The eastRAIL

The Eastrail is envisioned as a multi-use corridor within the 42-mile right-of-way of the former Eastside Rail Corridor, a disused Burlington Northern rail line. The Eastrail connects rapidly growing East King County communities via an end-to-end trail, as well as transit and utilities.

Segments of the Eastrail in Kirkland, Redmond, Bellevue, and Renton are currently open, offering a total of 13 miles of trail to explore. By 2020, even more miles will be open!

Explore the map below to learn about progress towards building an end-to-end trail in the corridor. Get the latest details by clicking the links to visit webpages hosted by the public agencies planning and building out the corridor.

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for more info!

Redmond

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The City of Redmond owns nearly 4 miles of the “Redmond Spur” of the ERC, which is called the Redmond Central Connector (RCC).  The City is developing the RCC in three phases. Phase I, one mile of hard surface trail opened in 2013 and runs through downtown Redmond. Phase II, a 1.3 mile section of the RCC, including a connection to the Sammamish River Trail, will open September 2017. Phase III, the northernmost Redmond segment is 1.6 miles of trail, which will connect the spur line to the main line near Woodinville, will also include an east/west connection to Kirkland. The goals for the RCC include infusing the corridor with public art, historical interpretive elements, and linear park space that invites community gathering. More Info

ERC to ELST Connection

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King County is planning for a trail connection from its East Lake Sammamish Trail (ELST, 13 miles, from Redmond to Issaquah) to the Redmond Central Connector (RCC). East Link light rail service begins 2024 from the future downtown Redmond station, to be located in the corridor adjacent to the Redmond Central Connector. An RCC to ELST connection would get people to transit and to other eastside communities, increasing the reach of the Eastrail.

Kirkland

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The 5.75 miles through Kirkland, known as the Cross Kirkland Corridor (CKC), is a mostly gravel interim trail. Since opening the trail in 2015, City of Kirkland has installed numerous local neighborhood access points along the trail. The CKC going between Kirkland’s two Google campuses is a hard surface trail that includes seating and various activity and play areas. The city is designing the “Totem Lake Connector” pedestrian and bicycle bridge over NE 124th Street/Totem Lake Boulevard on the CKC and an on-road connection between the CKC and the Redmond Central Connector (“spur” line) at Willows Rd in Totem Lake. The design is complete and the City is seeking additional funding for a pedestrian and bicycle bridge/elevator to connect the CKC to the South Kirkland Park & Ride in Bellevue. More Info

I-405 ERC Crossing

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Breaking ground in 2020! King County is working closely with WSDOT to plan and construct sections of the Lakefront segment, including the I-405 crossing. WSDOT will build an ERC trail crossing bridge over I-405, near the Mercer Slough, as part of their I-405 widening (“Bellevue Express Toll Lanes”) project. The new bridge will replace the former Wilburton train tunnel which once served as a freight train crossing over I-405, but was demolished in 2008 to facilitate expansion of the freeway at that time. More Info

Bellevue & Wilburton Trestle

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Trail from the South Kirkland Park and Ride to Bellevue is now open, terminating near the future light rail station in Bellevue's Spring District. Connections to the south are coming in 2020.

Design for the Wilburton segment is underway, led by King County in fall 2017. Beginning at south Kirkland city limits, this ERC segment heads south through Bellevue, terminating north of the existing I-90 rail overpass in Bellevue’s Factoria area.

Once complete, the ERC trail in the Wilburton segment will create new bike and pedestrian trail connections in King County’s eastside and the region at-large. The ERC will help connect both Bellevue and Kirkland to Seattle via Northup Way and SR-520 trail, and to Redmond, via the SR-520 trail. The ERC segment through Bellevue will include an overpass at NE 8th St, to connect people on the ERC to East Link light rail service at the trail-adjacent Wilburton Station. An interim connection to the I-90 corridors Mountains to Sound Greenway Trail will also be a part of this ERC section.

The Wilburton Trestle, the longest wooden railroad trestle in the Pacific Northwest, will be retrofitted to accommodate the ERC trail atop the trestle. More Info

Woodinville

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The 2.6-mile segment of the Eastrail in Woodinville is owned by the City of Woodinville. They plan to develop the ERC over the next several years.

Valley Segment

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The 7-mile Valley segment is part of the 17 miles of Eastrail right-of-way owned by King County. King County has future plans to build a trail through the Valley segment between south Woodinville and north Kirkland on the mainline and between south Woodinville and north Redmond on the spur line. More Info

Snohomish

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In Snohomish County the Eastrail rail line extends 12 miles, terminating at the City of Snohomish. Snohomish County is designing for “trail plus rail” in the ERC right of way. The trail will be known as the Centennial Trail South, and will connect from the King/Snohomish county border to the existing 29-mile long Centennial Trail in the City of Snohomish. The Centennial Trail runs through the cities of Snohomish, Lake Stevens, and Arlington, and into Skagit County. More Info

Lakefront Trail

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Open now! 4-miles of the Eastrail Lakefront segment, from Newcastle Beach Park in Bellevue to Gene Coulon Park in Renton will open by Spring 2018 as an interim gravel trail, with connections at either end to the existing Lake Washington Loop Trail. This area is part of the 17 miles of Eastrail right-of-way owned by King County. By 2020 the trail in this area between Coal Creek Parkway and Ripley Lane will be upgraded to paved trail by WSDOT to replace sections of the Lake Washington Loop trail that will be lost when the freeway is expanded through the area. More Info

Kirkland to Bellevue

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A one-mile section of the Eastrail, from the Cross Kirkland Corridor at 108th Ave NE to Northup Way, opened in spring 2018 as an interim gravel trail. This area is part of the 5-mile Wilburton segment of the Eastrail owned by King County.

Just south of here is a one-mile segment of the Eastrail owned by Sound Transit, which is adjacent to the site of the future East Link light rail maintenance yard. In this segment of the Eastrail, adjacent trail and light rail tracks are planned. During light rail construction (through 2023) an interim trail will facilitate bike/ped connectivity in this area. More Info
The Eastrail will join Renton to Snohomish, via Woodinville, Kirkland and Bellevue, with a spur trail to Redmond. Running through the economic hearts of five of the Eastside's largest cities, it's hard to overstate the mobility and outdoor recreation impacts of the future Eastside Rail Corridor trail. Momentum is building and work is already underway...

With multiple owners, the Eastrail is being planned and developed in numerous segments, with close coordination among public owners and stakeholders in order to create a cohesive end-to-end trail user experience. Explore the map below to learn more about the trail.

Trail owners and stakeholders have adopted a multi-use vision for the corridor.
In addition to an end-to-end trail, transit is planned in some portions of the corridor. The Eastrail is also a significant utility corridor. Kirkland’s long-term vision of the Cross Kirkland Corridor is trail plus bus rapid transit. In the segment owned by Sound Transit, a trail will run parallel to East Link light rail for one mile. The Snohomish section of the corridor will incorporate both heavy rail and a trail, and that is also a potential alignment in the northern King County segment through Woodinville.

More Information

Cross Kirkland Corridor

Redmond Central Connector

Eastrail

King County's Eastrail Regional Advisory Council