On October 22, the Sound Transit Board adopted Resolution R2026-22, the agency's 2027 Service Plan. One line in it changes the daily schedule of anyone who rides from Redmond very early or comes home very late. Starting in spring 2027, the first westbound 2 Line train from Redmond will leave at about 5:20 a.m. instead of 4:56 a.m. The last eastbound train from Westlake will leave at about 12:09 a.m. instead of 12:25 a.m.
The trimmed minutes are not left empty. They go to Night Bus Route 547, which has run between downtown Seattle and Redmond since the end of August. Next spring the bus stops being only the after-midnight backup for the train. For Redmond riders, it becomes the first ride of the morning and the last ride of the night.
The new edges of the day, side by side
The resolution gives approximate times for the two trips at each end of the day.
| Trip | Through spring 2027 | After the spring 2027 change |
|---|---|---|
| First westbound train from Redmond | about 4:56 a.m. | about 5:20 a.m. |
| Last eastbound train from Westlake to Redmond | about 12:25 a.m. | about 12:09 a.m. |
| Days affected, morning | Monday through Sunday | 25 minutes later |
| Days affected, night | Monday through Saturday | 15 minutes earlier |
Sunday nights keep their current end time. Every morning of the week starts later. That includes Saturday and Sunday, when the 2 Line currently opens at 4 a.m. and 4:30 a.m. systemwide according to Sound Transit's 2027 Service Plan page.
The cut is written into the resolution's operative schedule more narrowly than the summary suggests:
2 Line (Downtown Redmond Station to South Bellevue Station): Reduce the span of service by beginning service approximately 25 minutes later in the morning Monday through Sunday and ending approximately 15 minutes earlier at night Monday through Saturday.
That is the exact wording the Board adopted under the "Spring 2027" heading. The Redmond end of the line is affected in every version of the description.
Why Sound Transit is giving up the minutes
The reason given is maintenance. Sound Transit's service plan page says crews have "limited time each night" in parts of the system to do routine work before morning service starts. More planned maintenance time is meant to reduce the unplanned disruptions that stall trains in the middle of a commute. The 1 Line keeps its current hours under this plan.
Riders were asked about this tradeoff in a July 2026 survey before the vote. Sound Transit's engagement summary report counted 3,982 responses. Of those, 2,194 respondents, or 42%, said they ride the 2 Line at least once a week. One in five respondents, 20%, said they ride Link between 11:30 p.m. and 1:30 a.m. at least once a week. That is the late-night window the change trims.
The scores explain the Board's choice. Riders rated each type of maintenance disruption on a 1-to-5 scale, and the October 1 committee presentation reports the averages:
- Single-tracking with 20 to 30 minute gaps between trains: 3.78
- Planned weekend closures: 3.47
- Ending service up to an hour earlier: 2.82
- Starting service up to an hour later: 2.81
Shorter hours scored as the least disruptive options on the list. The Board chose 25 minutes in the morning and 15 at night, well under the hour the survey asked about.
The bus that already runs through Redmond
Route 547 is not new. Sound Transit started it after the last trains on Saturday, August 29, 2026, to link downtown Seattle, Bellevue and Redmond overnight. Trips run every 30 minutes, and the current printed timetable is valid from August 29, 2026, through March 26, 2027.
Leaving Seattle, the bus runs down 3rd Avenue from Pine, then via Jackson and 5th, Rainier and Charles, and N Mercer Way at 80th on Mercer Island. It then stops at South Bellevue Station and Bellevue Transit Center before reaching Redmond Technology, Downtown Redmond and Marymoor Village. Heading back toward Seattle, the Redmond stops include Marymoor Village, NE 76th and 164th, Redmond Technology, and 156th and NE 28th.
Here is how the bus and the train fit together on Sound Transit's Route 547 page today:
| Route 547 today | Toward Redmond | Toward downtown Seattle |
|---|---|---|
| Weekdays and Saturdays | 12:50 a.m. to 5:20 a.m. | 12:00 a.m. to 4:30 a.m. |
| Sundays | 11:50 p.m. to 5:20 a.m. | 11:30 p.m. to 4:30 a.m. |
Today the last bus toward Seattle runs at 4:30 a.m. and the first westbound train leaves Redmond at about 4:56 a.m. Next spring that train moves to about 5:20 a.m., which roughly doubles the morning gap. The resolution says "additional Night Bus Route 547 (Redmond – Seattle) trips will be deployed to fill service gaps" created by the shorter 2 Line hours. The draft plan proposed 547 service running every 30 minutes from midnight to 5:20 a.m. on weekdays, midnight to 6:20 a.m. on Saturdays, and 11:30 p.m. to 5:20 a.m. on Sundays. The final trip-by-trip schedule will come later.
Who will notice, and when
For most Redmond riders the change is invisible. A 7:30 a.m. commute or a 10 p.m. ride home from a Seattle dinner falls well inside the new hours. The riders who will notice are at the edges of the day:
- Early shifts and early flights. Anyone who now catches a train from Marymoor Village or Downtown Redmond before about 5:20 a.m. will be on a bus for that trip next spring, at 30-minute intervals instead of train frequency.
- Late returns from Seattle. A Westlake departure after about 12:09 a.m. on a Monday through Saturday night will mean switching to the 547 on 3rd Avenue.
- Sunday nights. The late-night end time stays as it is, so Sunday evening plans are unchanged. Only Sunday mornings start later.
The timing has two parts. The Board's vote sets the change for "Spring 2027." The resolution also says that after adoption, staff will finalize schedules with Sound Transit's operating partners and then tell riders through onboard alerts, in-person outreach, open houses and media releases. An exact start date has not been announced. The current 547 timetable's printed end date of March 26, 2027, marks when the next version of that schedule is due.
One more note. As of this week, Sound Transit's public 2027 Service Plan page still says final proposals will go to the Board in October. The Board already voted on October 22. The signed resolution is the document to rely on for the adopted times.
A second Redmond change on the same calendar
The same service plan includes a smaller Redmond item. ST Express Route 545, the Redmond to Seattle bus, would add a stop at Downtown Redmond Station. The October 1 committee presentation lists it for spring 2027. The adopted resolution's operative schedule names the Everett, 2 Line and Route 560 changes but does not list the 545 stop separately. Treat that stop as planned for spring 2027 until Sound Transit publishes the new 545 timetable.
If both changes happen on schedule, Downtown Redmond Station will gain a direct 545 connection in the same season that its earliest and latest trips move to the 547. Riders at the station will have more bus options at the start and end of the day than they have now.
Commute timing is one of the first things relocating buyers ask about, and changes like this rarely show up in a listing description. If you are planning a move to or from Redmond and want to know how the 2027 schedule fits your actual commute, Mary Lee & Associates can walk through it with you. Schedule a free consultation.
