North Seattle riders will get a new Link light rail stop on Wednesday, Sept. 30, when Pinehurst Station opens near NE 130th Street.
The $240 million station is arriving five years ahead of schedule. Voters approved it in the 2016 Sound Transit 3 (ST3) ballot measure with a projected 2031 opening.
The Sound Transit Board moved it into final design in February 2020 and approved budget and contract changes for accelerated delivery in 2022.
It is the first infill station in Sound Transit's history, added to the Lynnwood Link Extension corridor between Northgate and Shoreline. Combined 1 Line and 2 Line service will put trains at the platform as often as every four to five minutes during peak hours, with frequency ranging up to 15 minutes at other times.
Sound Transit expects about 3,400 daily riders. That figure tripled from an early projection of 1,100 boardings, The Seattle Times reported, comparable to Mountlake Terrace Station three stops north.
How the timeline shifted
The acceleration happened largely because of advocacy by then-District 5 Seattle City Councilmember Debora Juarez, The Urbanist reported. Juarez served on the Sound Transit Board and had lobbied to include the station in the ST3 plan.
Building the station's columns and floors before the Lynnwood-Northgate corridor opened on Aug. 30, 2024, made construction faster and less disruptive, according to Sound Transit.
The station was originally set to open June 24. Sound Transit received Federal Transit Administration (FTA) permission to delay up to four months during the FIFA Men's World Cup.
The schedule change cost an expected $6.8 million to compensate contractors, according to The Seattle Times. Spokesperson Henry Bendon told the paper Sept. 30 was "the earliest possible date" the station could open, and some aesthetic features will not be finished.
Getting there without a car
There is no park-and-ride garage. Sound Transit expects 90% of daily riders to reach the station by walking, biking or taking the bus, according to the Seattle Department of Transportation.
King County Metro launched new Route 77 in August, connecting Lake City and Bitter Lake to the station every 15 to 20 minutes. SDOT is adding curb-protected bike lanes, improved crossings and upgraded bus stops on NE 130th Street, Roosevelt Way NE and NE 125th Street as part of its Vision Zero safety goals.
Opening day celebration
Sound Transit is hosting a community event at the station on Sept. 30 from 2 to 6 p.m. The celebration will feature live music, food, prizes from the Seattle Seahawks and Dick's Drive-In, and an interactive activity with station artist Romson Bustillo. Bustillo, a Seattle-based artist born on the island of Mindanao in the Philippines, designed the station's art with human and animal figures brightly patterned in red, yellow and green.
Sound Transit CEO Dow Constantine said the opening falls on the first day of fall quarter at the University of Washington. "We will be welcoming aboard students, faculty, and staff who have now a more convenient way to get to campus," Constantine said in the Sept. 3 announcement.
The next new Link station is not expected until at least 2031, at Graham Street in Rainier Valley.
