This chart is from Metro’s East Link connectivity program

Link Light Rail Train at South Bellevue Station

I’m overdue to discuss some good news.  The 30-40% of Renton residents that live in certain parts of the Renton Highlands will find they have improved access to Link Light Rail starting next year.  The Metro 111 busses that currently provide 5-day-per-week peak-hour service to Seattle are going to be rescheduled to provide 7-day-per-week all-day access to the South Bellevue Link Light Rail Station.  In addition to allowing people on any daytime schedule to use this service, this change will make the Metro 111 useful for passengers heading up the Eastside to Bellevue and Redmond.

And for those commuting to North Seattle or Lynnwood there is another perk; the trains that cross the lake from Bellevue will continue north in Seattle, without requiring a transfer.

The new Metro 111 route went through an extensive multi-year review process, along with many other Metro route adjustments; the changes received their final approval by King County Council in March of this year.

The Metro 111 will provide express service from Renton Highlands to the South Bellevue Light Rail Station

The changes will go into effect when the Link Light Rail cross-lake connection and the I-405 new express lanes are completed, sometime in 2026.

My extended family is certainly excited about this change.  For the first time in several decades of paying for Sound Transit, we will have ready access to its service from our homes in Renton Highlands.

For those who wish to learn more, this Seattle Transit Blog article provides a nice write-up on all the changes in work for  Metro Bus /Light-Rail connections on the eastside,  and the process that brought them about.

A couple years after that (in 2028 or 2029), South Renton and North Kennydale Residents will find they get good connectivity from the Sound Transit Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) service being implemented along the I-405 corridor.  Unfortunately, the expanded parking for the north and south Renton BRT stops has been delayed for another ten years. But the BRT busses will be rolling for those that can find parking, walk, bike, or get dropped off at the Renton BRT stations.

I’ve written many articles regarding Renton’s efforts to obtain equitable access to Sound Transit, and you can read them by clicking here.

My wife Cathy on the Link Light Rail between Bellevue and Redmond.