Link light rail station | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
General information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Location | 20100 48th Avenue West Lynnwood, Washington, U.S. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Coordinates | 47°48′58″N122°17′47″W / 47.81611°N 122.29639°W | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Owned by | Washington State Department of Transportation, Sound Transit | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Train operators | Sound Transit | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Bus routes | 19 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Bus stands | 20 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Bus operators | Community Transit Sound Transit Express | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Construction | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Parking | 1,670 parking spaces | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Bicycle facilities | Bicycle lockers and racks | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Accessible | Yes | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
History | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Opened | May 25, 1981 (bus) August 30, 2024 (light rail) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Rebuilt | 2003, 2019–2024 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Services | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Lynnwood Transit Center is a bus station and light rail station in Lynnwood, Washington. It is the largest transit hub in southwestern Snohomish County and is served by Community Transit and Sound Transit Express. The transit center also includes a parking garage with 1,670 spaces and bicycle facilities.
In August 2024, Lynnwood Transit Center became the northern terminus of Sound Transit's Link light rail system; the 1 Line and 2 Line serves the Lynnwood City Center station as part of the Lynnwood Link Extension. The Link extension was approved in 2008 as part of the Sound Transit 2 ballot measure and began construction in 2019. The Stride bus rapid transit system will also terminate at the station, connecting it with areas along Interstate 405.
The Lynnwood Transit Center is located on the north side of Interstate 5 at 44th Avenue West, southwest of Alderwood Mall in Lynnwood. The 17.5-acre (7.1 ha) transit center includes 20 bus bays and a park and ride. [1] A five-story parking garage on the southeast side of the site provides 1,670 park and ride spaces and has driveways from two streets. [2] The bus bays have passenger information displays that have real-time arrival information for inbound buses. A customer service center called "RideStore" is located at the north end of the transit center. [3] [4]
The transit center is also located adjacent to the Interurban Trail, which runs through the southeast parking lot and connects it to Alderwood Mall, Aurora Village and downtown Everett. [5]
The 2003 renovation of the transit center came with the installation of two pieces of public artwork created by Claudia Fitch, known collectively as Shift. The art installation consists of a pair of 30-foot-tall (9.1 m) steel beacons resembling newel posts that are used to mark the two main crosswalks. [6]
Planning for a large park and ride lot in Lynnwood began in the late 1970s with the formation of Community Transit and increasing population growth in Lynnwood that had begun to affect the nearby Northgate lot. [7] Construction on 13-acre (5.3 ha) lot began in February 1980, with the project's $1.5 million cost paid for almost entirely by the Federal Highway Administration. [8] It was scheduled to open in September 1980, but construction was delayed by the discovery of underground springs. [9] The Lynnwood park and ride opened on May 25, 1981, with 808 stalls, becoming the largest park and ride in the state of Washington, serving Community Transit as well as Seattle-bound commuter buses operated by Metro Transit. [10] It also became the main bus hub for southern Snohomish County, replacing a street on the north side of the Fred Meyer store in Lynnwood. [11] [12]
The park-and-ride regularly reached capacity in its first years and prompted drivers to park in unauthorized areas. Several reliever lots were built in neighboring areas, including eastern Edmonds and Mountlake Terrace, but the Lynnwood lot remained at capacity. [13] [14]
In September 2003, Sound Transit and Community Transit rebuilt the park and ride lot and renamed it to "Lynnwood Transit Center". [15] The $33.6 million project expanded the lot to over 17 acres (6.9 ha), added 300 parking spaces to the lot, and consolidated the bus bays on the site of an old warehouse; additional amenities built during the project included a coffee stand, bathrooms, public art, and a customer service center. [1] [16] The following year, a $31.2 million direct access ramp to Interstate 5's high-occupancy vehicle lanes, the first in the state, was opened to replace the congested onramp on 44th Avenue West. [17]
Lynnwood Transit Center was selected as the northern terminus of the Lynnwood Link Extension, a 8.5-mile (13.7 km) light rail extension that is part of the Link light rail system. The extension and its $1.6 billion in funding was approved by voters in 2008. [18] The extension is projected to carry 63,000 to 74,000 daily riders by 2035; [19] 17,900 daily riders are expected to board at Lynnwood Transit Center's station. [20]
The light rail station is elevated 24 feet (7.3 m) above the direct access ramp and southeastern parking lot, crossing from the southwest to the northeast. The station has two entrances connected to its mezzanine below platform level: one that travels across the roadway and leads to a ground-level plaza; and another with direct access to a five-story parking garage with 500 stalls. The existing bus station was retained and slightly expanded to accommodate more layover space. Parking at the transit center would increase to 1,900 stalls, with room to expand further. [20] [21] The station's official name, Lynnwood City Center, was adopted in July 2017. [22]
Construction of the station required the demolition of a furniture store to the east of the bus bays, a well as a gas station, restaurant, and strip mall. [23] Demolition of the stores began in July 2018 and the project broke ground on September 3, 2019. [24] [25] In early 2020, Sound Transit opened a temporary parking lot on the east side of 46th Avenue West to replace several closed areas of the park and ride that were repurposed for construction staging. [26] Construction on the five-story parking garage began in October 2020 and it opened for use on April 17, 2023. [27] [28] The garage replaced the existing and temporary surface lots, which were then converted for construction staging and bus layover space; 226 surface stalls remained once construction is complete, giving Lynnwood Transit Center a total of 1,900 park and ride spaces. [28] [29] The station campus was awarded LEED Gold certification in 2024 for its environmentally-friendly and sustainable design features. [30] Community Transit opened its rebuilt RideStore at the transit center on August 27, 2024. [31]
Sound Transit determined in 2011 that the area around the transit center had "moderate to strong" potential for transit-oriented development, including housing and offices. [32] The area around the transit center is part of a regional growth center designated by the Puget Sound Regional Council; [33] the Lynnwood city government designated the area between the transit center and the Alderwood Mall to the northeast as its city center, preparing for heavy development that is expected to follow light rail expansion. [34] [35] The city raised the height limits for buildings in the area to 350 feet (110 m) in 2005, looking to "resemble downtown Bellevue". [34] [36] The light rail station's northeast construction staging area is planned to be offered for transit-oriented affordable housing development after 2024. [37]
Light rail service began on August 30, 2024, on the 1 Line and is scheduled to begin in 2025 on the 2 Line. [38] [39] Trains from Lynnwood are anticipated to take 28 minutes to reach Westlake station in Downtown Seattle. [40] Community Transit plans to truncate most of its commuter routes to Lynnwood Transit Center and add new all-day express routes along the Interstate 5 corridor; [41] a temporary Sound Transit Express route that runs parallel to the 1 Line is planned to launch in 2024 to accommodate overflow passengers until the 2 Line opens and provides full capacity to Lynnwood. [42] A further extension of the light rail system to Everett is planned to carry the 1 Line and 2 Line and be opened in phases from 2037 to 2041. [43]
Lynnwood City Center station is the northern terminus of the 1 Line, which runs north–south through the University of Washington campus, Downtown Seattle, the Rainier Valley, and Seattle–Tacoma International Airport. It is 22 stations north of Angle Lake, the southern terminus; Mountlake Terrace is the next southbound station. Trains on the 1 Line serve Lynnwood City Center station twenty hours a day on weekdays and Saturdays, from 5:00 a.m. to 1:00 a.m.; and eighteen hours on Sundays, from 6:00 a.m. to midnight. During regular weekday service, trains operate roughly every eight to ten minutes during rush hour and midday operation, respectively, with longer headways of twelve to fifteen minutes in the early morning and at night. During weekends, 1 Line trains arrive at Lynnwood City Center station every ten minutes during midday hours and every twelve to fifteen minutes during mornings and evenings. [44] The station is approximately 28 minutes from Westlake station in Downtown Seattle and 65 minutes from SeaTac/Airport station. [45] [46]
The station is a major hub for buses in Snohomish County operated by Community Transit; half of the countywide system's routes travel through or terminate at Lynnwood Transit Center. [47] [48] The Swift Orange Line, a bus rapid transit service, connects the station to Edmonds College, Alderwood Mall, and Mill Creek. [49] The network was restructured in September 2024 following the opening of the light rail station to replace express routes that had continued south to Northgate station and Downtown Seattle. [50] [51] These include all-day express routes to Marysville and Stanwood and peak-only routes that serve Mill Creek and Lake Stevens. [50] [52] Community Transit launched a ride-hailing service, called "Zip", in 2022 to serve Lynnwood with a focus on connections between the transit center and local destinations. [53] The regional Sound Transit Express system also truncated its routes at Lynnwood City Center station and provides all-day access to Everett Station and peak-only trips to Seaway Transit Center in Everett. [54]
As of 2016 [update] , more than 40 percent of Community Transit's bus routes serve the transit center, with 500 total buses passing through each day. Buses arrived at Lynnwood Transit Center at an average frequency of every three minutes during peak periods. [55]
Lynnwood is a city in Snohomish County, Washington, United States. The city is part of the Seattle metropolitan area and is located 16 miles (26 km) north of Seattle and 13 miles (21 km) south of Everett, near the junction of Interstate 5 and Interstate 405. It is the fourth-largest city in Snohomish County, with a population of 38,568 in the 2020 U.S. census.
Sound Transit (ST), officially the Central Puget Sound Regional Transit Authority, is a public transit agency serving the Seattle metropolitan area in the U.S. state of Washington. It manages the Link light rail system in Seattle and Tacoma, regional Sounder commuter rail, and Sound Transit Express bus service. The agency also coordinates the regional ORCA fare card system, which is also used by local transit operators. In 2019, Sound Transit services carried a total of 48 million passengers and averaged over 161,000 riders on weekdays.
Community Transit (CT) is the public transit authority of Snohomish County, Washington, United States, excluding the city of Everett, in the Seattle metropolitan area. It operates local bus, paratransit and vanpool service within Snohomish County, and before September 14, 2024, commuter buses to Downtown Seattle and Northgate station. CT is publicly funded, financed through sales taxes, and farebox revenue, with an operating budget of $133.2 million. In 2023, the system had a ridership of 7,133,700, or about 28,000 per weekday as of the second quarter of 2024, placing it fourth among transit agencies in the Puget Sound region. The city of Everett, which serves as the county seat, is served by Everett Transit, a municipal transit system.
The 1 Line, formerly Central Link, is a light rail line in Seattle, Washington, United States, and part of Sound Transit's Link light rail system. It serves 23 stations in King and Snohomish counties, traveling 33 miles (53 km) between Lynnwood City Center and Angle Lake stations. The line connects Lynnwood, Mountlake Terrace, Shoreline, the University District, Downtown Seattle, the Rainier Valley, and Seattle–Tacoma International Airport. The 1 Line carried over 26 million total passengers in 2023, with an average of nearly 80,000 daily passengers on weekdays. It runs for 20 hours per day on weekdays and Saturdays, with headways as low as six minutes during peak hours, and reduced 18-hour service on Sundays and holidays.
Everett Station is an Amtrak train station serving the city of Everett, Washington, United States. The station has provided service to the Cascades and Empire Builder routes since its opening in 2002, replacing an earlier station near the Port of Everett. The four-story building also houses social service programs and is the center of a 10-acre (4 ha) complex that includes parking lots and a large bus station used primarily by Community Transit, Everett Transit, and Sound Transit Express. The station has served as the northern terminus of the Sounder N Line since 2003 and the Swift Blue Line since 2009. It consists of two side platforms, one serving Amtrak and the other serving Sounder commuter trains. Everett Station also functions as a park and ride, with 1,067 short-term parking spaces located in lots around the station after it was expanded by Sound Transit in 2009.
Link light rail is a light rail rapid transit system serving the Seattle metropolitan area in the U.S. state of Washington. It is managed by Sound Transit in partnership with local transit providers, and consists of three non-connected lines: the 1 Line in King County and Snohomish County, which travels for 33 miles (53 km) between Lynnwood, Seattle, and Seattle–Tacoma International Airport; the 2 Line in King County's Eastside region between Bellevue and Redmond; and the T Line in Pierce County, which runs for 4 miles (6.4 km) between Downtown Tacoma and Tacoma Dome Station. In 2023, the system had a ridership of 23.9 million, or about 88,000 per weekday as of the second quarter of 2024, primarily on the 1 Line. Trains run at frequencies of 6 to 24 minutes.
Alderwood, formerly Alderwood Mall, is a regional shopping mall in Lynnwood, Washington. It is anchored by JCPenney, Macy's and Nordstrom and comprises both a traditional enclosed mall and two open-air areas known as The Village and The Terraces. Brookfield Properties manages and co-owns the property with an institutional investor.
Federal Way Downtown is a future light rail station at the site of the Federal Way Transit Center, a bus station in Federal Way, Washington. The bus station opened in 2006 and has 1,190 parking spaces available in its parking garage and surface lots. It is served by King County Metro, Pierce Transit and Sound Transit Express buses and is the southern terminus of the RapidRide A Line. The transit center is located adjacent to The Commons at Federal Way shopping mall and Interstate 5, connected via a direct access ramp to its high-occupancy vehicle lanes.
Tukwila International Boulevard station is a light rail station in Tukwila, Washington, United States. It is located between SeaTac/Airport and Rainier Beach stations on the 1 Line from Seattle–Tacoma International Airport to Downtown Seattle. The station consists of two elevated side platforms enclosed within a structure northeast of the interchange of State Route 99 and State Route 518. As one of seven park and rides along the line, it includes 600 parking spaces in two lots.
Northgate is a light rail and bus station in the Northgate neighborhood of Seattle, Washington, United States, and part of 1 Line on Sound Transit's Link light rail system. The transit center, located adjacent to the Northgate Mall, has four bus bays served by 22 routes. The station also has parking for 1,475 vehicles.
South Bellevue station is an elevated light rail station located in Bellevue, Washington, United States, an eastern suburb of Seattle. It opened on April 27, 2024, as the western terminus of the 2 Line of Sound Transit's Link light rail system. The station has a park and ride garage with 1,500 stalls and bus service from King County Metro and Sound Transit Express.
Angle Lake station is a Link light rail station in SeaTac, Washington. The elevated station is the southern terminus of the 1 Line, which travels north to Seattle–Tacoma International Airport, the Rainier Valley, Downtown Seattle, and North Seattle, including the University of Washington. It also includes a large parking garage for passengers.
The Lynnwood Link extension is a Link light rail extension traveling north from Northgate to Lynnwood in Snohomish County, Washington, United States. The 8.5-mile (13.7 km) light rail extension includes stations in Lynnwood, Mountlake Terrace, and Shoreline along Interstate 5. It is served by 1 Line when it opened on August 30, 2024, and the 2 Line in 2025. The project was funded by the Sound Transit 2 (ST2) package approved by voters in November 2008, and began construction in 2019. Ridership is expected to be 47,000 to 55,000 daily on the section in 2026.
Shoreline North/185th station is a Link light rail station on the Lynnwood Link Extension serving Shoreline, Washington. The station is located in a trench on the east side of Interstate 5, on the north side of Northeast 185th Street. It includes an adjacent bus station and two-story parking garage with 360 stalls. The station opened on August 30, 2024, with the rest of the line. Shoreline North/185th station also serves as the terminus of the Swift Blue Line.
Redmond Technology station, formerly Overlake Transit Center, is a bus and light rail station in Redmond, Washington, United States. The bus station opened in 2002 adjacent to State Route 520 on the headquarters campus of Microsoft. It was served by Sound Transit Express and King County Metro, as well as Microsoft's private shuttle buses. The light rail station is the eastern terminus of the 2 Line, part of Sound Transit's Link light rail system, and opened on April 27, 2024.
Mountlake Terrace is a bus station and light rail station in Mountlake Terrace, Washington, U.S. It is served by the 1 Line of Sound Transit's Link light rail system.
Sound Transit 3, abbreviated as ST3, was a ballot measure during the November 2016 elections in Seattle, Washington, proposing an expansion of the regional public transit system. The measure was proposed by Sound Transit, which was established by a similar initiative passed in 1996 and expanded by the Sound Transit 2 vote in 2008, who have operated regional transit systems in the Seattle metropolitan area since 1999. On November 8, 2016, Sound Transit 3 was approved by over 54 percent of voters in the Puget Sound region; voters in Pierce County rejected the measure, but the measure passed in King and Snohomish counties, and had an overall majority.
The Swift Blue Line is a bus rapid transit route operated by Community Transit in Snohomish County, Washington, as part of the Swift system. The Blue Line is 16.7 miles (26.9 km) long and runs on the State Route 99 and Evergreen Way corridor between Everett Station and Shoreline North/185th station. It has 36 stations in the cities of Everett, Lynnwood, Edmonds, and Shoreline.
The Swift Orange Line is a bus rapid transit line in Snohomish County, Washington, United States. It is the third line of the Swift Bus Rapid Transit system operated by Community Transit and opened in March 2024. The 11-mile (18 km) line runs from Edmonds College to McCollum Park, generally serving the cities of Lynnwood and Mill Creek with 16 stations. The Orange Line provides connections between the existing Swift Blue and Green lines, Edmonds College, Alderwood Mall, and Lynnwood Transit Center—the future terminus of the Link light rail system.