Seattle’s reputation for innovation took a new track this week as a Link light rail vehicle crossed the I-90 floating bridge under its own power. The beginning of testing of the “Crosslake Connection” signals a major development in how future commutes could change for workers at tech hubs on either side of Lake Washington.
Sound Transit called Monday night’s exercise a “historic milestone” for the agency and transit industry as it was the first time in the world a train under power was operating across a floating bridge.
In a series of photos released on Wednesday by Sound Transit, the Bellevue, Wash., skyline is seen glowing in the distance as the train crosses between the eastbound and westbound roadway lanes over the lake. The conductor’s-eye view is also revealed from inside the train.
Sound Transit said a single train crossed the bridge several times at increasing speeds, from approximately 5 mph up to the full operating speed of 55 mph. The test was conducted overnight so that crews could observe and document expected electrical arcing between the overhead power wires and the light rail vehicle.
Testing will continue intermittently between new stations at Mercer Island and Judkins Park, to prepare for the opening of the full Link light rail 2 Line in early 2026.
When fully open, the line will connect downtown Seattle to downtown Bellevue and the Redmond Technology station at Microsoft’s headquarters campus.
The transportation option has the potential to impact the daily commutes of thousands of tech workers and others who crisscross Lake Washington in cars and buses between home and jobs at Microsoft, Amazon, Google, Meta and many other companies.
The roughly 13-mile trip between Seattle and Microsoft HQ — which can range from 20 minutes to two hours — has been a source of frustration for years as the region’s tech boom and subsequent population explosion clogged area roadways.
Bellevue has also grown, most notably around Amazon, as the tech giant has previously said it plans to put 25,000 corporate workers across various buildings in the city. Roughly 50,000 work in Seattle.
“Our downtown Bellevue campus was designed around the connectivity that mass transit provides, both for the community and the businesses that are growing here,” said David Zapolsky, senior vice president of global public policy and general counsel at Amazon, when the 6.6-mile East Link segment of the 2 Line, including eight stations, opened in April.
That line is carrying just over 10,000 daily passengers, according to The Seattle Times.
It’s no small engineering feat to run tracks and get a train to cross a floating bridge. Ballot measures, budget overruns, and technical delays have hampered the project, which began in 2016 and was projected to open in 2023. This recent video breaks down all that goes into it:
Keep scrolling for more photos from Monday’s test:
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