SEATTLE — Sound Transit could open the next addition to its light rail network as soon as late this year following board approval of a phased approach for opening extensions currently under construction.
The Federal Way Link Extension, an 8-mile addition from Angle Lake — the current southern end of the North-South Line 1 — to Federal Way, could open this winter given its progress in testing. It has nearly completed system integration testing and is about to move into pre-revenue testing, according to Sound Transit. It had previously been projected to open in March 2026.
The other major project nearing completion, connecting Line 2 to Line 1 via the Crosslake Connection, is still expected to open in early 2026.
“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 Dave Somers said in a press release. “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.”
The mostly elevated Federal Way extension will add three new stations, at Kent, Star Lake, and downtown Federal Way. The Crosslake Connection, via the floating Interstate 90 bridge across Lake Washington, will complete Line 2. An isolated section east of the bridge has been operating since April 2024 [see “Sound Transit launches …,” Trains News Wire, April 28, 2024].
