LYNNWOOD — Sound Transit plans to announce the opening date of the Lynnwood Link extension Thursday.
Four new stations are planned to open: two in Shoreline, one in Mountlake Terrace, and then the northern terminus of the line at Lynnwood City Center. Sound Transit expects between 47,000 and 55,000 daily riders by 2026. Snohomish County’s population continues to grow, with more than 1 million residents expected by 2044.
In January, Sound Transit officials said the extension likely would begin service in the third quarter of 2024.
The hotly anticipated 8½-mile light rail extension between Northgate and Lynnwood cost $3.12 billion. Voters approved the extension in 2008 and construction began in 2019.
The announcement was initially expected at a 10:30 a.m. event in Mountlake Terrace. Several speakers were slated to attend, including King County Executive and Sound Transit Board Chair Dow Constantine, Snohomish County Executive Dave Somers, Lynnwood Mayor Christine Frizzell, King County Metro General Manager Michelle Allison, Community Transit CEO Ric Ilgenfritz and Sound Transit Interim CEO Goran Sparrman.
But on Wednesday afternoon, Sound Transit canceled the event, citing a “scheduling conflict,” spokesperson David Jackson said. The agency will still announce the opening date Thursday, just not at a public event, Jackson noted.
Sound Transit began testing the line in January. Over the weekend, the agency also brought rail cars to the ribbon-cutting of the Swift Orange Line, a new bus rapid transit system from Community Transit aiming to shuttle people in south Snohomish County to light rail.
The Link runs south to Sea-Tac International Airport, with the current southern terminus at Angle Lake. In the coming decades, it’s set to connect from Tacoma to Everett, with alternate routes to Ballard, Bellevue, Burien and other communities.
Jordan Hansen: 425-339-3046; jordan.hansen@heraldnet.com; Twitter: @jordyhansen.
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