On April 27th, crowds of Bellevue and Redmond residents swarmed to their respective downtowns to watch the grand opening of the Eastside’s light rail. The East Link, also known as the 2 Line, has two trains running between the Redmond Technology Station and South Bellevue station in 10-minute intervals, seven days a week. The trains operate from 5:30 am to 9:30 pm, offering free rides for children and an adult fare ranging between $2.25 and $2.50, depending upon travel distance. Its location was chosen to be conveniently nestled between the Amazon and Microsoft campuses, increasing accessibility for the companies’ collective 62,000-plus employees.

For Lakesiders residing across Lake Washington, the East Link presents a free method of commuting to campus. While the 2 Line currently does not connect to Seattle, it is possible to transfer to the 550 bus at the Bellevue Downtown and South Bellevue stations, which crosses over the 520 bridge and connects to the 1 Line, Seattle’s light rail, and ride up to the Northgate station two miles from Lakeside. Clearly, this path of travel is far from streamlined, so it may be best employed on non-school days — perhaps to watch a weekend drama performance or catch an athletics event.

The East Link project dates back to 2008 when voters approved a Sound Transit ballot measure to fund its $3.7 billion construction. Originally, the light rail was intended to connect Eastside commuters to Seattle, however, issues with the connection bridge’s concrete paving have led to a delay. In August of 2023, the Sound Transit Board voted to open the Eastside segment of the light rail ahead of the Seattleside’s. 

King County Councilmember and Sound Transit Board Member Claudia Balducci stresses the urgency of Seattleside construction: “The drop-dead [construction] date is 2026. This needs to be ready for 2026,” referencing the six 2026 World Cup matches set to be played in Seattle Stadium. If Sound Transit does not reach that goal, their backup plan is to release a barrage of Metro buses to circulate the thousands of expected fans.

While some residents were disappointed with the city’s short-of-promise construction, hundreds of others stood in the pouring rain and welcomed the East Link with a ribbon-cutting at the Bellevue and Redmond stations. Matthew B. ’25 was a Bellevue resident in attendance and described the scene: “They had some pretty cool exhibits there, like a model train of the light rail, live music, food trucks, and a passport you could get stamped at every stop.” Every station was crowded with onlookers, who came out to ride the line for the first time despite the inclement weather. Overall, Matthew says he’s happy with the efficiency of the trains and the timetable, though station placement appeared odd to him, as some are placed in industrial areas of the city as opposed to densely populated locations such as Bellevue Square.

While Matthew waits for the Seattle connection to be complete, which he plans to use as transportation to school, he would “love to find an excuse to ride the light rail because it’s a lot of fun.” Though 2 Line only runs on a 6-mile track for now, the lucky class of ’26 may be among the first to enjoy a streamlined 14-mile track, transporting students from all over the Eastside right to the steps of Northgate station.