Thank you for your participation
This spring, we invited the community to learn about the Tacoma Dome Link Extension (TDLE) and share feedback. Community members reviewed the early station designs and potential station access projects. The online survey for the TDLE spring station planning engagement period was open from May 7 through June 21. Thank you for reviewing and providing feedback on the planned future stations.
More than 6,000 people visited the online open house. In total, we received 625 completed survey responses and connected with more than 150 people at our in-person open house events.
It was wonderful to hear your passion and excitement for future light rail in your communities!
Some themes we collected feedback on include:
- The top two station priorities: easy access by public transit and a welcoming and safe station environment.
- Most people plan to access future stations by driving and parking, taking transit, or getting dropped off.
- Interest in access projects that create safer crossings and improve walking, biking, and transit connections to the stations.
- A desire for station elements that reflect and celebrate local identity, including Puyallup Tribal history and art, local history and industry, and the Pacific Northwest landscape.
Your feedback will help us build stations that are safe, easy to access, functional, and reflective of the communities they serve.
Later this year, we will publish an engagement summary after reviewing the feedback received from the community. In coordination with local jurisdictions, Tribes, and partner agencies, we will refine the list of potential access projects and initiate a detailed screening process to compare them. Public input informs our decisions on which projects to prioritize. We expect station and other design work to continue through 2029.
We expect to publish the Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) in 2027. After the Final EIS is published, the Sound Transit Board will select the project to be built. The Federal Transit Administration is also expected to issue a Record of Decision after the Final EIS.
Sound Transit will continue to advance project design and fieldwork activities in preparation for the Final EIS. We will also continue to work with local jurisdictions, property owners, and stakeholders in the project corridor.
Sound Transit's Enterprise Initiative
As planning continues for TDLE and other voter-approved projects, Sound Transit is also advancing the Enterprise Initiative, a proactive agencywide effort to ensure the agency’s operations and expansion remain affordable in the face of unprecedented construction inflation and escalating operating costs.
On May 28, the Sound Transit Board adopted an updated ST3 System Plan (Resolution No. R2026-11) to guide the next phase of regionwide expansion.
The updated plan includes full funding for Tacoma Dome Link Extension, as well as Tacoma Dome Access Improvements.
The plan defers parking investments associated with TDLE at South Federal Way and Fife until other resources can be identified. If additional funding from other parties becomes available, the Board will consider allocating agency resources to advance delivery.
For a quick overview of the updated ST3 System Plan, check out The Platform blog.
Sound Transit staff engaging with community members at the Tacoma Juneteenth event.
Connect with us at local events. Visit our booth at upcoming community fairs and festivals to learn more about the planned light rail extension from Federal Way to Tacoma. Stop by and chat with project staff as we make progress in bringing light rail to more communities in South King and Pierce counties. Here are some of the events we’ll be at this summer and fall:
Look for future project updates and encourage your friends, family, and community members to subscribe.
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