Sound Transit is pulling the plug on 2 Line light rail across Lake Washington on Sunday, July 26, shutting down trains between International District/Chinatown and South Bellevue and rolling out shuttle buses to cover the gap. Trains will keep running between South Bellevue and Downtown Redmond, but anyone trying to cross the lake by rail will have to switch to a bus bridge. Expect slower trips and a bit of extra planning for weekend errands or work shifts.
According to Sound Transit, Link shuttle buses will come about every 10 to 15 minutes between South Bellevue and International District/Chinatown while 2 Line trains continue every 10 minutes between Downtown Redmond and South Bellevue. The agency adds that 1 Line trains will run more frequently, about every eight minutes, to give riders another way around the lake and to soak up some of the demand.
Sound Transit told The Seattle Times the Sunday shutdown is pre-planned maintenance and not a reaction to the May 4 stall near Mercer Island that froze trains in both directions for about 45 minutes. That earlier mess was blamed on an electrical grounding problem that started on a train near Federal Way, the paper reported.
What riders should expect Sunday
Shuttle buses will stop at South Bellevue, Mercer Island, Judkins Park and International District/Chinatown stations and will make all local stops along the closed segment, according to Sound Transit service alerts. Riders crossing the lake should build in extra time to switch between trains and buses and keep an eye on station signs that point to the correct shuttle boarding bays. Transit staff will be out at busy stations to help direct people during the heaviest travel windows.
Safety fixes and maintenance work
The Seattle Times reported that crews will use the closure to change how maintenance vehicles get onto the guideway and to paint a white warning stripe along the rails to make clear where workers could be at risk. Those tweaks are part of a larger package of reliability and safety work that Sound Transit has lined up on the Crosslake Connection this summer.
Ridership context
Demand on the Crosslake Connection has been heavy since the March 28 opening, with opening day boardings later tallied at about 252,000, a spike that shows how even a single day without a direct train can ripple through the system, especially on weekends and big event days, as reported by The Spokesman-Review. Recent World Cup crowds and other major events have already pressed the system’s spare capacity, so riders are likely to feel this planned pause.
If you have to cross Lake Washington on Sunday, give yourself a cushion, consider traveling during off-peak hours or using ST Express and local Metro routes that cross the bridges, and load money onto your ORCA card ahead of time to keep transfers quick. Check alerts and real-time tools before you head out so you can grab the least painful connection on offer.
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