West Seattle Light Rail Delayed Again Amid $35 Billion Sound Transit Gap

Sound Transit is delaying the West Seattle Link light rail extension yet again, pushing its expected opening from 2032 to 2035. When voters approved the transit package in 2016, the West Seattle line was expected to begin service in 2030. That timeline was later pushed to 2032, and now Sound Transit officials say the project faces another three-year delay as the agency works through a nearly $35 billion gap in its long-range financial plan. The latest announcement is also raising transparency questions. Transit advocate Trevor Reed questioned why the revised 2035 timeline wasn't disclosed before a major Sound Transit Board vote in May, arguing that the problems with the previous 2032 timeline could already be identified through publicly available information. A Sound Transit spokesperson confirmed the three-year delay to The Center Square but did not explain why the revised timeline wasn't disclosed in May. Watch Washington in Focus for more coverage of Sound Transit, Seattle transportation, Washington politics, government spending and taxpayer accountability. #SoundTransit #WestSeattle #Seattle #LightRail #SeattleTransit #Washington #WashingtonPolitics #WAPolitics #WashingtonNews #Transportation #TheCenterSquare