Last week, Sound Transit revealed that service between eight stations making up the majority of the East Link / Line 2 extension would open to the public on April 27th. To celebrate that announcement, we’ve got another installment of Trainspotting with NPI for you. Our last installment showed trains in action in the City of Redmond. This installment, on the other hand, has a Bellevue-theme.
With a population of 151,854, Bellevue (French for beautiful view) is King County’s second-largest city. It is located almost directly across Lake Washington from Seattle’s downtown core and adjoining neighborhoods. PACCAR, T‑Mobile, and Valve call Bellevue home, and major technology companies like Microsoft and Amazon also have a presence there. Sound Transit currently serves Bellevue only with ST Express bus service, but that will change when Line 2 opens!
Let’s get to the pictures and clips. Note that none of the videos have any sound.
I: Follow a train as it rolls into Wilburton Station
In this clip, you can get a bird’s eye view of a train rolling eastbound into Wilburton from Bellevue Downtown on elevated tracks. You’ll see the train cross over several private parking lots and 116th Avenue.
II: A train at Wilburton Station
Now for a photo. Here you can see a train making a simulated stop at Wilburton Station. This is the station closest to Overlake and KP’s main Bellevue campus.
A light rail train pauses at Bellevue’s Wilburton Station during pre-revenue testing for East Link / Line 2 service (Photo: Andrew Villeneuve/NPI)
III: A train leaves South Bellevue Station and heads into the trench paralleling Bellevue Way and 112th Avenue SE
In this clip, you can see a train leaving the South Bellevue Station and heading towards downtown Bellevue through a trench adjacent to the Mercer Slough. The historic Winters House is visible on the east side of the trench.
IV: A train at South Bellevue Station
South Bellevue is one of just a few 2 Line Stations with a big parking garage. It is located near the confluence of Interstate 90 and Interstate 405.
An East Link / 2 Line train at the South Bellevue Station, which will be the western terminus of the 2 Line until the Mercer Island and Judkins Park Stations open (Photo: Andrew Villeneuve/NPI)
On April 27th, the following Redmond to Bellevue stations will open to riders:
- Redmond Technology
- Overlake Village
- Bel-Red
- Spring District
- Wilburton
- Bellevue Downtown
- East Main
- South Bellevue
The latter six are the Bellevue stations.
The Bellevue to Seattle segment (which includes Mercer Island) will not open this year, because contractors need more time to fix defective construction on the Homer M. Hadley Memorial Bridge. Eventually, though, the Mercer Island and Judkins Park Stations will open too, and Link will start carrying passengers across Lake Washington. Sound Transit has an operations and maintenance facility (train yard) in Bellevue, so it can provide service on the rest of the line in the meantime.
Saturday, February 24th, 2024
Trainspotting with NPI: Watch pre-revenue service light rail trains glide through Bellevue
Last week, Sound Transit revealed that service between eight stations making up the majority of the East Link / Line 2 extension would open to the public on April 27th. To celebrate that announcement, we’ve got another installment of Trainspotting with NPI for you. Our last installment showed trains in action in the City of Redmond. This installment, on the other hand, has a Bellevue-theme.
With a population of 151,854, Bellevue (French for beautiful view) is King County’s second-largest city. It is located almost directly across Lake Washington from Seattle’s downtown core and adjoining neighborhoods. PACCAR, T‑Mobile, and Valve call Bellevue home, and major technology companies like Microsoft and Amazon also have a presence there. Sound Transit currently serves Bellevue only with ST Express bus service, but that will change when Line 2 opens!
Let’s get to the pictures and clips. Note that none of the videos have any sound.
I: Follow a train as it rolls into Wilburton Station
In this clip, you can get a bird’s eye view of a train rolling eastbound into Wilburton from Bellevue Downtown on elevated tracks. You’ll see the train cross over several private parking lots and 116th Avenue.
II: A train at Wilburton Station
Now for a photo. Here you can see a train making a simulated stop at Wilburton Station. This is the station closest to Overlake and KP’s main Bellevue campus.
A light rail train pauses at Bellevue’s Wilburton Station during pre-revenue testing for East Link / Line 2 service (Photo: Andrew Villeneuve/NPI)
III: A train leaves South Bellevue Station and heads into the trench paralleling Bellevue Way and 112th Avenue SE
In this clip, you can see a train leaving the South Bellevue Station and heading towards downtown Bellevue through a trench adjacent to the Mercer Slough. The historic Winters House is visible on the east side of the trench.
IV: A train at South Bellevue Station
South Bellevue is one of just a few 2 Line Stations with a big parking garage. It is located near the confluence of Interstate 90 and Interstate 405.
An East Link / 2 Line train at the South Bellevue Station, which will be the western terminus of the 2 Line until the Mercer Island and Judkins Park Stations open (Photo: Andrew Villeneuve/NPI)
On April 27th, the following Redmond to Bellevue stations will open to riders:
The latter six are the Bellevue stations.
The Bellevue to Seattle segment (which includes Mercer Island) will not open this year, because contractors need more time to fix defective construction on the Homer M. Hadley Memorial Bridge. Eventually, though, the Mercer Island and Judkins Park Stations will open too, and Link will start carrying passengers across Lake Washington. Sound Transit has an operations and maintenance facility (train yard) in Bellevue, so it can provide service on the rest of the line in the meantime.
# Written by Andrew Villeneuve :: 2:20 PM
Categories: Policy Topics, Public Planning, Series & Special Reports
Tags: Trainspotting wth NPI, Transportation
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