Pinehurst Station set to open September 30 with bus and bike access, but no parking lot

Pinehurst Station in north Seattle is scheduled to open September 30, giving riders a new stop on Sound Transit’s 1 and 2 Lines near Northeast 130th Street. Seattle’s transportation department says the station will have bus connections and bicycle parking, but no parking garage or lot. Drivers who need station parking will have to use another stop.

Sound Transit expects trains to arrive every four to five minutes. That is the agency’s planned frequency, and the station has not yet opened as of September 28. The new stop is Sound Transit’s first station added to an operating rail line.

Bus connections at the station

King County Metro’s new Route 77 stops across from the southeast corner of Pinehurst Station, according to the Seattle Department of Transportation. The route connects the station area with Bitter Lake, Roosevelt Station, U District Station and Seattle Children’s Hospital. The city identifies stops near Northeast 130th Street and 5th Avenue Northeast for riders making the transfer.

Route 75 offers another connection, although its stops are about three blocks south of the station on 5th Avenue Northeast. Seattle DOT says that route serves destinations including Northgate, Lake City and the University District. Riders should account for the walk between those stops and the station when planning a transfer.

Parking, pickup and bicycles

Passengers being driven to Pinehurst can use the pickup and drop-off area north of the station on 5th Avenue Northeast, just north of Northeast 130th Street. On-site bicycle parking consists of racks for 28 bikes and 20 on-demand BikeLink locker spaces, according to the city’s access guide.

Ticket machines are located at the north and south ends of the station. Seattle DOT says riders can use them to buy tickets or an ORCA card, or pay cash. The city also lists the Transit GO ticket app and contactless credit or debit cards as payment options.

Walking and cycling routes are still changing

Seattle DOT describes a network of sidewalks, crossings, greenways and protected bike lanes around the new stop. Some of that work is finished, while other routes remain under construction or are planned. Riders should not assume every proposed walking or cycling link will be ready when the station opens.

The city says its Northeast 130th and 125th Streets mobility and safety project is under construction. It includes new bus stops, bus-only lanes, protected bike lanes and crossing improvements. Seattle DOT also lists 28 blocks of Pinehurst sidewalks and walkways as coming soon, so those additions are not part of the completed opening-day access network.

One completed project is the Northeast 130th Street safety corridor between 1st Avenue Northeast and Stone Avenue North. Seattle DOT says it reduced the road from four car lanes to three, lowered the speed limit from 30 mph to 25 mph and added protected bike lanes. The city also says the first phase of the Ashworth Avenue North neighborhood greenway is complete, with more work planned.

Why the station is opening early

Pinehurst was approved through the 2016 Sound Transit 3 ballot measure and was originally projected to open in 2031. Sound Transit says its board advanced the station to final design in February 2020 and approved budget and contract changes in 2022. Those decisions allowed construction to begin earlier and moved the planned opening forward by five years.

Sound Transit Board Chair Dave Somers said the station ‘fills a critical gap in our light rail network.’ The agency expects it to serve about 3,400 riders over time. That number is a forecast, rather than a count of passengers, and actual use will become clear only after service begins.

For now, September 30 remains the announced start date. People planning a trip can use Seattle DOT’s station access guide for the locations of bus stops, bicycle parking and the pickup area, while allowing for the street projects the city says are still in progress.