rail

Sound Transit Eliminates Station, Saves $2B on West Seattle Light Rail Project

Sound Transit has restructured its West Seattle Link Extension to cut more than $2 billion in costs while reducing community disruption. The agency removed Avalon Station from the planned route, allowing a greater portion of the line to run underground and decreasing property acquisition needs. The refined alignment will now include stations at SODO, Delridge, and Alaska Junction. The changes follow 18 months of review focused on cost reduction, community impact mitigation, and service quality. Sound Transit's May 28 adoption of an updated ST3 System Plan seeks to address a $34.5 billion funding gap over the next two decades while advancing voter-approved expansion projects. The agency will seek Federal Transit Administration confirmation of the design refinements in coming months.