Mercer Island Station
Mercer Island walkshedThe highly anticipated full East Link extension will open this Saturday, March 28, finally connecting the Eastside to Seattle and the rest of the metro area. Two new stations will open at the same time, Judkins Park and Mercer Island stations.
The Mercer Island light rail station, located in the median of I-90 just north of the city's Town Center, will help connect Mercer Island residents to Seattle, Bellevue, and the wider metro area.
(Judkins Park I-90 ramp reconfiguration and Access Guide were discussed in previous articles).
Reaching and Navigating the station
East Link Extension map by Sound TransitMercer Island station will be served by the 2 Line going east to Bellevue and Redmond, and west to Seattle and Lynnwood. Riders coming from the airport to Mercer Island will take the 1 Line north to Chinatown/International District station, switch to the other platform, and take the 2 Line toward Downtown Redmond. The first station will be Judkins Park, and the second Mercer Island.
Mercer Island station top-down view
Mercer Island station side viewStation Layout:
- Platforms: two side platforms passing underneath 77th Ave SE and 80th Ave SE.
- East Headhouse: connects to 80th Avenue SE.
- West Headhouse: connects to 77th Ave SE.
Mercer Island station and existing Park and Ride- Bus Access north of the station: The existing Park and Ride parking lot and the Sound Transit bus stops are located just north of the station on North Mercer Way.
Bus routes at Mercer Island station will not immediately change with the opening of Crosslake Link service. In Fall 2026 the final phase of the East Link Connections bus restructure will be implemented. Here's a preview:
East Link connections bus mapThe on-island routes will continue: hourly Route 204 travels up and down Island Crest Way, and peak-only Route 630 express to First Hill.
The freeway buses that stop only at Mercer Island station will be revised. ST Express Routes 550 and 554 will be deleted. Metro Routes 215, 218, and 269 will combine to provide 15-minute all-day express service from Mercer Island station to Eastgate P&R and the Issaquah Highlands P&R. (They will not go to Seattle, and will not serve central Issaquah.)
After the Issaquah Highlands P&R, some Route 215 runs will continue to North Bend. Metro earlier said every third run would do so, so if Metro still intends that, North Bend would have service every 90 minutes. Route 269 will continue half-hourly north to Sammamish and Marymoor Village station. Route 218 will provide extra peak-hour service to Issaquah Highlands P&R and will terminate there.
Current ST Express routes 550, 554, and 556 will be replaced by a new Route 556 serving Issaquah and Bellevue every 15 minutes all day. It will not serve Mercer Island but you can take the 2 Line to it and transfer.
To sum it up, if you're going from Mercer Island station to:
| DESTINATION | ITINERARY | MIDDAY FREQUENCY |
| Seattle | 2 Line | 10 minutes |
| Bellevue Transit Center | 2 Line | 10 minutes |
| Issaquah Highlands P&R | 215, 218, 269 | 15 minutes |
| Central Issaquah | 2 Line to South Bellevue; transfer to 556 | 556: `15 minutes |
| Bellevue Way stops | 2 Line to South Bellevue; transfer to 556 | 556: 15 minutes |
| Bellevue Square | 2 Line to South Bellevue or Bellevue Downtown; transfer to 556 | 556: 15 minutes |
Remember, all this starts next fall. Until then, the existing bus routes serving Mercer Island will continue as is.
Mercer Island Future Density
Option B Zoning Mercer Island previously slightly upzoned around the Town Center (Urbanist). Hopefully the city continues to approve new apartments in the Town Center and builds upon their previous successful apartment infills.
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