Ride light rail in Snohomish County
Sound Transit's Lynnwood Link Extension offers four light rail stations North of Northgate Station. Community Transit's many services can make catching the train at Lynnwood, Mountlake Terrace, and Shoreline easy and light rail makes for faster local and regional connections for anyone taking transit.
Getting to light rail
You can take a bus light rail stations with more connections than ever before. See our lists of bus routes that can connect you to light rail below or use our Plan My Trip online tool to determine the best route and schedule for you. You can also take Zip Shuttle Alderwood to connect to light rail at Lynnwood City Center.
Parking at stations fills up quickly early in the day, so avoid the hassle by taking the bus to light rail!
Link Line 1 reduced service for planned maintenance April 14-23
Every 25–30 minutes between Westlake–Stadium stations all trains will share the northbound platform at Symphony, Pioneer Square, and International District/Chinatown stations.
Taking your bike to light rail?
Riders can travel with their bike on the train by following Sound Transit's guidelines. Learn more about bringing your bike on Link and what to expect, from Sound Transit's web site.
Connect with Zip Shuttle Alderwood
You can take Zip to connect to light rail at Lynnwood City Center Station or connect to other transit options in the Alderwood service area.
About the Lynnwood Link light rail extension
Click the map to view larger
Lynnwood extension light rail stations:
- Lynnwood City Center Station
- Mountlake Terrace Station
- Shoreline North/185th Station
- Shoreline South/148th Station
Lynnwood City Center Station is the final stop until light rail extends to Everett. Community Transit is providing even more direct bus service to the Shoreline North/185th Station, Mountlake Terrace Station, and Lynnwood City Center Station.
With light rail’s fast connections, you can ride from:
- Lynnwood to Westlake in Downtown Seattle in 28 minutes
- Mountlake Terrace to SeaTac in 56 minutes
- Shoreline to UW in 11 minutes
Future light rail projects that will serve our region:
East Link Extension
The initial segment serves eight stations between South Bellevue and Redmond Technology stations and opened in April 2024. The full line is scheduled to open in 2025. It will serve 18 miles from west to east with service at 12 stations in Downtown Seattle, Mercer Island, Bellevue, and Redmond. The Link 2 Line will continue through the Downtown Seattle Transit Tunnel and share stations with the Link 1 Line extending to Lynnwood City Center station.
Everett Link Extension
The Everett Link Extension will add 16 miles of light rail and six new stations connecting Snohomish County residents to the regional light rail network. These changes will open between 2037 and 2041.
Riding light rail
Light rail fares
ORCA Card
When you use your ORCA card to transfer from a bus to light rail, you don’t have to pay two full fares — your first-leg fare counts toward the second leg of your trip within a two-hour window.
Flat fares for light rail
The Lynnwood Link opening marked big shift in light rail fares, going from a structure based on distance traveled to a $3 flat fare per ride. This means light rail riders with an ORCA card no longer need to “tap off” at the end of their ride.
When arriving at the station, just find the closest ORCA Card reader and “tap on” by placing your card flat against it. One beep and a green light mean you’re good to go.
Tickets & Day Passes
Buy Link tickets or day passes from the station ticket machine with cash, or most debit/credit cards.
Transit Go Ticket App
You can also pay your fare using your smartphone and the Transit Go Ticket app.
Riders pay a flat fare for light rail service:
| Adult (Ages 19–64) | Youth (Age 19 and younger) | Reduced Fare (Seniors / People with Disabilities / Medicare) | ORCA LIFT (Low-Income fare) |
|---|---|---|---|
| $3.00 | FREE | $1.00 | $1.00 |
Light rail hours and schedules
Link light rail trains run every eight minutes during peak hours and every 10 to 15 minutes during non-peak hours.
Trains run from 5 a.m. to 1 a.m. Monday through Saturday and from 6 a.m. to midnight on Sunday and select holidays. Check your local bus schedule if you plan to connect to light rail by bus, especially for late-night trips.
Visit the Sound Transit Website for schedule details.
In case of a Link service disruption
There may be times where Link service is temporarily interrupted, either due to planned maintenance or an emergency. In those instances Link service will be replaced by Link Shuttle bus service until light rail is restored. Learn more about Link Shuttle service and what to do in the event of service disruption. Information about upcoming planned disruptions is also available on Sound Transit's web site.
If you regularly ride the light rail, sign up for Sound Transit rider alerts to get notified about changes that may affect your ride.
Sound Transit service information
Light rail service is operated by Sound Transit.
Use the info below to find more info on Link light rail, the Sounder train, Sound Transit bus service, trip planning, lost
& found, holiday schedule, and general information:
- SoundTransit.org
- (888) 889-6368
- TTY Relay: Dial 711
Related News
Getting to Seattle with Community Transit
Do you commute to Seattle for work, or catch public transit to Seahawks games or concerts in the city? Whatever your reason for heading to Seattle, new transit options are available as Link light rail now connects to Snohomish County.
As of Sept. 14, Community Transit has made major changes to bus service, modifying or replacing many routes. Now, you can easily catch buses that connect you with light rail at Lynnwood City Center Station (formerly Lynnwood Transit Center), Mountlake Terrace Station (formerly Mountlake Terrace Transit Center), and the brand-new Shoreline North/185th Station.
- Swift Orange (Edmonds College - McCollum Park)
- Route 102 (Edmonds Station – Lynnwood)
- Route 103 (Hardeson Road - Lynnwood City Center Station)
- Route 112 (Mountlake Terrace - Ash Way P&R)
- Route 114 (Aurora Village - Lynnwood City Center Station)
- Route 117 (Mukilteo Station - Lynnwood City Center Station)
- Route 120 (Lynnwood City Center Station - UW Bothell / Cascadia College)
- Route 130 (Edmonds Station - Lynnwood City Center Station)
- Route 166 (Edmonds Station - Silver Firs)
- Route 201 (Smokey Point Transit Center - Lynnwood City Center Station)
- Route 202 (Smokey Point Transit Center - Lynnwood City Center Station)
- Route 512 (Everett Station - Lynnwood City Center Station)
- Route 513 (Seaway Transit Center - Lynnwood City Center Station)*
- Route 515 (Lynnwood City Center Station – Seattle)*
- Route 535 (Lynnwood City Center Station - Bellevue Transit Center)**
- Route 901 (Silver Firs - Lynnwood City Center Station)*
- Route 903 (Lake Stevens TC - Lynnwood City Center Station)*
- Route 904 (Marysville - Lynnwood City Center Station)*
- Route 905 (Stanwood – Lynnwood City Center Station)*
- Zip Alderwood Shuttle
- DART Paratransit (for people who qualify)
- Route 111 (Brier - Mountlake Terrace Station)
- Route 112 (Ash Way P&R - Mountlake Terrace Station)
- Route 119 (Ash Way P&R - Mountlake Terrace Station)
- Route 130 (Edmonds Station - Lynnwood City Center Station)
- Route 510 (Everett Station - Downtown Seattle)*
- Route 515 (Lynnwood City Center Station - Downtown Seattle)*
- Route 909 (Edmonds Station - Mountlake Terrace Station)
- DART Paratransit (for people who qualify)
- Swift Blue Line (Everett Station – Shoreline North/185th Station)
- DART Paratransit (for people who qualify)
* Indicates no bus service on weekends.
** Indicates no bus service on Sundays.
Driving to a park & ride? View the list of routes connecting to light rail, then find which park & ride closest to you serves those routes here.
Planning your trip on light rail
Link light rail trains are scheduled to run every 8 minutes during peak travel hours and every 10-15 minutes during non-peak hours. Visit the Sound Transit Website for schedule details.
You can use Community Transit’s Plan My Trip to plan your trip from bus to light rail. Be sure to plan your return trip. Keep in mind Link light rail operates trains later than Community Transit bus service, so if your return trip is at night check to make sure your bus is still in service.
Planning to transfer between Community Transit and King County Metro bus service? King County Metro has just increased service and frequency to many bus routes. Learn more about King County Metro's service changes.
How to pay for the bus and light rail
- Pay for your ride on Link light rail by purchasing a ticket at the Sound Transit ORCA vending machines or by tapping your ORCA card inside the light rail station before going to the platform.
- Pay for your ride on Swift by purchasing a Swift ticket at the vending machines or by tapping your ORCA card at the ORCA card reader at the Swift stations.
- Pay for your ride on a regular bus by boarding the bus and paying with exact change or tapping your ORCA card on the reader located at the front of the bus.
Sign up for Rider Alerts to stay informed
Sign up for Community Transit’s email or text Rider Alerts to stay up to date on changes to your bus. Get real-time Rider Alerts about bus delays, reroutes or cancellations, and learn about changes to the routes you ride. Sign up for Rider Alerts here.
If you plan on riding the light rail, it’s also a good idea to sign up for Sound Transit’s service alerts for light rail. Sign up for Sound Transit alerts here.
Learn more about Community Transit’s recent service changes
Learn more about Community Transit’s recent changes to bus service on the Service Change webpage.
To talk with a person about the new changes to Community Transit bus service and for personalized trip planning, contact the Community Transit Customer Care team via the information below.
Community Transit Customer Care:
Monday–Friday, 6:30 a.m.–6:30 p.m.
Saturday, 8:30 a.m.–4 p.m.
(800) 562-1375
(425) 353-RIDE (7433)
TTY: 711
riders@commtrans.org
Community Transit Ride Store:
Located with Lynnwood City Center Station
20110 46th Ave W. Lynnwood, WA 98036
Monday–Friday, 7 a.m.–6 p.m.
Saturday, 8:30 a.m.–4 p.m.
