GeekWire rides the world’s first floating-bridge train — Seattle tech commutes will never be the same

Washington — The anticipation built as the train approached the bridge Thursday morning. Would the train sway more than normal as it crossed Lake Washington? Would it feel like riding a tightrope on a train track over the water? Would I plunge to my watery death on a simulated morning commute?

The answer to all of that, it turns out, was no.

Seattle-area commuters on the new Crosslake Connection portion of Sound Transit’s Link light rail 2 Line — especially those who have their eyes closed or are staring at their phones — will probably have no idea that they’re experiencing an engineering marvel.

Cruising above Lake Washington in a train on a floating bridge — a world first — at 55 mph is as quiet and smooth a ride as any passenger could hope for across the 1.2-mile span.

GeekWire joined a media preview of the region’s newest mass transit milestone on Thursday, riding between South Bellevue and new stations at Mercer Island and Judkins Park in Seattle’s Central District. The public will get to ride between Seattle and its Eastside neighbors starting on Saturday.

“Look at this. Look. At. This,” Sound Transit CEO Dow Constantine said as he gripped a train strap and watched the view of Lake Washington unfold. “You come out of the tunnel and see this, it’s just incredible.”

Gazing north up the lake or south toward Mount Rainier, the greatest joy is seeing beyond the traffic headed east and west on Interstate 90 and knowing travel habits are about to radically change between tech hubs on both sides of the lake.

Asked for a message to the thousands of tech workers at Microsoft, Amazon and other companies in the region, whose offices are spread between Seattle, Bellevue, Kirkland, Redmond and elsewhere, Constantine said to get ready for a “significant upgrade in your quality of life.”

“You will now be able to easily get back and forth between home and office, whichever side of the lake you’re on, without having to plan ahead for traffic, without having to fear that you’re going to get stuck in a traffic jam, in a predictable, reliable amount of time, every time,” he said.

He added that companies are enthusiastic about how it makes it easier for people to return to the office or how they can recruit someone who lives in a Seattle neighborhood to come work on the Eastside, or vice versa.

The roughly 13-mile drive between Seattle and Microsoft HQ — which can range from 20 minutes to two hours — has been a source of frustration for years as the region’s tech boom and subsequent population explosion clogged area roadways.

Bellevue has also grown, most notably around Amazon, as the tech giant has previously said it plans to put 25,000 corporate workers across various buildings in the city. Roughly 50,000 work in Seattle.

Why it matters: This new light rail line represents a significant investment in local transportation infrastructure that will alleviate traffic congestion and improve commuting efficiency between major tech hubs. It highlights the importance of public transit in modern urban planning.

What to watch:

The impact of the new line on local traffic patterns and commuting times.
How the light rail’s opening affects the housing market and business environment in Seattle and Bellevue.
Public response and ridership numbers in the first few months following the launch.

Source credibility: GeekWire is a well-regarded technology news outlet known for its reliable reporting and focus on local tech developments.

Published: March 26, 2026 10:18 PM

Source: GeekWire — https://go.noligarchy.us/ffDcSJ