Ride light rail in Snohomish County
Sound Transit's Lynnwood Link Extension offers four light rail stations North of Northgate Station making for faster local and regional connections. Community Transit's many services can make catching the train at Lynnwood, Mountlake Terrace, and Shoreline easy.
Getting to light rail
See our lists of bus routes that can connect you to light rail below or use our Plan My Trip online tool to determine the best route and schedule for you. You can also take Zip Shuttle Alderwood to connect to light rail at Lynnwood City Center.
Parking at stations fills up quickly early in the day, so avoid the hassle by taking the bus to light rail!
Link 2 Line Crosslake Connection opens March 28
On Saturday, March 28, Link 2 Line Crosslake Connection will open—providing riders with light rail service across Lake Washington.
What this means for light rail riders:
- The 2 Line will operate between Lynnwood and Redmond, in addition to the 1 Line between Lynnwood and Federal Way.
- Combined 1 Line and 2 Line frequency between Lynnwood and International District/Chinatown means a train every 4 minutes.
- Two new light rail stations will open at Mercer Island and Judkins Park.
Sound Transit is testing the Crosslake Connection prior to its opening day. Riders currently traveling between Lynnwood City Center Station and the International District/Chinatown station may board either a 1 Line or 2 Line train, but riders of 2 Line trains cannot ride past the International District/Chinatown station until Saturday, March 28.
Learn more about the Link Crosslake Connection on SoundTransit's website.
Regularly ride light rail?
Sign up for Sound Transit rider alerts to know about changes that may affect your ride.
Buses that connect to light rail
Catch one of these buses with service in Snohomish County to Link light rail stations. Expand one of the lists below to see which routes you can ride to or from that station.
Taking your bike to light rail?
Riders can travel with their bike on the train by following Sound Transit's guidelines. Learn more about bringing your bike on Link and what to expect, from Sound Transit's web site.
Connect with Zip Shuttle Alderwood
You can take Zip to connect to light rail at Lynnwood City Center Station or connect to other transit options in the Alderwood service area.
About the Lynnwood Link light rail extension
Click the map to view larger
Lynnwood extension light rail stations:
- Lynnwood City Center Station
- Mountlake Terrace Station
- Shoreline North/185th Station
- Shoreline South/148th Station
Lynnwood City Center Station is the final stop until light rail extends to Everett. Community Transit provides direct bus service to the Shoreline North/185th Station, Mountlake Terrace Station, and Lynnwood City Center Station.
With light rail’s fast connections, you can ride from:
- Lynnwood to Westlake in Downtown Seattle in 28 minutes
- Mountlake Terrace to SeaTac in 56 minutes
- Shoreline to UW in 11 minutes
Other light rail extension projects:
East Link Extension
This extension serves eight stations between South Bellevue and Redmond Technology stations. The full line is scheduled to open on March 28, 2026 with the Crosslake Connection. This will connect downtown Seattle with the East Link over the I-90 floating bridge and includes new stations at Mercer Island and Judkins Park. Link 1 Line and 2 Line trains will travel from Lynnwood City Center Station to the International District/Chinatown stations before diverging, meaning more frequent trains if you're traveling from Snohomish County to Seattle.
Everett Link Extension
The Everett Link Extension will add 16 miles of light rail and six new stations connecting Snohomish County residents to the regional light rail network. These changes will open between 2037 and 2041.
South King County Link Extension
Three stations south of Angle Lake have extended light rail service to Kent Des Moines, Star Lake, and Federal Way Downtown. This extension began service on Dec. 6, 2025.
Riding light rail
Light rail fares
Link light rail charges a $3 flat fare per ride. When arriving at the station, just find the closest ORCA Card reader and “tap on” by placing your card flat against it. One beep and a green light mean you’re good to go.
Ways to pay
ORCA card
When you use your ORCA card to transfer from a bus to light rail, you don’t have to pay two full fares — your first-leg fare counts toward the second leg of your trip within a two-hour window.
Tap to Pay
Use your contactless credit or debit card and simply Tap to Pay using the ORCA card reader, or tap your phone to use Apple Pay™, Google Pay™, or Samsung Pay™. Continue using the same card for your transit trip to receive the same two-hour transfer credit like an ORCA card.
Tickets & day passes
Buy Link tickets or day passes from the station ticket machine with cash, or most debit/credit cards.
Transit GO ticket app
You can also pay your fare using your smartphone and the Transit GO Ticket app.
Riders pay a flat fare for light rail service:
| Adult (Ages 19–64) | Youth (Age 18 and younger) | Reduced Fare (Seniors / People with Disabilities / Medicare) | ORCA LIFT (Low-Income fare) | Subsidized Annual Pass (Riders enrolled in one of six state benefit programs) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $3.00 | FREE | $1.00 | $1.00 | FREE |
Light rail hours and schedules
Link light rail trains run every eight minutes during peak hours and every 10 to 15 minutes during non-peak hours.
Trains run from 5 a.m. to 1 a.m. Monday through Saturday and from 6 a.m. to midnight on Sunday and select holidays. Check your local bus schedule if you plan to connect to light rail by bus, especially for late-night trips.
Visit the Sound Transit Website for schedule details.
In case of a Link service disruption
There may be times where Link service is temporarily interrupted, either due to planned maintenance or an emergency. In those instances Link service will be replaced by Link Shuttle bus service until light rail is restored. Learn more about Link Shuttle service and what to do in the event of service disruption. Information about upcoming planned disruptions is also available on Sound Transit's web site.
If you regularly ride the light rail, sign up for Sound Transit rider alerts to get notified about changes that may affect your ride.
Sound Transit service information
Light rail service is operated by Sound Transit.
Use the info below to find more info on Link light rail, the Sounder train, Sound Transit bus service, trip planning, lost
& found, holiday schedule, and general information:
- SoundTransit.org
- (888) 889-6368
- TTY Relay: Dial 711
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