On Monday morning, Line 2 light rail across Lake Washington experienced its first major failure since opening on March 28. A two-car train with 21 passengers became stranded on the elevated section of the I-90 alignment just before Mercer Island station due to a loss of power. Service between Judkins Park and South Bellevue stations was halted for 45 minutes — from 9:27 to 10:18 a.m. — while technicians restored power. Some riders had to use costly taxis to avoid being stuck.
The incident was especially puzzling because the new 11-kilometer underwater segment — the world’s first passenger rail on a floating bridge — is equipped with additional switches and substations to enhance reliability. Sound Transit officials said they found no damage to infrastructure, including wiring or equipment on the train roofs. The cause of the power outage remains unknown, which has engineers baffled.
Sound Transit CEO Dow Constantine has set a goal to reduce unplanned delay time to less than 10 hours per month across the full 93-kilometer network. Similar issues have recently occurred on other portions of Line 2 in the eastern suburbs, as well as on Line 1 in the Rainier Valley and Federal Way areas. This is the first major reliability test for the new across-the-lake route, which is intended to improve connections between Seattle and the eastern neighborhoods.
Based on: Light rail 2 Line reopens after its first snag crossing Lake Washington