The Sound Transit Board in Washington state, approved plans last week to support opening the Federal Way Link Extension, now expected to be operating this winter.
The extension is currently undergoing final testing and commissioning on the 1 Line extension from Angle Lake to Federal Way, while work continues on the Crosslake Connection of the 2 Line. Eight miles of service are expected as soon as late 2025, but the East Link Crosslake Connection is still scheduled to open in early 2026. Officials said the phased approach would help the agency open both projects as soon as possible.
“Sound Transit is proving its ability to assess the way projects are progressing in real time and pivot quickly to provide people throughout the region with more transit options,” Sound Transit Board Chair and Snohomish County Executive Dave Somers said. “This resequencing of opening dates reflects the actual status of each of the projects and allows us to continue moving them both forward in the most efficient way possible.”
Officials said the Federal Way Link Extension project has nearly completed system integration testing and is ready to move to the next phase of testing. Live wire testing, the second phase of system integration testing, is scheduled to begin this month on the Home M. Hadley floating bridge.
“I’m excited to see the Federal Way Link Extension open ahead of schedule — bringing light rail to Kent, Des Moines, Star Lake and Downtown Federal Way,” Sound Transit Board Vice Chair and King County Councilmember Claudia Balducci said. “Like the Eastside starter line, this early opening is another success in delivering transit to riders more quickly. Next up: completing the connection across the I-90 bridge and linking East King County to the rest of the system, which we remain fully committed to opening without further delay.”
The Federal Way Link Extension adds nearly eight miles of mostly elevated tracks to the regional light rail system between the cities of SeaTac and Federal Way, and includes three new stations in Kent Des Moines, Star Lake and Downtown Federal Way.