Sound Transit staff and board members, elected officials, and community partners celebrated the start of construction on the 7.8-mile Federal Way Link Extension with the debut of a new video. Federal Way Link will extend light rail from Angle Lake Station in SeaTac to the Federal Way Transit Center. With King County currently under COVID-19 health guidelines, a traditional in-person groundbreaking event could not take place.

Opening in 2024, the route to Federal Way will offer fast, frequent, and reliable service between South King County and Sea-Tac Airport, downtown Seattle, the University of Washington, Northgate, Lynnwood, and Bellevue. The extension includes three new stations serving Kent/Des Moines, South 272nd Street and the Federal Way Transit Center.

"Building the Federal Way Link Extension is really about building a prosperous economy," said Sound Transit CEO Peter Rogoff. "By 2024, you will be able to travel by light rail from Federal Way, Kent, and Des Moines up to Seattle, Bellevue, Redmond, Shoreline, and Lynnwood. We are now just a few years away from the true rail network that the region has needed for a very long time."

The $3.1 billion light rail project includes a $790 million Capital Investment Grant from the Federal Transit Administration and a $629.5 million Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act loan from the U.S. Department of Transportation.

By 2021, Sound Transit will expand light rail to the University District, Roosevelt, and Northgate. In 2022, Tacoma Link will expand to the Hilltop neighborhood. In 2023, trains will reach Mercer Island, Bellevue, and the Overlake area. In addition to the Federal Way Link Extension, 2024 will bring the opening of extensions to Shoreline, Mountlake Terrace, Lynnwood, and Downtown Redmond.