Following the recent opening of the Federal Way Link Extension, confusion quickly set in over which 1 Line trains travel to Seattle. Once the 2 Line is connected across Lake Washington, all three Link termini will imply they are the center of the region: Lynnwood City Center, Downtown Redmond, and Federal Way Downtown. Of course, none of these locations are in Seattle, the dominant city in Puget Sound. Stephen Fesler discussed this situation in an excellent Op-Ed last week.

While the platform signs are confusing and should be updated, they are technically correct. Over the past few months, there appears to have been an uptick in incorrect signs by both Sound Transit and King County Metro. These errors may be seen as benign (and even humorous) to frequent transit riders, but they can cause confusion and frustration for infrequent or first time passengers. Transit agencies should make riding transit as clear and simple as possible.

Sound Transit

In November, Nick Sattele, co-lead of the Fix The L8 campaign, found an issue with a Reduced Service announcement. On the 1 Line diagram, Stadium station was labeled as the stop north of U District (instead of Roosevelt station). In reality, Stadium station is located south of downtown Seattle and should not have been included on the diagram.

ATTENTION: Next Saturday, November 8, STADIUM STATION will be RELOCATED to the Northgate neighborhood.Thank you for your understanding.

— Nick (@nicksattele.bsky.social) 2025-11-01T20:56:41.846Z

As many first-time Link riders start their journey at SeaTac/Airport station, it is paramount that the station has clear signs to help them navigate. Unfortunately, Sound Transit appears to have doubled down on confusing passengers at this station. A few weeks ago, AvgZing shared on Bluesky that the signs for the Federal Way Downtown platform at SeaTac/Airport station included the airplane logo. Did you know Federal Way had an airport?

Continue reading “Friday Roundtable: Incorrect Signs” | 70 comments

In its last meeting in 2025, the Sound Transit Board’s Executive Committee will officially direct agency staff to “conduct a fare gate retrofit implementation study” and “if study findings support further action, develop a fare gate retrofit pilot proposal”. In September, The Urbanist reported fare gates were one of many options under consideration as part of the agency’s Enterprise initiative. In October, King 5 reported Sound Transit CEO Dow Constantine had already directed staff to begin assembling a proposal for a fare gate pilot program. The Sound Transit Board’s Motion No. M2025-64 formalizes the work, and sets a due date for the study and associated pilot program proposal of “no later than Q2 2026”.

Continue reading “Sound Transit considers fare gate pilot” | 140 comments

Reminder: Link service through Downtown will be disrupted a few more times before the end of the year, with extended overnight closures planned for the nights of Dec. 12-13, 20-21, and 27-28.

Local News & Commentary:

• Tips for traveling with King County Metro this winter season (Metro Matters)
• Monorail to Nix Transfer Credits, Raising Costs on Some ORCA Card Users (The Urbanist)
• Sound Transit Brokers Streetcar Swap Between Portland and Tacoma (The Urbanist)
• Precinct-level voting results show Wilson was most popular in dense neighborhoods (The Urbanist)
• Link is slowly becoming more reliable, but still has a lot of room for improvement (The Seattle Times, $)
• A 14-Point Plan for Mayor Wilson, including proposals for reopening the Comp. Plan, something called “The Urban Pass”, and more transit passes from event centers (PubliCola)
• Op-Ed: Sound Transit’s Station Naming Policy Has Run Amok Again (The Urbanist)
• The state legislature legalized pedestrian streets this year, but actually establishing them may require environmental review (The Urbanist)

Continue reading “Midweek Roundup: Streetcar Swap” | 58 comments

The recent election of the former head the Seattle Transit Riders Union Katie Wilson to be Seattle’s mayor occurred less than a month after Councilmember Alexis Mercedes Rinck announced her ‘Better Bus Lanes’ Campaign. In the spirit of that campaign I offer suggestions for improvements that can be accomplished in the near future:

Continue reading “Better Buses in Seattle” | 137 comments

We’ll all be at the Federal Way Link opening today. Try out the new stations. Tell us your experiences below.

There will be no Sunday Movie this week. We’re planning a retrospective article after the event, but its timing will depend on what happens today and whether we can assemble the content by tonight for tomorrow. If you have any video from the event you’d like to share, you can email a link to contact at the website.

This is an open thread.

97 comments

On December 6, Sound Transit will open the Federal Way Link Extension (FWLE). This extension will add three new stations along eight miles of new track south of Angle Lake station. The stations are Kent Des Moines, Star Lake, and Federal Way Downtown. Each station will feature connections to local bus service, pickup and drop-off areas, and lots of parking. Wesley Lin discussed the walkability of each station in a previous article.

Kent Des Moines Station

The northernmost new station, Kent Des Moines, is located southeast of Pacific Hwy S & S Kent Des Moines Rd. The area around the station includes Highline College, car-oriented big box stores, a self-storage facility, and I-5. Excluding Highline College, these are far from ideal land uses around a Link station. Sound Transit and the City of Kent plan to develop two plots immediately west of the station, previously used for construction staging.

Continue reading “Federal Way Link Extension: New Stations” | 12 comments

On Tuesday, Sound Transit invited members of the media to preview the Federal Way Link Extension (FWLE) that opens on Saturday. This extension will add three new stations to the 1 Line south of Angle Lake: Kent Des Moines, Star Lake, and Federal Way Downtown. Terri Mestas, deputy CEO for megaproject delivery at Sound Transit, welcomed the group and highlighted the recently completed bridge near the McSorely Wetland in Kent. This bridge is a recent addition to the FWLE; it was conceived after a 2022 landslide revealed more unstable soil conditions than expected. At 1,100ft, this is the longest bridge used by Link (so far). After the introductory remarks, we entered Kent Des Moines station and began our journey to Federal Way.

Spoiler Alert: This article has descriptions, pictures, and videos of inside the new stations and from the train. If you prefer to wait and see the new stations in-person, do not continue reading.

Continue reading “Federal Way Link Extension: Sneak Peek” | 59 comments

Update at 7:15am: Othello station is open and trains are back to normal service.

Othello station on the 1 Line closed around 2:30pm Tuesday and will remain closed through Wednesday’s morning commute at least, due to an ongoing police investigation. Shuttle buses are running between Rainier Beach and Columbia City stations. Link is running north and south of there. Travel times through the area may be long due to heavy traffic and street closures. The Link maintenance planned Tuesday night in North Seattle was postponed.

This started around 1:30pm Tuesday when police shot and killed a man who was allegedly waving a gun near MLK & South Othello Street. The Seattle Times posted a short followup at 9:30pm.

Sound Transit has a chart of alternative bus routes between 1 Line station pairs if want to avoid a 3-seat ride through the area and potential delays.

Regular roundup news links are below the fold.

Continue reading “Midweek Roundup: Othello Station Closed” | 111 comments

In just a few days, the first Link train with passengers will travel to Kent and Federal Way. Since the first official discussions of building light rail to Federal Way over 15 years ago, the Seattle Transit Blog has followed its progress. Take a trip down memory lane as we look back at the discussions, designs, and construction that have led to the celebration this Saturday.

After the ballot measure failed, Sound Transit went back to the drawing board for ST2. In April 2008, the Federal Way City Council voted to support light rail through Federal Way to Tacoma. However, Sound Transit had a different plan. In July, Erica C. Barnett (then at The Stranger), shared a breakdown of the revised ST2 plan. This plan included:

Continue reading “Federal Way Link Extension: How We Got Here” | 49 comments

Sound Transit’s Federal Way Link Extension (FWLE) will open to the public this Saturday, December 6. Festivities begin at 9:30am with speeches from community leaders at Federal Way Downtown station. Following the ribbon cutting at 11am, the first passengers will be welcomed onboard.

Between 11am and 3pm, each of the three new stations will host a community event. The celebration at Kent Des Moines station will feature seven themed “gardens” that highlight local culture, innovation and community. These include interactive art and history exhibits, food trucks, live performances, and youth-led activities. In addition, guests can explore community resources, meet local businesses, and enjoy performances from regional schools and cultural groups.

Continue reading “Federal Way Link Extension: Opening Celebration Details” | 47 comments