Kirk Hovenkotter speaks at the “Build the Damn Trains!” campaign launch.
Photo by Melody Summerfield.
Dear friends,
We’re here to bring some color to these dark fall days, which is exactly what we did with our Build the Damn Trains campaign launch last Thursday!
Together with more than a dozen partner organizations from across the Puget Sound region, we called on Sound Transit’s leaders to find creative solutions to funding challenges that don’t involve cancelling light rail projects. You can see coverage of the campaign at The Urbanist, KIRO 7, and King 5 Seattle.
The very next day, we celebrated the incredible community working to improve transit all across Washington at Tuxes & Trains 2025: Together We Build.
Read on for more of what we’ve been up to, upcoming events (see you in Federal Way next Saturday?), and ways you can take action.
Keep moving,
– Transportation Choices Coalition
WHAT WE’VE BEEN UP TO
Tuxes & Trains 2025: Together We Build
Photo by Danny Ngan.
Last Friday, more than 300 people joined us at the gorgeous Seattle Art Museum for Tuxes & Trains 2025: Together We Build.
We inducted two new members into our Transportation Hall of Fame, reflected on the past year and the work ahead, and raised more than $389,000 — far surpassing our goal of $275,000 — to support Transportation Choices Coalition. We left feeling so grateful for the amazing community of transit riders, advocates, and partners who make our work possible. Together, we’re helping to ensure that people in communities across Washington can access fast, frequent, and reliable transit.
Helping Transit Win at the Ballot in Ellensburg
TCC was proud to support Yes on Ellensburg Transit, a campaign to renew the levy that funds transit and paratransit in Ellensburg. On Election Day, Ellensburg Prop. 1 passed with 65% of the vote! We hosted several phone banks and and our new Advocacy Manager Holden Minor Ringer led a door knocking event in Ellensburg. The success of Prop. 1 means that thousands of seniors, students, and working families can continue to use transit to get to healthcare, school. and jobs across Ellensburg! And with Ellensburg Central Transit’s ridership seeing record highs in the past couple of years, it couldn’t come at a better time.
Holding a Transit Talk with Sound Transit Leaders Dow Constantine and Terri Mestas
At Transportation Choices Coalition’s first in-person Transit Talk in more than three years, Sound Transit CEO Dow Constantine and Deputy CEO Terri Mestas shared how the agency is tackling the challenges of building out the region’s light rail network and delivering the voter-approved Sound Transit 3 projects.
Here are five key takeaways from their conversation and a recording of the event.
Cutting a Ribbon for New Bus Lanes on Rainier
Photo courtesy of SDOT.
We were proud to join SDOT Interim Director Adiam Emery, Seattle City Councilmember Alexis Mercedes Rinck, and Anna Zivarts of the Nondrivers Alliance to cut the ribbon on a new segment of bus only lanes on Rainier Avenue South.
This bus lane is already delivering results for transit riders by saving over 2 minutes per trip. With over 22,000 transit riders rolling along this corridor every day, these minutes add up. They mean more time with family and friends, and more opportunities within reach.
Learn more about the project here.
Launching the Better Bus Lanes Campaign
We were proud to stand with Seattle City Councilmember Alexis Mercedes Rinck and transit and labor advocates to launch the Better Bus Lanes campaign!
Seattle’s bus lanes make trips faster and more reliable for transit riders. Now it’s time to build on that progress.
The Better Bus Lanes campaign calls on the City of Seattle to:
• Make Aurora’s 24-hour bus lanes permanent
• Pilot a bus lane on Denny Way for Route 8
• Improve Rainier Avenue’s existing bus lanes
Better bus lanes mean a faster, fairer Seattle for everyone.
Read more about the campaign from The Urbanist.
WHAT’S COMING UP
Join Us at the Federal Way Light Rail Opening
Photo courtesy of Sound Transit.
On Saturday, December 6th, Sound Transit’s 1 Line will extend south to Federal Way, with three new stations at Kent Des Moines Road near Highline College, Star Lake, and Federal Way Downtown.
Activities will start at 9:30 AM at Federal Way, where Federal Way Black Collective will host a street fair featuring live music and performances, food trucks, community partners and kids activities.
Following speeches from community leaders, and a ribbon-cutting ceremony, Sound Transit will welcome passengers on board for the first time. Starting around 11 AM, you can ride to community events at each of the three new stations, with food trucks, giveaways, live performances, community resources and children’s programming.
We’ll be tabling at the new Federal Way Downtown station — come say hi!
GET INVOLVED
Sign Up to Help Us Build the Damn Trains!
Background photo from Sound Transit’s publicly available images.
Now that the Build the Damn Trains campaign has launched, we’ll continue to organize. 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 campaign website, and fill out the “Join Us” form to get updates about opportunities to send letters, testify, share your light rail stories, and more.
If your organization would like to learn more or sign on as a coalition partner, please email Holden Ringer at holden@transportationchoices.org.
STAFF PICK
Rodeos and Buses: Working to Support Transit in Ellensburg
On my second day of working at TCC, I had the chance to take a trip out to Ellensburg, to meet with leaders and advocates, and maybe most importantly, ride the bus. That experience helped to set the tone for our “Yes on Ellensburg Transit” campaign during which we sent out over 4,300 mailers, texted 2,500 voters, made 1,000 calls, and knocked on over 200 doors.
The last one was the most fun, as it gave me the opportunity to explore the neighborhoods of Ellensburg and connect with many kind people. Compared to Seattle, where only a small portion of folks answer the door, nearly half of the folks in Ellensburg greeted me. I got to learn about some of the qualities that make Ellensburg special, like the annual rodeo and the attachment to Craig’s Hill. Plenty of folks were willing to chat with me about the small but mighty bus system that Ellensburg Central Transit offers.
Towards the end of the day, I decided to talk with some of the bus drivers who make sure the people of Ellensburg can get where they need to go. When I asked one bus driver what Ellensburg would lose if the bus system went away, he pointed to the nearby Safeway and said “people need to get here.” On top of all the other things transit connects us to, like jobs, medical care, education, and recreation, this interaction underscored that transit connects us to the most basic of human necessities.
Making sure the buses stay rolling in Ellensburg with a win on Prop.1 was a great way to get acquainted with the work TCC is helping to achieve across the state, and a fun entry into all the wonderful communities I will get to explore while in this role.
Holden Ringer
Advocacy Manager
WHAT WE’RE READING
T4America statement on USDOT proposal to eliminate federal transit funding – Transportation for America |
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“Eliminating federal transit funding would cut the transportation options millions depend on and leave families paying even more just to get to work, school, or anywhere else they need to be.” |
2025 election results: More than 80% of U.S. public transit measures pass – Mass Transit Magazine |
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“‘Hardly any, if any at all, other ballot questions receive the approval rate of public transportation, which is consistently over 80%,’ said APTA Vice President of Policy and Mobility Art Guzzetti.” |
Report: Lessons from California’s HSR Project – StreetsBlogSF |
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“A new paper from the Mineta Institute looks at California’s high-speed rail project—and how to do better moving forward.” |
Seattle to Portland: What an 11-hour public transit trip looks like – The Seattle Times |
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“Along the way, Simon Sandh found how small, rural transit systems serve as the ‘connectors’ for so many communities.” |
Lynnwood could see farmers market at transit center by spring – The Everett Herald |
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“Sound Transit would allow the city to use the light rail station for the market at no charge in exchange for sponsorship recognition.” |
Dangerous By Design: MLK Way’s Current Conditions – Seattle Transit Blog |
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“I consider myself lucky as I am not one of the 1,500 people who have been injured or killed on MLK Way since Link opened in 2009.” |
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