Photos by Danny Ngan.
We’re still feeling the glow. Last Friday, more than 350 people joined us at MOHAI for Tuxes & Trains 2026: History Starts Here. Together with the transit riders, advocates, elected officials, and partners who make our work possible, we celebrated the transit milestones we’ve achieved together and looked ahead at the history we’re still making.
2026 has already been a big year for transit, with the launch of the Crosslake Connection, new “Megaproject for Safety” legislation to help make our busiest transit corridors safer, and the success of the Yes for Buses campaign in Spokane. And we’ve got more history to make through the proposed merger of Everett and Community Transit, and through exciting campaigns to win more bus service in Seattle and Pierce County.
Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson gave an inspiring speech about the power of organizing, reflecting on her own history in the transit advocacy community. She reminded us that while there’s been incredible progress on transit, many communities are still waiting. Our work isn’t finished.
And as TCC’s Executive Director Kirk Hovenkotter reflected in his speech, “History doesn’t just happen. People make it happen. People organize. People show up. People invest in a vision of what their communities can become.”
Whether you could join us at the gala or not, we’re so grateful for all of you and the many ways you have shown up and continue to show up for better transit in Washington State.
New Honorees Join Our Hall of Fame
We were thrilled to welcome two new inductees into our Transportation Choices Hall of Fame: Spokane Reimagined and the Crosslake Connection Engineering and Design Teams.
Spokane Reimagined is a group of volunteer advocates led by co-directors Erik Lowe and Sarah Rose. They fight for the streets, sidewalks, and transit that will make Spokane more livable for all. This year, they helped lead the Yes for Buses campaign to victory in the face of the largest anti-transit campaign ever in a Washington State primary election. This win means transit riders in Spokane County will continue to enjoy expanded bus and paratransit service for the next 20 years!
Sound Transit’s Crosslake Connection Engineering and Design Teams successfully brought light rail across a floating bridge for the first time in the world. This feat of engineering was envisioned, designed, and tested over the past 20 years, with contributions from hundreds of individuals. Now, the Crosslake Connection links Seattle to the Eastside, contributing to a remarkable 40% surge in ridership for light rail in the Puget Sound. Special thanks to Ron Lewis, John Sleavin, Chad Brown, and Tony Raben, who joined us at Tuxes & Trains to accept the award.
Read more about our new inductees in their own words here.
Thank You for Your Generosity!
To support our work, we asked people to give generously at the gala. In total, we raised more than $381,500, far exceeding our goal of $350,000!
A huge THANK YOU to everyone who helped make this possible: each and every one of you who attended the event, donated, bought raffle tickets, or participated in our online auction, and to our wonderful sponsors, in particular our Title Sponsor, Expedia. If you didn’t get a chance to give, you can still donate today to help power our work.
And thank you to everyone who worked so hard to make Tuxes & Trains 2026 such a resounding success, including the Transportation Choices Coalition staff and board, the Events Creative team, our emcee and auctioneer, Sasha Summer Cousineau, our co-emcee, Rep. Osman Salahuddin, Dough Boy the band, the staff at MOHAI, our amazing volunteers, and so many others.
Check out the results of our 360 photobooth here, and find more photos by photographer Danny Ngan here (feel free to share them with credit).
With gratitude,
— The Team at Transportation Choices Coalition
Thank You to Our 2026 Tuxes & Trains Sponsors!
