Welcome Redmond Link

61 Replies to “Welcome Redmond Link”

1. NPI posted a neat review of the last 10 years of the project’s history, with pictures: https://www.nwprogressive.org/weblog/2025/05/a-pictorial-history-of-the-downtown-redmond-link-extension-from-planning-and-design-to-construction-and-testing.html

2. An FYI for anyone trying to use the 542, it’s rerouted until noon: https://www.soundtransit.org/ride-with-us/service-alerts/route-271-st-542-will-be-rerouted-montlake-bridge-ne-pacific-st-during

   Probably best to transfer at U-district station instead of UW until then

   1. Same for the 255, 271, etc.

3. I was in downtown Redmond yesterday, and noticed that they have a street blocked off and have set up a lot of chairs, a stage, speakers, etc, in the middle of the blocked-off street, which is 166th between Cleveland and 76th. Basically, right underneath the platform, in between the west and east plaza-level station entrances.

   Redmond has also made a new pedestrian scramble next to the station. Short video:

   https://youtu.be/K2r6aUGJSBY

4. Can somebody comment when service starts? I’ll be coming over around noon from Seattle, and I’d like to know when I can take it from South Bellevue to Redmond Downtown. I’ll probably just take it, and if I get kicked off at Redmond Tech, wait until they let me on a train.

   Also, trains may be running every two minutes for the first couple hours for the initial crowds, as they did with the Starter Line. So somebody time the frequency.

   1. Ask the staff at South Bellevue Station.

      When I got on the very first U-Link train from Westlake, an Othello staffer knew exactly which train I should board.

      1. Thanks, but my concern is not so much getting on the right train, as in what time to arrive at South Bellevue so that the first train will go through. I’m just going to go now, and if I have to wait at Redmond Tech or transfer to a bus, I’ll do that.

5. Correction: the Microsoft shuttles serve Marymoor Village, not Overlake Village. It’s a mistake I had repeatedly while writing the article, and I missed that one.

6. My streak of working on opening days continues.

   I’m curious how many fur children will show up for the Marymoor opening, especially with politician pet parents in tow. I am assigning Sam the task of getting a head count.

7. Did anyone go to the ceremony? So far nobody has mentioned being there.

   1. My daughter had a volleyball game at 12, so I missed it. Right after the game, I headed over, from Bel Red Station. That was the busiest 2 train I’ve ever seen, and I ride it almost every day.

   2. I wasn’t planning to go, but I ended up there anyhow.

      The wife doesn’t drive, but she needed to get to Kennydale. That would involve a 255/250/560 route, with a 10 minute transfer window between the 250 and 560. Given that the 560 is hourly, and the 250 was being extended for the first time ever, there was almost zero chance that Metro would be operating on time. So I drove her.

      So it was an all Sound Transit day. We drove to South Bellevue and then took the 2-Line north to Bellevue DT station. The wife then got off to catch the 560 south, and I continued on to Redmond Tech Station.

      Once at Redmond Tech Station I elected to just walk to Downtown Redmond Station, It isn’t that far, and it was a nice walk. Almost as fast as the bus. And by walking ST didn’t need to split my fare with Metro. They could keep it all.

      Festivities were fine, although I didn’t like Dow taking credit for opening “his” first station after only 3 weeks on the job..

      Best part was heading back to South Bellevue on the train. The same kid I rode with on my first 2-Line ride was on my car again. This time he sat right next to me.

      He is very young, very deaf in both ears, and I’m assuming autistic — but in a happy and socially engaging way. He knew everything about Link. Series 1 cars vs series 2. Station naming conventions. OMF locations. Schedule for opening Full ELE. You name it.

      We talked the whole ride. His mom kept trying to convince him to sit with her, but he stayed with me.

      At the end of the line we parted directions and I shook his hand — adult hand to kid hand. His mom gave me one of those knowing looks and said “thank you”.

      It was the best part of the day.

      1. What a great experience!

      2. Thanks for the report. Surprised that you walked from Redmond Tech to Downtown Redmond. At least it’s all downhill. Thoughts on the downtown station and area?

8. What will be your most common trips to the new stations?

   1. The 250 eastbound stops directly at the Downtown Redmond station. The westbound 250 doesn’t, I need to figure out which stop would be the closest.

   2. I meant, what would you go to downtown Redmond for.

      1. I meant, what would you go to downtown Redmond for.

         Walk around. Hang out. Eventually buy some lunch somewhere, maybe a beer. There is a huge swath of the East Side where this is the default cultural center now. Of course Downtown Bellevue has more going on. Downtown Kirkland is at least as charming and has the water. But if you live to the east (and lots of people live to the east) then Downtown Redmond is it.

         It reminds me of a friend of my sisters from high school. She went to Garfield but her family moved to Snohomish. She said her and her friends went to Everett to let loose. We all laughed at this but it makes sense. If you live in Snohomish then Everett is the big city. Keep in mind this was Everett of the 1970s (significantly smaller than today). Well the same thing is true with Downtown Redmond. If you live in Sammamish, where you gonna go? I guess you could head south to Issaquah but now you are more likely to head to Downtown Redmond.

         Which leads me to the 269, but I’ll leave that for another thread.

      2. Carless people will go to the store or park or library that’s closest to a metro station even if there’s another one closer to them, because it’s easier to get to the first one.

      3. My barber has, over the years, migrated to DT Redmond from when I first started going to her and she was in Roosevelt. Now that I work in DT Bellevue, I have the option of easily taking the 2 Line at any time and will do so Thursday! (Yes, driving from work to Redmond and back home to Seattle after would normally be faster, but I like DT Redmond and look forward to having more flexibility to schedule appointments, grab a bite, etc. at any point in the day.) I only wish the area in Marymoor Park where concerts are held be a bit more convenient to the line as I often attend a couple during the summer. Unfortunately it’s a mile and a half with no transit service to it, so driving to it will normally remain the way.

         That said, the game changer for me will be full opening of the 2 line across the lake – I can hopefully put the car away again once that happens.

      4. @Scott, the music venue is only 0.6 miles away in a straight line, probably 0.8-ish on paths. That’s just a 15 minute walk for most people, plus you avoid the endless traffic of exiting the park. Google Maps doesn’t have the new trail connections in their database so they’re still suggesting long detours around, if thats where you got your number from.

      5. Ah, thanks, @Sunny – much appreciated. The old trails clocked in at over a mile, so the trail improvements and shorter length can make a big difference (I tend to walk a lot and am going to check it out this afternoon, but not everyone is going to want to walk a mile+ each direction in hot or rainy weather). I much prefer transit whenever possible/feasible, and especially once the line crosses the lake I’ll definitely make more use of it for concerts!

9. Just leaving the celebration area now. King county parks actually got the new trail from MVS to the velodrome and Marymoor Connector Trail open! Nice to have. Hopefully when there are big events at Marymoor security will open up the SW end of the platform for better access to the park for large crowds!

   Seeing a built up Redmond with a world class station in the middle of a nice urban landscape is an amazing experience for me after living nearby a few decades ago.

   I think this thing is a real winner! There might be a nit here or there but this is all very nice!

   Kudos to Redmond:
   1) reworked river landscape.
   2) great bike trail network
   3) 3 and 1/2 breweries within 1/2 mile of the two stations
   4) TOD, lots of it!
   5) well placed stations

   1. There was a block of the trail closed off between 168th and 170th. It was odd because we walked it anyway and it seemed totally safely usable.

      1. Yeah, first time I rode my bike by I stayed in the street but I had reasons to ride back and forth several times and took the path those times. Good thing I did or I would have missed the bike lockers. The last time I used a bike locker was back when sounder opened up, I used to store my bike at Tukwila Station during the week nights and bike the last three miles to the Boeing Space Center. It was free initially then I paid a monthly fee. I like the concept they have now of charging 5 cents an hour. Sounds like a good plan that I’ll jump on.

      2. There used to be a long waitlist for getting a locker. 5c is smart, that way it’s more likely that people only used it when they need to and don’t just block it for themselves.

   2. yes, the trail to Marymoor Park is awesome, it’s the first time I rode by the velodrome. The new trail/bridge next to the tracks finally connect the Lk Sammamish trail all the way to Redmond and beyond. Before you had to go through Marymoor Park.

10. I attended. I rode the second scheduled train in from South Bellevue station. It was pretty empty. The crowds showed up later.

    [Ed: Corrected spelling.]

    1. Good turnout at the event. Great music, lots of info booths from various orgs (TCC, Urbanist, TRU…). Cascade ran a bike locker. I hope the Redmond station becomes the blueprint for future stations: fairly small access buildings on both sides of the station, not very high, feels kind of open…

11. I thought the Downtown Redmond Station was great! The trail made a great promenade!

    The Marymoor station garage with the train and bus intercept on the ground level was innovative. I will gripe that there was just one crossing at street level from the platform and security had to do crowd control there and there were constant announcements about not crossing the track. It’s generally very hard to walk to the Marymoor station platform. The platform needs more exits — and it seems ridiculous to not build and exit to the trail just north of the platform.

    Oh and the name “village” seems odd. There’s no village hub at Marymoor. No village green either. It feels like a random collection of buildings with uses that don’t seem to relate to each other.

    1. I think it will be very interesting to watch the Marymoor Village area evolve. I stopped at PostDoc brewing and got into a conversation with a British couple that have lived here for a few decades. They were skeptical that Marymoor area would feel “European” even with time but conceded that the density in Downtown Redmond is in fact very European. In fact they added the the new somewhat antiseptic downtown is more European than the “gritty” Seattle neighborhoods that have an edgy if somewhat contrived urban rough edge to it. A very interesting conversation!

       1. Yes. Downtown Redmond is quite nice! It’s a good place to hang out. The apartment density went on for blocks.

          The only thing that makes it feel less “European” to me is the lack of visible landmarks to orient a pedestrian. Every building seemed nondescript. There aren’t any steeples, clock towers, big fountains or distinctive building tops. It seemed a bit monotonous frankly.

       2. Monotonous maybe but in a way like parts of. NYC with the same cookie cutter type of buildings. A bit more variation on height could help that for sure but an enjoyable area to hang out. Not Seattles waterfront but I find it more interesting than downtown Bellevue, which I also find interesting as I used to pick up my daughter in the 90’s from her job at Bellevue Mall and I was wondering if downtown Bellevue would ever develop a soul, I think that process is underway. I think Redmond only might be edged out by the Roosevelt/ Green Lake neighborhood or Capitol Hill for success in the TOD category. That said Othello and Columbia City are on there way, they just don’t have that bike infrastructure that Redmond has.

       3. There’s several interesting new mixed use buildings in Marymoor Village that have just been completed. They seemed on the better end of the 5-over-1 quality spectrum IMO… artwork incorporated into facades and at the ground place. The new street grid is impressive although a work in progress but not an easy feat. There are some critical missing sidewalks in the area but the city probably doesn’t want to acquire the land for a sidewalk when the site will be redevelop anyway soon and will need to do frontage improvements.

          Over in Downtown Redmond, the Redmond Town Center has two 12-story towers and three 7-story buildings planned, so there will be some height and increased development.

       4. Yeah Poncho. I hope the Town Center redevelopment project seizes the opportunity to build a visual landmark rather than be a mere 12-story box. I think if the City allowed an even taller (like 30-story) tower there it would be quite the striking landmark no matter what it looked like.

          And to be clear my response is a reaction to the comment about being “European” in character — which to me implies more distinctive urban architecture.

       5. @,Robert Whitbeck,

          Ha. I was planning to go to PostDoc, but given the crowds and the opening times it just didn’t work out. Next time I guess.

          But it was a good day, and I’ll make it to PostDoc some other time. Love that place. Can’t wait to be able to get their on Link from Seattle.

       6. I think Redmond only might be edged out by the Roosevelt/ Green Lake neighborhood or Capitol Hill for success in the TOD category.

          I would still put Kirkland above Redmond but the gap has certainly shrunk. Downtown Bellevue is a mix. There are parts of it that are quite nice. But if you walk a ways you are bound to run across areas that are very unfriendly for pedestrians.

          Seattle is a different beast. While there are parts of Seattle that definitely feel like an American post-war suburb there are lots of places that are clearly a real city with a history. In contrast just about all of our suburbs were built after the invention of the car and have that feel. There is nothing akin to the suburban areas in Europe or those in the Northeast (e. g. Cambridge, MA). It’s just that Seattle’s growth has been such a hodgepodge. Initially it grew like most cities in the world. In Pioneer Square you have old brick buildings (built after the big fire) along with a terra-cotta skyscraper and plenty of more modern, eclectic buildings. Various other neighborhoods evolved over time as well. But then as zoning really took hold in the city and as it spread outward a lot of the growth was on corridors. Thus you have places like Phinney Ridge or “The Ave”. Eventually they added the “urban village” concept which added some depth (to places like Greenwood) and creates a little more of the same centralized feel that you have in Downtown Redmond now. Many of the other places “filled in” like the U-District or Ballard. But lots of areas (like the Central Area) are a mix of houses, big old buildings and some new ones as well. The architecture tends to be a little more interesting because it was built in different periods. Basically the zoning has thrown Seattle a major curve ball but most of the city still managed to evolve in interesting ways.

    2. I disagree that there is no Marymoor Village hub. I consider the Whole Foods commercial complex to be the neighborhood hub. Also, I don’t think a neighborhood needs a village green when it’s next door to a large park. I also think you are taking the word village too literally. It’s a fairly new residential neighborhood that’s still evolving. The word village in Marymoor Village is more marketing gimmick than adhering to a dictionary definition. It also beats the previous neighborhood name of SE Redmond.

       1. The word village in Marymoor Village is more marketing gimmick than adhering to a dictionary definition. It also beats the previous neighborhood name of SE Redmond.

          I agree. I think just calling it “Marymoor” would have been fine. My guess that is what most people will call it (they will leave out the “village”).

          I consider the Whole Foods commercial complex to be the neighborhood hub.

          This Whole Foods: https://maps.app.goo.gl/nAiENqrexbxK5ckPA. That doesn’t seem to be much of hub. There is a Les Schwab to the south and a small mini-mall across the big parking lot to the north. To the east there is a six lane highway. It isn’t too far of a walk to the apartments to the west — so there is that. But if I had to pick a hub I would go with the Muslim Association of Puget Sound building (MAPS) (https://maps.app.goo.gl/nAiENqrexbxK5ckPA). That seems to be closer to the middle of things. There is some retail just to the north (and a food truck when this was taken: https://maps.app.goo.gl/6dtcLmDw7TrzV6GT8). Some of the new apartment buildings have first floor retail as well. It is not a far walk from MAPS to Postdoc Brewery and Mac and Jacks (and assorted food trucks).

       2. It depends on what one means by neighborhood hub. One definition I read was “a gathering place where residents have easy access to goods and services close to their homes.” Will the stores in Whole Foods complex meet all of residential Marymoor Village’s needs? Not even remotely. But it is, in my opinion, the neighborhood hub, or at least the closest thing to one. Some people may be talking about a gathering place in the geographical center of a neighborhood when they use the word hub. That’s not how I’m using the word.

          Btw, when I say Whole Foods complex, I’m thinking of all the other stores in there, as well. Like Peet’s Coffee, Chipotle, etc. Peet’s seems to be an especially popular place to congregate and hang out. Are they mostly MV residents? Who knows.

          MAPS is a different kind of hub. It’s a religious hub, but not for just the neighborhood. People come from all over to go to MAPS on certain days at certain times. Friday afternoon is especially popular, with all the roads throughout MV becoming very congested with people leaving the services.

       3. Btw, when I say Whole Foods complex, I’m thinking of all the other stores in there, as well.

          Yeah, I figured as much. But it doesn’t look like there are that many places there. More to the point it doesn’t seem like the type of place where you would stroll around (which I think of as a neighborhood hub). Most of the people who walk there will just turn around and walk back. In contrast Downtown Redmond is a real hub. You can easily walk to shops in every direction.

          It’s a religious hub, but not for just the neighborhood.

          Sure, but my guess is over time it will become more and more of a neighborhood hub simply because Muslims will be attracted to living in the area. It will be like my neighborhood (Pinehurst, which has a mosque). There are a lot of Muslims in the neighborhood as a result. But in our case the mosque is just a mosque (MAPS is both a mosque and a center).

          But I think you can make the case that the area doesn’t have much of a neighborhood hub — or at most tiny hubs. The little mall you referenced really only makes sense if you are to the west and for some it is a long walk (https://maps.app.goo.gl/NURvL57fwpMKJGKj6). Meanwhile, MAPS attracts people, but mostly those going to service. You can get coffee and a Moroccan meal (and there are events that are open for everyone) but most of the folks who are not Muslim don’t bother. Over time though I could see a larger hub evolving. Maybe they will make the highway a lot more pleasant and the big parking lot next to Whole Foods (or the Les Schwab on the other side) gets replaced by shops. Maybe the warehouse areas north of MAPS get more retail (which would then form more of a central hub). Buildings like that aren’t very attractive but Blazing Bagels has done a good job of it: https://maps.app.goo.gl/NURvL57fwpMKJGKj6. I could easily see that area evolving with more shops like that.

       4. I see “village” as neighborly human connectedness over a period of time (as well as a marketing term). It’s an official local government term used in other places.

          I would opine that “district” would be a more accurate term for the area today. It’s does not yet feel what I would call a “village”. It may evolve to one over time.

          Most places in our region called “village” generally tend to be a developer-chosen alternative name for shopping center. Examples include University Village, Overlake Village , Bear Creek Village (nearby) and Westwood Village. So I’m admittedly applying my own interpretation — and perhaps being unfairly critical when others choose the term. I could even see how some locals would expect to only find a shopping center near there named “village” when they see the word since that’s how it’s commonly used in our region.

       5. Most places in our region called “village” generally tend to be a developer-chosen alternative name for shopping center.

          Yeah.

          The term is vague (of course). A village is similar to, but smaller than a town. For example Acme, WA. It has a general store, post office, gas station, diner, elementary school and two churches all pretty close to each other. I’ve actually been to Acme and it does seem like a charming little town — sorry, I mean village. Like the difference between a stream and a creek there is no clear dividing line between town and village. But if you are comparing the two then Darrington is definitely a village while Darrington is a town.

          To make the term confusing a village can also be inside a city. A good example of that in Seattle is Magnolia Village. The area goes way back (at least fifty years) and is the main cultural center for a vast sprawling region known as Magnolia. Other villages arose as independent areas but then slowly became part of something much bigger. No one calls it that but “Old Ballard” can be considered a village.

          Speaking of which that brings up the whole concept of “neighborhood”. Magnolia is considered a neighborhood. But it is huge. It is bigger than plenty of towns and some cities. The term neighborhood often means something smaller — a place where you would walk for most of your trips. Belltown for example. It is clearly part of a bigger area (downtown) but as a self contained neighborhood it isn’t that big. I could easily see “neighborhood” being used for the broad areas it is being used for now (West Seattle, Magnolia, Queen Anne, etc.) while the term “village” is what people mean when they refer to something much smaller (like Belltown). Then you could have a conversation like this:

          “What neighborhood do you live in?”
          “Northgate.”
          “Oh, do you live in the village?”
          “No, I live up the hill a little ways. About half way in between Northgate and Maple Leaf Village.”

          So yeah, maybe “Marymoor Village” will catch on. Or maybe it will be like so many “villages”, a silly term clearly used for marketing purposes.

       6. Just wait until Al finds out Fall City isn’t technically a city.

       7. Fall City terminology is a falsity! (Groan)

       8. There are a surprising number of non-industrial businesses in that industrial park next to Marymoor Village. When I was walking back to the station from the Peet’s, I saw a sandwich board for Madrona Distillery, which brews its own gin in the industrial park. I was happy to shell out some cash for a cocktail and a couple of bottles (they make an amber-colored gin; I thought gin was always clear). I also saw at least two coffee roasters and a brew house, as well as the Blazing Bagels.

          Also, shout-out to the Peet’s pop-up at the event. Had it not been there, I wouldn’t have walked over to their store to pick up some beans, and I wouldn’t have noticed the distillery and the other places, which I plan to visit in the future.

    3. “Village” historically meant a small commercial center in a rural area, with a handful of businesses, a church, some houses, and farms around it — all walkable. Europe still has those. In the US it’s often not called a village, and with car orientation the businesses and houses have scattered more so you can’t walk between them. Village is also used for a neighborhood center in a city. That’s the reasoning behind Seattle’s “urban village” concept. An ideal urban village has the same things as a village: most of your everyday needs and some housing, all walkable. But it’s often applied to centers that have only some of those. It’s a marketing gimmick like Ross said, the way some shopping malls are called fairs or gallerias. (Valley Fair, Bay Fair, Sherman Oaks Galleria, north Dallas Galleria.) Or how 1st and 2nd Avenues are called “West Edge”, to make it feel edgy to live near Pike Place Market and the Waterfront. “Marymoor Village” represents Redmond’s hope that it will become a vibrant retail+residential center, and the name is to attract people to it.

    4. When I was growing up in Bellevue, “neighborhood” was the generic term for a named tract-house development. Sherwood Forest, Bretton Wood, etc.

       Seattle’s neighborhoods at the time were the larger district units: Rainier Valley (five miles long), Capitol Hill (Union Street to the Ship Canal), Central District (everything east of 12th and south of Union or so), Ballard (north to 145th).

       Later in urbanist literature I saw a different definition of neighborhood: something with a 20-minute walk radius end to end, so that you could walk to all the houses and shops in it. A complete neighborhood would have a range of shops and houses, so that you can walk for your typical errands.

       In the 2000s Seattlites started reviving the smaller census-district names that had fallen out of use several decades earlier, and calling then neighborhoods: Squire Park, Bryant, etc. The city promoted this as a real-estate gimmick and installed “Welcome to [Census-Tract Neighborhood]” signs. It created some new names too: SODO (previously Industrial District), Madison Valley (previously part of the Central District), West Edge (1st and 2nd Avenues).

12. I have to say Redmond’s station location is way so much better than Bellevue.
    I’ve already seen more foot traffic in Redmond town center today and there has already been a sign there telling people no Light Rail or Commuter Parking in the mall lol

    1. Bellevue mall owner fought hard to keep the station away … He didn’t want, “those types of people” coming to his mall.

13. I haven’t see any speculation on how these new stations will add system ridership. I see discussion about what happens when the full 2 Line opens but not this temporary 2025 situation.

    The 2 line ridership surged last year, topping 6600 average weekday boardings last June. In March it was above 3200 which is disappointingly lower by over half. This new extension may be prone to these variations.

    That said, I’m thinking that a bump of 1000-2000 total riders may occur (500-1000 boardings at the two new stations). There are plenty of apartments nearby and getting to work in Downtown Bellevue is up until today a several mile journey in congestion or a long RapidRide trip.

    A second market is the many retail and food options in Downtown Redmond. The bookstores in Redmond should particularly benefit. Finally, some recreational use to Marymoor may occur. The last train leaves Downtown Redmond at 9:30 pm which may discourage evening visits.

    Maybe the most interesting this year’s ipvoming monthly data to watch for is whether Downtown Redmond average weekday boardings can exceed the average weekday boardings at Bellevue Downtown which was 705 in March. (Note that new Downtown Redmond riders will result in some new Bellevue Downtown boardings too.) Wouldn’t that be a hoot!

    What Eastside Downtown do others think will get the higher weekday Link boardings later this year?

    1. The Seattle Times mentioned this in one of their articles as well. There was a surge the first couple months and then the novelty wore off. Same thing happened with Lynnwood Link. So some of it is seasonal variation but some of it people trying it out (once). I expect the same thing to happen in Redmond. I expect a surge in ridership the first couple months and things will settle down and we’ll get a good of idea of ridership going forward. But seasonal variations will still exist and since this is all new it will be hard to determine a pattern.

       After the novelty wears off I expect ridership similar to what you wrote — around 1,000 riders for the new station and an increase of 2,000 overall (people have to get home). I think ridership to Downtown Bellevue will be the highest by a wide margin. It is a major destination, it has the most density and Link saves the most time compared to an alternative*. So much so that it sometimes makes sense to take a bus and transfer to Link (if you aren’t close to the station).

       In contrast trips to Microsoft may be faster on the bus or they may be faster on Link. It depends on where you are going and where you are starting from. This is a trip from the transit center (which is in the heart of things) to a bus stop close to the Link station for Microsoft: https://maps.app.goo.gl/VpckmE9vXLyGWAHr9. The B Line is the way to go (Google doesn’t even consider Link). Now consider a trip closer to the train station but at a different part of the campus: https://maps.app.goo.gl/MLzWw4Mf8CLixCfp9. The train actually saves you time but it involves a lot more walking. The point is, the bus is often competitive for trips from Downtown Redmond to Microsoft.

       Now try going from the Redmond Transit Center to Downtown Bellevue. The fastest option is to take a bus to Link and ride Link (https://maps.app.goo.gl/FqHPcpbicXSFNGGm8). You have to be pretty far away from Downtown Redmond for a direct (one-seat) ride on the RapidRide B to the best option. Making things worse for the B Line (and better for Link) are the lack of bus stops for the B Line. There are no stop between 116th (which is basically where the Wilburton Station is) and the transit center (which is where Downtown Bellevue Station is). It is really bad stop placement for a route that should be complementing Link. I don’t know who decided to only put one bus stop west of 405 given the big loop required to end the route. I don’t know why there isn’t a stop on NE 8th between 108th and 112th. Given the weakness of the B Line (in terms of stop spacing) I fully expect a lot of people to switch to Link for trips (for pretty much anywhere) in Downtown Bellevue.

       Then there is parking. I’ve never worked at Microsoft but I assume that parking is not a major issue. It has been years since I worked in Downtown Bellevue but I assume that some places charge for parking now. Thus I could easily see people in Sammamish driving to Marymoor and then taking the train to Downtown Bellevue while they would just drive directly to Microsoft. But I’m just guessing. I don’t know what the parking situation is like on the East Side now.

       *East Main and South Bellevue save even more time on Link than bus alternatives. But neither make much sense as a destination. For most of the places people want to go the Downtown Bellevue Station is closer than East Main. South Bellevue is a parking lot and transfer point. A handful of people might park there to head towards Downtown Redmond but those are most likely to be people checking out Link (and not doing that on a regular basis). Right now a lot of people from Seattle take the bus and then transfer to a train there. But it really doesn’t make much sense to do that if you are headed to Redmond. You just take the 545. Whatever increase comes from adding the Redmond Stations will be spread around a little bit, but my guess is the main increase will be in Downtown Bellevue.

       1. I’ll add that (prior to yesterday) all of the 2 Line stations were at or less than 3 miles of Downtown Bellevue. These are 7 miles away. At the firmer shorter distance, riders would probably not be as willing to walk further or drive to a rail station if a local bus was handy.

          The longer distance adds more attractiveness for riding Link. I could even see how Bellevue Downtown Station will gain the most riders by far of any of the 2 Line stations that opened last year with this opening. With Redmond Technology no longer as the end station (the highest before this weekend), it would not surprise me if the ridership stats this summer will show the two “Downtown” stations as the busiest.

       2. With Microsoft’s employee shuttle extensively covering almost the entire Puget Sound, I am curious how their employees are using transit nowadays.

          Regarding Bellevue, I don’t think there are many companies fully reimburse parking on these days. Amazon has a nationwide policy for employees to choose to get free transit pass or their parking fee partially reimbursed. Even Meta in Spring District charges for parking. There might be some policy that discourages employers from fully subsidizing their employees parking cost even if they have all the money to do so. I am not sure what it is. Maybe it is something monetary like tax break or it is about carbon footprint as a lot of those tech companies are trying to be carbon-neutral.

          There are growing office buildings in Bellevue Downtown participating city-run Transportation Demand Management program possibly because it helps them earn points towards LEED certification. This also helps discourage driving to work.

       3. With Microsoft’s employee shuttle extensively covering almost the entire Puget Sound, I am curious how their employees are using transit nowadays.

          It likely varies. The shuttles are probably great for some areas but for others the public buses are better. It is worth noting that contractors can’t use the shuttles (and least that is the way it was in the past).

       4. Seattle requires large employers to have a commute-reduction plan, meaning an SOV-minimization plan. That’s one reason they fully subsidize transit passes. Bellevue and Redmond may have something like that, or it may be required by the state’s growth-management act.

          As the suburbs grow they acquire big-city characteristics, and one of those is car traffic choking off downtown, so they have to do something about it to avoid third-world congestion delays.

    2. Bellevue will get more riders. Parking is more expensive there.

       1. I should add that from what I have seen, 90% of the ridership so far has been people parking at lots/garages next to stations, and commuting to Downtown Bellevue or Microsoft. Some others are walking from apartments near the stations. I’d say less than 5% are connecting by bus.

14. Great day riding the 2025 Redmond Link connecting Redmond-Bellevue and Beyond. Much awaited project and excited to see come alive.

15. This a good video of the DRLE opening day, showing the two new Redmond stations, and of the train traveling in-between them. Also, a very nice shot from the top of the Marymoor Village garage!

    https://youtu.be/lXgvWwKb8Zk

16. Ah, thanks, @Sunny – much appreciated. The old trails clocked in at over a mile, so the trail improvements and shorter length can make a big difference (I tend to walk a lot and am going to check it out this afternoon, but not everyone is going to want to walk a mile+ each direction in hot or rainy weather). I much prefer transit whenever possible/feasible, and especially once the line crosses the lake I’ll definitely make more use of it for concerts!

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