Mercer Island light rail station will open with celebration on March 28

Published 3:30 pm Friday, March 20, 2026

The big day is nearly here.

Mercer Island’s “Together at the Center!” Crosslake Connection light rail grand-opening day celebration will take place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on March 28. The Mercer Island Chamber of Commerce-presented free event will occur at the park and ride across the street from the new station, which is situated at 77th Avenue Southeast and 80th Avenue Southeast.

On that day, Sound Transit trains will begin running through the Island on the 2 Line. According to a previous Reporter article, the Crosslake Connection will link Seattle and Bellevue/Redmond via Mercer Island with trains zipping across the Interstate 90 floating bridge. It is the first-ever light rail worldwide to traverse a floating bridge.

The city projects that thousands of people will attend the Island event, which will feature vendor booths comprised of local nonprofits, businesses and community groups, food trucks, a kids zone and stage performances by Creation Dance Studio, Simon Okela and One Vibe Band and more.

According to Sound Transit, “This 7.4-mile extension of the 2 Line will connect with the 1 Line at the International District/Chinatown station, completing the regional light rail system approved by voters under ST2, and greatly increasing capacity in the busiest part of the system.”

At a recent Mercer Island City Council meeting, Sound Transit CEO Dow Constantine said: “Mercer Island residents and workers will benefit from trains running every eight to 10 minutes — all day, every day — with direct connections to Bellevue and Redmond, to Seattle, the University of Washington — 22 traffic-free minutes to the front door of Husky Stadium — to Northgate and north into Snohomish County. It is going to be a remarkable change for folks who have been used to being stuck in traffic.”

For more information, including parking and getting to the celebration, visit: https://tinyurl.com/3zfzr5my