Historic–Electric Train Crosses Seattle Floating Bridge

The project was first proposed and budgeted for about 13 years ago, but now it appears it's finally ready.

   A Seattle electric metro train crosses I-90 floating bridge

It's the first time an electric train has ever crossed a floating bridge, and Sound Transit Officials in Seattle say it appears it will be ready to begin offering service in 2026.

  The Crosslake Connection runs 13 miles from Mercer Island and Judkin Park, where new stations have been built, and is designed to alleviate job commute congestion--especially for tech workers.  When it is fully completed, it will connect downtown Seattle with downtown Bellevue and Microsoft's Redmond Campus area.

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According to Geekwire,  the 13 mile trip from the greater Seattle area to Microsoft often takes anywhere from 20 minutes to 2 hours, and has increasingly frustrated the many tech workers. Add to that, the population growth over the years, and the project was launched.

However, it was stymied at times by budget overruns and delays, but after 13 years Sound Transit tested a solo train that ran over the bridge and back under its own power. The train began at a speed of 5 MPH, eventually increasing to about 55 and according to Sound Engineers all systems worked.

According to Geekwire:

"It’s no small engineering feat to run tracks and get a train to cross a floating bridge. Ballot measures, budget overruns, and technical delays have hampered the project, which began in 2016 and was projected to open in 2023."