The opening day celebration for the 1 Line extension to Federal Way on Saturday, Dec. 6, was a full-day event!
It kicked off with a ribbon cutting ceremony from 9:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. at the Federal Way Downtown Station, which also hosted a community street fair by the FW Black Collective featuring music, food trucks, and kids' activities.
Starting at 11 a.m., when service began, community events were hosted concurrently at all three new stations.
The Kent Des Moines Station featured a free, family-friendly celebration with seven themed "gardens" highlighting local culture and innovation, hosted by the Success Foundation.
The Star Lake Station hosted "Feast for Trains" by Project Feast, offering multicultural performances, curated food vendors, and live cooking demonstrations.
Attendees were encouraged to travel between stations using the new line and participate in the "Discover. Stamp. Win!" game for a chance to win a prize, making it a day of community connection and celebration across the South King County region.
Giving "Drive-In" a whole new meaning
Dicks brought their signature orange glow to the celebration by rolling out their food truck at one of the new stations to welcome the first riders of the Link extension.
As a treat for the community, the iconic burger joint was reportedly passing out free cheeseburgers to attendees, creating long lines of excited fans looking for a classic bite.
In addition to the complimentary food, the truck crew also distributed coupons for future meals and offered exclusive merchandise for sale, allowing riders to grab both a snack and a souvenir to mark the opening day.
Bringing wellness front and center
Two of the region's largest health care providers, Kaiser Permanente and UW Medicine, participated in the opening day festivities by setting up dedicated activations focused on community health and wellness.
Their presence was crucial for connecting new riders with local medical resources, especially since both organizations maintain clinics in the Federal Way area. UW Medicine and Kaiser Permanente brought their health-focused mission straight to the celebration, offering attendees valuable educational resources, engaging swag, and wellness-themed giveaways designed to encourage prioritizing well-being.
These partners emphasized the importance of public health, reinforcing the idea that improved transportation access also supports access to essential medical care.
Can you dig it?
PRR hosted a unique exhibit for families. They featured a popular touch-a-truck experience where attendees could get up close to a large piece of construction equipment, provided by Kiewit, allowing people of all ages to explore the impressive machinery.
This hands-on activity served as an educational and exciting way to connect the community with the engineering and hard work that went into completing the new Link extension.
Project partners
Our On-Board partners South County Transit Partners, a joint venture between Mott MacDonald and AtkinsRealis, and Parsons were our largest supporters of the event. South County Transit Partners put a wrap on their work, literally, by wrapping the first train to depart the station.
HDR worked closely with Sound Transit, partner agencies, and community members to deliver the environmental impact statements and preliminary engineering phases of the Federal Way Link Extension amongst other contributions. Their activation was a celebration of the realization of a shared vision that strengthens mobility and connects communities across the region.
Axiom, a woman-owned and DBE certified company took great pride in sponsoring and you could see it at their table. Sponsoring the opening of the Federal Way Link Extension was personal for them because it celebrated the involvement of many of our team members, from early planning to successful completion; as well as the project that helped launch Axiom!
DEA's shared commitment to connecting people and places was on full display on Saturday, the 6th. They are proud to have been part of Sound Transit’s journey from the beginning (their work spans every mode and nearly every corridor in the network), and they told that story through fun giveaways for attendees.
Aside from being our largest Discover. Stamp. Win! contributor, KBA activated a booth with youth focused giveaways and snacks to keep the energy going all day long. They told their story and shared their values of people, relationships, and community.
Discover. Stamp. Win!
Our partners also stepped up to contribute incredible prizes for our Discover. Stamp. Win! activity that took place on opening day. We invited passengers to explore the 3 new stations and collect stamps from Sound Transit ambassadors to enter to win.
The first 500 riders to complete the activity were provided commemorative 1 Line beanies, provided by our friends at South County Transit Partners.
If you entered, sit tight; winners will be announced no later than Dec. 25.
KBA provided a haul of incredible giveaways, including two $500 gift cards to REI and four gift cards to local businesses. The Pacific Bonsai Museum offered up two year-long memberships to their historic venue. Federal Way Performing Arts and Events Center gave power to the people by giving away two tickets to the lucky winner's show of choice. Ivar's served up a hot-and-ready gift card worth $200. And Dick's Drive In offered up a swag bag full of merch, coupons, and four Seattle Thunderbird tickets.
Additional sponsors
Siemens, Mass Electric, and Railpros were all proud partners of the Federal Way Link Extension opening event.
All of these organizations stepped up to sponsor the opening, ensuring it was a memorable day for everybody who attended.
