Light rail has arrived on Mercer Island

Published 12:30 pm Sunday, March 29, 2026

One man peeked through the gate to check out what was going on inside the new Mercer Island light rail station. He would have to wait a little longer to take a ride.

The Islander wasn’t the only one who was anxious to hop on a train when they would eventually arrive on the opening day of Sound Transit’s Crosslake Connection on March 28. Before it was all systems go, excited soon-to-be riders lined up and were ready to roll on their new adventures toward Seattle and the Eastside.

Trains began arriving at Mercer Island Station at 10:30 a.m. and people immediately packed the station, which has entrances at 77th Avenue Southeast and 80th Avenue Southeast. Sound Transit passenger support employees along with public safety and transit security employees kept an eye on things as the big moment came to fruition after years of waiting.

The first official train arrived on Mercer Island by way of the Judkins Park Station in Seattle following a ribbon-cutting opening ceremony of the 2 Line at that station earlier in the morning. Mercer Island Mayor Dave Rosenbaum was one of copious speakers at the event and was joined by Mercer Island City Councilmembers and City Manager Jessi Bon. Other speakers were Gov. Bob Ferguson, Senators Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell and more.

Rosenbaum was elated to step foot on Mercer Island after taking that initial train.

“I think this might be one of the most beautiful public train routes anywhere. And it’s obviously an architectural and engineering wonder,” he said.

Added Deputy Mayor Daniel Becker, who was also on the train ride with the city folks and others: “Very cool ride across the water, really cool seeing the lake and the mountain and just an impressive feat to be able to take light rail across the floating bridge. On Mercer Island, we’re very excited to have the station here and I think it will be a benefit to the community.”

According to a previous Reporter article, the Crosslake Connection will link Seattle and Bellevue/Redmond via Mercer Island with trains dashing across the Interstate 90 floating bridge. It is the first-ever light rail worldwide to traverse a floating bridge.

The mayor added that this is a whole new chapter for Mercer Island, noting that the station’s opening is a great opportunity for the city to showcase everything it has to offer from a business perspective.

Sound Transit CEO Dow Constantine spent some time on the Mercer Island Station train deck after arriving from Judkins Park. He looked around in wonder.

“We had a great celebration at Judkins Park — obviously a watershed moment for our region and for Sound Transit. I got off the train here at Mercer Island to enjoy the new experience here being halfway across the lake and ready to take in everything that Mercer Island has to offer,” Constantine said.

The historical day also featured the Mercer Island Chamber of Commerce-presented free “Together at the Center!” event at the park and ride across the street from the new station. For four hours, heaps of attendees enjoyed 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.

Islander Eric Espinosa brought his sons, Ethan, 2, and Christopher, 5, to the grand opening to catch a train to Seattle for some exploration. The boys love trains, so they were looking forward to light rail coming to town.

“I think it’s great. I think it’s great for everyone. Mercer Island, we’re right in the middle between Bellevue and Seattle, so it makes it very easy for us to get to either city,” Espinosa said.

Mercer Island husband and wife Zane and Hannah Autrey were stoked to be present for the big opening day celebration.

“I’m so excited for this to open. I’m actually a transportation planning student at UW, so I’ve been waiting,” Hannah said.

Added Zane: “I used to take the bus every morning at 5 in the morning from that (nearby) station into Seattle. (There’s) inconsistent bus times, and I think that the train’s going to be way more consistent as far as actually getting into Seattle.”

There’s excitement with the station opening, but Rosenbaum said the city also has some challenges to overcome, including parking and bus-time issues to get riders to and from the station. He said the city is keeping a close eye on those matters and working to fix them.

On the crime-prevention front, Mercer Island Police Department Chief Michelle Bennett said they have a sergeant and two officers assigned to the station beat to make sure everything goes smoothly and to keep everybody safe.

“We’ve been working (on this) for a long time and the city’s come together as a whole,” she said. Rosenbaum added that the city is working closely with Sound Transit security as well.