December News: The 1 Line Is Now Arriving... in Federal Way!

Transit riders at the new Star Lake station. Photo by Glenn Landfield for Sound Transit.

Dear friends,

As we prepare to close out 2025, we’re reflecting on another banner year of championing transit in Washington State. We celebrated momentous light rail openings to Downtown Redmond and Federal Way, showed up for transit riders in communities like Ellensburg and Island County, and made progress on a statewide Megaproject for Safety. And we did all of this in partnership with you — the transit riders, agencies, workers, elected officials, and advocates helping to ensure all Washingtonians can get where they need to go.

We’re getting ready for more excitement in 2026, with the legislative session, a Crosslake light rail opening, and critical transit ballot measure campaigns on the horizon. And we’re so grateful to be doing this work alongside you. Together, we’re building a better transportation future for Washington State.

Read on for more of what we’ve been up to recently, and have a happy New Year!

Keep moving,

– Transportation Choices Coalition

WHAT WE’VE BEEN UP TO

Celebrating the New Federal Way Extension

TCC staff table at the Federal Way Downtown station.

On Saturday, December 6th, transit riders celebrated the opening of Sound Transit’s Link light rail extension to Federal Way!

The 1 Line now stretches south to three new stations at Kent Des Moines Road near Highline College, Star Lake, and Federal Way Downtown, for a total of 41 miles from Federal Way to Lynnwood. It brings a new fast and affordable transit option to thousands of workers and students in South King County, and opens up new destinations for transit riders across the region.

We had a ton of fun tabling at the new Federal Way Downtown station, where we spoke with transit riders about why they’re excited about this new extension, and what other openings they’re looking forward to.

Read What Riders Had to Say!

Participating in a West Seattle Light Rail Visioning Forum

Kirk speaks at the forum. Photo by Torin Record-Sand, courtesy of the West Seattle Blog.

In late November, our executive director, Kirk Hovenkotter, participated in a “West Seattle Light Rail Visioning Forum” hosted by King County Councilmember (and newly appointed Sound Transit Board Member) Teresa Mosqueda. At the forum, Sound Transit representatives shared several options for making the West Seattle light rail project more affordable. Kirk talked about our recently launched Build the Damn Trains campaign and our push for Sound Transit to explore creative solutions to cut costs.

Supporting a Commercial Parking Tax in Spokane to Fund Transportation and Safety

TCC’s Advocacy Manager Holden Ringer testified and sent a letter in support of a proposed commercial parking tax in Spokane. He joined advocates and community members organized by Spokane Reimagined to talk about how space devoted to parking could be better used, and the ways parking tax revenue could help offset the negative consequences of car-centric infrastructure, including funding safety upgrades and better transit. The Spokane City Council voted 5-2 to approve a commercial parking tax.

Contributing to a New Report on Safe and Equitable Traffic Enforcement

We were proud to partner with King County’s Office of Law Enforcement Oversight to help shape recommendations for strengthening safety and equity in traffic enforcement. Developed as part of the Community Guided Policy Project, the recommendations in a new report reflect community priorities for safer, more equitable streets, and call for transparent, data-driven practices with robust community involvement. We especially appreciate the recommendation that any future automated enforcement should undergo an independent equity and feasibility study, be guided by meaningful community input, and consider reinvesting revenue into safety infrastructure that addresses the root causes of traffic safety concerns.

Check out the full report, Traffic Enforcement: Shifting Sheriff’s Office Practices for Improved Traffic Safety.

WHAT’S COMING UP

Register Now for Our Legislative Preview

Join Transportation Choices Coalition on Wednesday, January 7th, 2026, at 3:00 PM, for a virtual preview of our 2026 Legislative Agenda.

Transportation Choices Coalition’s 2026 Legislative Agenda is all about advancing transformational policies and funding for safer streets and better transit, aligning transportation planning with our state’s climate goals, and improving mobility options for people across Washington.

We’ll hear from special guest Marko Liias, Chair of the Washington State Senate Transportation Committee, who will outline his priorities for the 2026 legislative session. Then TCC will present its own legislative priorities, followed by time for your questions and input. Our Legislative Preview is your chance to learn about our priorities, connect with transportation advocates from across the state, and find out how you can help TCC make a real impact in this year’s short but important legislative session.

GET INVOLVED

Help Us Build the Damn Trains!

Background photo from Sound Transit’s publicly available images.

We need to show Sound Transit’s leaders that there’s broad public support for finding ways to complete Sound Transit 3 light rail projects, and get them moving faster.

Check out the Build the Damn Trains website, and fill out the “Join Us” form to get updates about opportunities to send letters, testify, share your light rail stories, and more. And if your organization would like to learn more or sign on as a coalition partner, please email Holden Ringer at holden@transportationchoices.org.

You can also check out the campaign merch available in the TCC store here.

Call for Artists: Illustrate Life with RapidRide

In partnership with King County Metro, 4Culture is seeking six artists to create a total of twelve short-form graphic novels—each inspired by the communities, histories, and landscapes that define the existing and planned RapidRide lines, A–K and R.

Envisioned as a highly collaborative effort, the Moving Stories project will bring together artists as a cohort and connect them with advisors and resources that support place-based research and relationship-building.

Learn more about this opportunity.

STAFF PICK

New Light Rail Stations Bring Big Smiles

Over the last few years, the Puget Sound region has gained so many new light rail stations. For each new opening day celebration, transit lovers and local residents come out en masse to celebrate and ride the trains. These days turn into community events, filled with smiles, entertainment, and so much joy. It’s wonderful to see residents from across the region come together to experience and celebrate transit expansion!

Check out this video of the Federal Way extension opening day celebrations from Hanoch Yeung of Best Side Cycling.

See you on the train!

McKenna Lux
Deputy Director

WHAT WE’RE READING

Light rail’s push to Federal Way gives students, workers front-door access – The Seattle Times

“This southern addition is anticipated to be a boon for the workers and students who use transit every day to make a living or earn a degree.”

City of SeaTac recenters around Angle Lake light rail station – KUOW

“SeaTac’s old city hall sits near a freeway onramp. It’s hard to reach if you don’t drive. Officials say the building is crumbling anyway. So, they’re starting over in a better spot.”

Spokane Transit Authority introduces new fare option for low-income riders – KREM

“Eligible riders would pay a $1 bus fee compared to the standard $2 bus fee. Those who are eligible will receive fare-capping benefits when they use the STA’s Connect card.”

Why It Takes So Damn Long to Build a RapidRide Line – The Urbanist

“Why does it take longer to complete a set of bus upgrades than it took to put a human being on the moon? A report commissioned by the King County Council and released this fall spells out a long answer to that question.”

Montreal’s New Rail Line Is the Future – Maclean’s

“Riding that train made me feel like Canada was finally building transit fit for the 21st century, a worthy counterpart to the systems that are now common in Asian and European cities.”

How Investing in More Transportation Choices Cuts Infrastructure Costs – Rocky Mountain Institute

“If the rest of the country followed Illinois’s example and repurposed larger shares of their transportation expenditures into multimodal solutions, like bus, rail, and biking, governments could collectively save $1 trillion in public expenditures by 2050.”