terminus. However, electronic signage on northbound 1 Line platforms will show the incoming trains as bound for Lynnwood.
Riders will be asked to leave the train at Northgate, then the whole train will continue north to simulate full-frequency service. Riders hoping to continue to Lynnwood will have to transfer to Sound Transit's Route 512 until the extension opens.
Southbound trains will only accept passengers from the southbound side of platform once they arrive empty from Lynnwood, a welcome change from the previous arrangement of departing trains accepting passengers from whichever side of the platform the train happens to be waiting.
However, current riders don't have to wait until August 30 to start seeing changes to Link.
The Signs They Are a-Changin'Along with the imminent opening of Lynnwood Link, some astute riders have noticed that maps on Link cars are already being updated to include Lynnwood Link stations, as well as teasers for the 130th street station (opening 2026) and extensions to Redmond (later this year) and Federal Way (2026). Missing from the maps are the future connection of the 2 Line across Lake Washington (2025/2026), and longer-timeline ST3 projects.
@nonbinaryplants posted pictures of updated Link line maps on X (formerly Twitter)university st station officially rebranded as symphony station on the map but the train monitors and the station itself don't know that yet pic.twitter.com/oqiMBvNxFu
- t'es gay toi !(@nonbinaryplants) July 3, 2024
Additional updates to the maps include official renaming of University Street station to Symphony Station" to reduce confusion associated with having three stations with University-related names and the replacement of pictograms with numerical station codes.
Sound Transit Link service diagrams being installed on trains in preparation for Lynnwood Link.Station names and lost pictograms were a topic of conversation in last week's news roundup.
Other changes happening around Lynnwood Link's opening on August 30 include King Country Metro's and Community Transit's Fall Service Change on September 14, which will restructure bus service around the light rail extension, the adoption of a $3 flat-fare for all Link rides, negating the need to tap off" when leaving Link, and the restoration of two Sounder North runs cancelled in response to transit demand lost during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Edit: Article updated to include reference to Community Transit's fall service change.