³ÉÈËXÕ¾

Eighteen years in the making, Sound Transit’s East Link Extension is now in service between South Bellevue and Redmond.

The new 2-Line runs every 10-minutes between 5:30 a.m. and 9:30 p.m., seven days a week. Voters approved the plans in 2008, the same year when shovels first hit dirt on the east link light rail.

More from Bellevue: Bellevue to have cops on Eastside light rail trains

“I’ve been working on this project for the better part of two decades. We adopted our kid at age 3 when we were taking the first vote to the Bellevue City Council and he is 18 years old now,” King County Councilmember Claudia Balducci said. “I am just delighted to be able to deliver these rides for kids like our kid and everybody else.”

The 6.6-mile track offers eight stops between South Bellevue Station and Redmond Technology Station near the Microsoft Campus. Two more stops extending to Redmond are planned, including Marymoor Park. Once the Interstate 90 East Link extension goes into service — set for 2025 — that will link the 2-line and the 1-line together.

At times, the 2-line runs parallel to traffic. Other times, it’s zooming over Interstate 405 with spectacular views and tunnels along the route. The East Link will operate seven days a week between 5:30 a.m. and 9:30 p.m., with trains stopping every 10 minutes at all eight stations.

Saturday’s Inaugural Ceremony starts at 10 a.m. at Bellevue Downtown Station, with a ribbon-cutting event set for 11 a.m. At that time, passengers will make history by boarding the new 2-line for the first time.

More from Nate Connors: Snohomish County Search and Rescue seeks volunteers amid uptick in missions

There will be events for all ages at every stop including a bouncy house, food trucks, bike helmet giveaways and live music. Also, along the route, passengers can take part in the . Some of the prizes include an Xbox gaming console, one year of unlimited link and bus rides and a Meta Quest 3 VR headset.

For more information, visit .

Contributing: Bill Kaczaraba, MyNorthwest

You can read more of Nate Connors’ stories here. Follow Nate on X, formerly known as Twitter,  and the ³ÉÈËXÕ¾ Newsradio traffic team  for more traffic updates.