Welcome Redmond Link

The downtown Redmond Link extension opens today, May 10. This will extend the 2 Line from Redmond Technology station to two new stations: Marymoor Village and Downtown Redmond. The ceremony starts at 10:30am at Downtown Redmond station. The ribbon-cutting will be around noon, and then train service will start. Between noon and 4pm there will be festivities at the two new stations. At 4pm a kids' art parade" will follow the Redmond Connector Trail under the Link track to an after party at the Velodrome in Marymoor Park from 4-5pm.

The Experience Redmond website has lots of information on these and other activities and places to go. It's worth taking the day to explore downtown Redmond; there are a lot of things there. Sound Transit has a Hello Redmond webpage. Mike Lindbom at The Seattle Times has an article on Redmond"s ongoing transformation.

It will be harder to get to the ceremony than earlier Link openings, because the only frequent bus route to downtown Redmond on Saturdays is RapidRide B. Other express and local routes are half-hourly. A year ago when the 2 Line Starter Line opened, the 550 was packed full every run starting at least an hour before the ceremony to some time after it ended. So if you want to see the entire ceremony you may want to leave extra early.

Microsoft will supplement the B with shuttles between Redmond Tech, Marymoor Village, and Downtown Redmond stations from 9am until service begins. The B stations at Redmond Tech are on 156th Ave NE, a minute's flat walk east of the platform. Microsoft shuttles normally load at bus bays inside the station. If you don't want to see the track or Marymoor Village station before your first train ride, take the B, because it follows a different path well away from it.

Today RapidRide B and Metro routes 250 and 930 start serving Downtown Redmond station. On Monday, May 12, route 269 will start serving Marymoor Village station.

Getting there

If you're coming from Seattle there are five potential itineraries:

1. 545 at 4th & Pine (every 30 minutes). Travel time: 28 minutes.
2. 550 at Union & 5th (15 minutes) + 2 Line at South Bellevue (10 minutes) + B at Redmond Tech (15 minutes) or Microsoft shuttle. Travel time: 54 minutes plus transfers.
3. 550 at Union & 5th (15 minutes) + B at Bellevue Transit Center (15 minutes). Travel time: 65 minutes plus transfer.
4. 1 Line at Westlake (10 minutes) + 542 at UW (30 minutes). Travel time: 34 minutes plus transfer plus walk. If the 542 terminates at Redmond TC, walk 7-10 minutes southeast to the Link station. (Update: Transfer at U-District station; see comment.)
5. 1 Line at Westlake (10 minutes) + 255 at UW (20 minutes) + 250 at Kirkland TC (30 minutes). Travel time: 36 minutes plus transfers. (Update: Transfer at U-District station; see comment.)

All of these starting points are within two blocks of each other, so if you try #1 but it's full, you can fall back to one of the others. (Remember that #5's travel time can balloon from 36 minutes to 86 minutes in a worst-case transfer scenario, or longer if the 250 is full.)

Downtown Redmond highlights

I couldn't find a good walking map for downtown Redmond. If you know of one you can put a link in the comments. Redmond Way is the east-west stroad. One block south of it is historic Cleveland Street. One block further south is the Redmond Connector Trail. The Link track is above the trail. Downtown Redmond station spans 164th-168th Ave NE.

The first thing you'll want to do is walk west along the Redmond Connector Trail beyond the Link terminus. It's a linear park in a former railroad bed, with an art exhibit inspired by a former depot and a set of old signal lights. Turn north at 161st to a Cleveland Street plaza and the downtown park. If you continue north to 83rd you'll reach the Redmond Transit Center. The Redmond Town Center shopping center is just south of the trail. If you go the other way along the trail under the Link track, you'll cross 520 and reach Marymoor Village station at 1`76th. The huge Marymoor Park is adjacent on the west. On the east a block away is Stone Korean restaurant which I'd recommend, and a pancake house I haven't been to but it might be a place for breakfast. (The Experience Redmond page has a list of other morning bakeries and cafes.) The trail continues southeast and becomes the East Lake Sammamish Trail to Issaquah.

The Redmond Library and City Hall are at 160th & 85th. The park in front of them connects to the Sammamish River Trail, which goes north to Bothell and Seattle, and south to Marymoor Park. There are trails on both sides of the river. The eastern trail is the long-distance one, and connects to other trails going east in north Redmond.

Anderson Park is at 168th & Redmond Way. When I was there it had some historic exhibits on the lawn, but the park is apparently closed now so they may not be visible.

We'll have a follow-up article on Sunday to share our experiences of opening day.