Worry Over Seismic Event Delays Sound Transit Link Light Rail

Sound Transit

FEDERAL WAY, Wash. – Sound Transit’s Link light rail service project in Federal Way, Washington is delayed until 2026.

Federal Way’s Link light rail extension project to run from Sea-Tac to Federal Way, Washington has been delayed two more years.

At first, Sound Transit planned to construct flat rail tracks. However, contractors found that “one seismic event could have disrupted the rail.” While the extension of the light rail is 70% done, contractors will need to construct a 500-foot-long bridge over unstable soil to combat this worry.

The Mayor of Federal Way, Jim Ferrell asserts that SoundTransit had completed a study of the site beforehand, but they did not find this discovery until much later. He said, “They were required to do it before. . . Then I think that it was so heavily wooded in that area, that it wasn’t really till they got a lot of those trees out. And they really kindo f figured out what they had with the trees gone.”

Despite the delay, Ferrell is hopeful that the city’s Link light rail extension should be ready in 2026.