A Local's Guide to the Downtown Redmond Light Rail Extension
By Andrew Villeneuve (Guest Contributor)
In less than a month, Sound Transit will expand the 2 Line eastward by inaugurating service to two new stations: Marymoor Village and Downtown Redmond. These will be the very first stations funded by the Sound Transit 3 (ST3) ballot measure to join the system, meaning stations that were part of the ambitious system expansion voters approved in 2016.
As a lifelong resident of Redmond who has spent decades advocating for more and better mass transit in our region, I’m thrilled that light rail is coming to our community. Fast, carless trips to Overlake and downtown Bellevue are now only a few weeks away – and once the 2 Line crosses Lake Washington, hopefully late this year, a long list of other destinations will be reachable with just a train trip, including SeaTac Airport, T-Mobile Park, Lumen Field, Benaroya Hall, Pioneer Square, Seattle Central Library, Capitol Hill, Westlake Center, the University of Washington, and Northgate.
I’ve dreamed of Redmond getting passenger rail service for most of my life. When I was little, I used to look at the train tracks that went through the middle of town and wish that there were trains running on them. While those tracks never saw any commuter rail service and were eventually ripped up, we did reuse a big chunk of the right of way to bring Link light rail into downtown Redmond.
From the air, you can see that the last part of the elevated alignment before the Downtown Redmond Station is right next to the trail that is where the old railroad bed used to be.
https://www.theurbanist.org/2025/04/17/a-locals-guide-to-the-downtown-redmond-light-rail-extension/