Taking light rail south from Capitol Hill Station? You’ll now want the ‘Federal Way’ train

Sorry, Angle Lake, we never visited.

Southbound trains leaving Capitol Hill Station are now identified as headed to “Federal Way Downtown” on the Sound Transit reader boards and arrival screens.

Meanwhile, light rail service across the I-90 bridge to the Eastside is slated to begin by May.

Over the weekend, a $2.5 billion, nearly eight mile extension to the system’s 1 Line debuted connecting to three new stations including the new southern terminus in downtown Federal Way.

“The completion of the Federal Way extension is a significant milestone for our light rail system—giving more people greater freedom to get around, commute to work, and live their lives without spending so much time stuck in traffic,” Senator Patty Murray said in a statement. “I’m proud to have helped steer over a billion dollars in federal investment toward this project to help make today’s grand opening a reality. Building out public transportation is a priority for people in Washington state, and it’s a priority for me—and as long as I’m in Congress, I’ll make sure it’s a priority for the federal government.

For Capitol Hill riders, exploring the latest expansion probably won’t be a frequent route but it will now be possible to take the train as far south as Federal Way in about an hour. But the weekend’s expansion celebration also came with updates on the start of the 2 Line that will likely be of much more use to Central Seattle transit users. Over the weekend, Sound Transit CEO Dow Constantine said the light rail extension over Lake Washington will open by May 31st. That extension and the Central District’s new Judkins Park Station — and its Hendrix inspired design — has been delayed for years over issues including a defective track bed that had to be rebuilt twice.

While long-term projects to stretch light rail to Seattle’s north and its south have finally started coming to fruition, projects to build light rail serving the entirety of the city face a challenging future. CHS reported earlier this year as awful economic forecasts have officials jockeying to keep West Seattle (2032) and Ballard (2039) light rail expansions on schedule.

Stretching from the Lynnwood City Center Station added last year to Federal Way, Sound Transit’s 1 Line is now the second longest system in the country after the Los Angeles A Line.

The Sound Transit flat $3 light rail fare remains in effect and Sound Transit tries to maintain service at each stop “every 8–10 minutes, depending on the time of day.”

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