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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.
“Unfortunately, the expanded parking for the north and south Renton BRT stops has been delayed for another ten years.”
Because Ed Prince gave up Renton’s money.
What are you talking about?
As I understand it, Ed sits on the Sound Transit council and voted to give away Renton’s small snare.
share.
Great news. But we need to push hard for Light Rail in ST4.
We should get a Southport to SLU light rail, alternating with Southport to UW via Montlake/Judkins Park.
Then in addition to that, Stride service should be complemented (NOT replaced) with Link from SeaTac airport to Bothell via Renton/Bellevue/Kirkland maybe in ST5.
Then we need local bus service to complement this.
Renton Highlands can continue to have 111 operate to South Bellevue and serve the NE 44th Stride station for transfers.
We also need a bus line for South Renton. Maple Valley through Fairwood/Benson Hill into Renton TC to connect to transit, as well as a Renton to Issaquah line via Renton Highlands. This bus would operate frequently and time for minimum transfer time to other transit.
Easier to get a 16-kn mono-hull 250-passengercommuter boat to operate Southport to Montlake, SLU, and Ballard via Mercer Island and the east channel! That was the plan a few years back! What happened there?!
I was so excited about the 111 connection to the Link system starting on March 28th 2026. Unfortunately, as of today that is not happening. I checked Metro’s website this morning to get the new schedule and 111 is no longer listed on the affected routes. Route 111 had so much potential to finally connect the Highlands and East Plateau in a meaningful way, but unless there is a clearical error on the Metro website it appears that once again Renton has been snubbed, this time by King County. https://kingcounty.gov/en/dept/metro/routes-and-service/service-change#toc-route-revisions
Update to this comment: I downloaded the implementing ordinance for the revisions to the Metro Routes, and it does allow for the revisions to be made on an “incremental” basis (page 1, item 3). I presume this may be necessary as they add busses and drivers. Hopefully, this is what is happening, and it won’t be too long before Renton gets the promised revisions. Renton residents and our elected representatives should be watching this closely. Again, I’m glad you pointed this out because the press releases about this change all implied that it would happen shortly after the cross-lake rail link was activated, and many of us were expecting this.
Original comment:
Thanks for pointing this out Paul. I’ll be VERY disappointed in Metro and our elected representatives if they have backed away from this promised 7-day per week service. I agree with you that the link you included and other pages on Metro’s website do not look like they are prepared to implement this service change, at least not right away as they had indicated in their earlier communications. If Renton has been snubbed, our Mayor and Council need to fix it.
Here is one of the many communications from a year ago about these coming changes.
Our votes for funding for Metro should reflect the level of service they provide to Renton residents. We are the only city that was left out on the current additions to the light rail Des Moines and Federal Way were added Angle Lake has been on the route for years. On the Eastside, everything started in Bellevue leaving Renton out on that update with the Line 2 service. The 111 service which was supposed to start this year has been postponed until 2027, nothing to stop Metro from postponing it again. What can we really do to push this service in line ahead of other services Metro is proposing for this year?
I agree Renee. In addition to updating the routes for many other cities, Metro and Sound Transit are adding $8 million in additional service to support World Cup soccer activities, paid for by our federal taxes. Renton is not even getting the planned improvements to the 111 until long after FIFA has left town, if ever. Renton highland residents and visitors will only be able to use transit to get to FIFA events if they ride on Monday-Friday, in the early morning or in the late afternoon. This will leave out many families. (The original plan would have had the 111 running 7-days per week, all day long by this summer.)
Hey Randy,
So what can we do about this? And is this really not happening until 2027? I’m willing to go out and get people together who want to make this change happen because we need it. This is ridiculous that not even a bus can take us to downtown during the weekends. I’m a 22 year old who just recently moved here and I’m willing to get people together, get signatures and do whatever to help make this change happen before the World Cup.
Thanks Kevin. I appreciate the question, and your willingness to get engaged. I’ve been looking for a record of the decisions that led up to this delay, and so far not found them. I’ve not seen the 2027 date formally announced, but I have seen that they are not predicting the change in 2026 anymore. The next step would probably be to enlist our City representatives in helping push back on whichever body made the change (Metro Board, or King County Executive). I’ll give this some thought and then post about it. Meanwhile if you have any ideas please share them. Thanks!
I wrote to King County Metro’s feedback/suggestion page about route 111’s planned revision not being in place yet, and got this response (TL;DR: will be implemented in August 2026):
Thank you for your recent case submittal, sharing your questions regarding the status of Metro’s planned revision of Route 111. We appreciate your use of public transportation.
In response to your concerns, staff generated a report and routed it to the appropriate Service Planner for review. The planner clarified that while this plan was approved in March 2025 it is being implemented in phases. Due to resource availability, the impacts a change may have on other existing routes, and other logistical considerations, Metro makes changes to service twice a year following thorough analysis and planning, in the spring and fall (late March and August, respectively).
In the case of Route 111, implementing these revisions first necessitated the opening of the Link Light Rail 2 Line across the I-90 bridge, which occurred on the weekend of March 28. As such, changes to Route 111 are scheduled to be implemented in the next service change in late August 2026.
Again, thank you for contacting Metro Transit’s Customer Information Office. If we can be of further assistance, please feel free to contact us by phone at 206-553-3000, or online at: King County Metro
Thank you for your use of transit.
Thank you so much Jaime H. This is great news, and I’m grateful to you for chasing it down. I had noticed that the implementing ordinance allowed them to make the changes over time, so this is consistent. I’m glad it will happen this summer.
I just got a call back from Metro customer service (great people btw). The information I was given in this latest interaction concurs with what Jaime H was told, August of 2026. I don’t buy the reasoning for the delay being the cross lake connection opening, that is when the other routes changed, resource shortages perhaps, but it still sounds fishy. Anyone interested needs reach out to our city electeds and ask them to advocate for us with Metro.
Renee, have you seen a formal announcement about this change, other than the one that leaves Renton out? I’m trying to figure out what has been announced so far.