FEDERAL WAY, Wash. — Sound Transit celebrated the opening of the 7.8-mile, three-station extension of its Link light rail Line 1 on Saturday, Dec. 6, marking the fifth addition to the Link system in three years.
A ribbon-cutting at the new Federal Way Downtown station was followed by the beginning of service about 11 a.m., as well as community events there and at the other two new stations, Kent Des Moines and Star Lake [see “Sound Transit set to open …,” Trains.com, Dec. 5, 2025].
“The debut of the Federal Way Link Extension marks yet another progress milestone for Sound Transit and the region,” Sound Transit Board Chair Dave Somers said in a press release. “This extension brings Link that much closer to connecting all three counties of the Puget Sound region.”
Funding for the $2.5 billion project included a $790 million grant from the Federal Transit Administration and a $629.5 million low-interest loan from the U.S. Department of Transportation.
“Our team and community partners demonstrated remarkable resilience in overcoming the challenges of the Great Recession and Covid pandemic during the life of this project, while still finishing hundreds of millions of dollars under budget,” said Sound Transit CEO Dow Constantine. “This opening represents our ability to deliver for the residents of South King County and the region, connecting more people to opportunity via clean, frequent, reliable transit.”
Up next in the continuing expansion of the Link system will be opening of the Crosslake Connection, which will join the east-west Line 2 to the north-south Line 1. The connection across Lake Washington features what the agency has said is the world’s first rail transit line to use a floating bridge, as featured in this video. Constantine told KING-TV last week that lane would open May 31 — sooner if possible — to have it functioning before Seattle hosts games in soccer’s World Cup beginning in mid-June.
