BELLEVUE, Wash. — Sound Transit's highly anticipated 2 Line is officially up and running. It brings light rail to the east side for the first time, connecting passengers to stations throughout Bellevue and Redmond.
"This is literally decades in the coming. So now I have easy ways to connect to Redmond without traffic," said Hanoch Yeung, who was one of hundreds of people who made their way to the Bellevue Downtown Station.
It's one of eight stations located throughout Bellevue and Redmond, as part of Sound Transit's 2 Line. It’s finally opening after voters approved the east link extension in 2008 and breaking ground in 2016.
"I'm really proud that we were able to get this starter line off the ground and connect Redmond and Bellevue and all these interspersed neighborhoods, it will really open up transit to people who weren't considering it before," said Jake Cohen, another eastside resident trying out the new 2 Line Saturday.
This initial segment of the new transit line is 6-point-6 miles, with service every 10 minutes, running 16 hours a day, daily. "Easier to get work right. But to go get groceries, see a friend, go to some event, do anything," said Cohen.
Sound Transit estimates 6,000 riders will use the line daily, hopefully reducing traffic woes. The full 2 Line is on track to open next year. It'll add two more stations in Redmond and an I-90 segment that will connect to Seattle.
"I just can't wait for the I-90 bridge to open and to really get this fully connected to the rest of Seattle," said Cohen.