Everett Link Extension: Now’s your chance to weigh in!

A visualization of community members next to an elevated light rail station in the city of Everett.

By Sound Transit

September 18, 2026

We’ve just published the Everett Link Extension Draft Environmental Impact Statement (Draft EIS), and it’s available for public comment through Nov. 2. Please share your thoughts on station, route, and Operations and Maintenance Facility (OMF) North locations.

Five dots stacked vertically. The top has a check mark inside and the second from top has a star.

Voter approval (2016)

Planning (2021 to 2028)

Alternatives development

Environmental review – EIS * We are here

Design (2028 to 2030)

Construction (2030 to 2037-2041)

Service starts (2037 to 2041)

Help shape the future of Everett Link

The Everett Link Extension is scheduled to open in two phases, with service reaching the Southwest Everett Industrial Center Station in 2037 and Everett Station in 2041. While those milestones are still several years away, important decisions are now being considered that will shape the project’s final station, route, and OMF North locations. We are currently in the planning phase, which is when the public can have the most impact by sharing feedback on the Draft EIS. In addition to comparing routes, stations, and OMF North alternatives, the document also considers how various alignment options might affect natural, human, and built environments and how potential impacts could be reduced where feasible.

Today’s publication of the Draft EIS marks the beginning of a 45-day public comment period, during which members of the public are invited to review the document, compare the different options, and offer suggestions to shape the future of light rail construction to Everett.

What happens after the Draft EIS?

After the Draft EIS comment period closes on Nov. 2, the project team will work to incorporate public feedback into the design and the Final EIS. Once the Final EIS is published and approved, the FTA will evaluate issuing a Record of Decision, and the Sound Transit Board will then vote on the preferred alignment. This final step in the environmental process, anticipated for early 2028, will mark the end of the planning phase. After that, we will move into the final design phase.

Sound Transit is committed to public involvement throughout this entire process, including the design and construction phases. We look forward to hearing from the public about how the route, stations, and OMF North locations could affect communities across the region, and we will carefully consider the feedback we receive as the project moves forward.

What is in the Draft EIS?

The Draft EIS is an extensive document that considers a broad array of potential project impacts for each station, route, and OMF North alternative being considered. Here are some tips on how to find the information you want in the Draft EIS and how to comment effectively:

Read the Executive Summary: It covers basic information necessary to understand the project and its potential effects.

Review the project engagement website: This focuses on highlights from the Draft EIS, and you can comment there, too.

Look at the Draft EIS Table of Contents to determine which sections cover your priority topics.

Really interested in a specific topic? Check out the Appendices. They dive into all the topics studied in the EIS, including things like noise, transportation, wetlands, acquisitions, and land use.

The good news is you only need to weigh in on the topics or specific areas most important to you. Topics studied in the Draft EIS include:

Transportation: Parking, local streets, public transit, walking and biking
Natural environment: Ecosystems, water resources
Social environment: Visual and aesthetics, economics, noise and vibration, safety and security
Community resources: Historic resources, parks and recreation
Acquisitions, displacements, and relocations
Construction: Short term, temporary

In addition to sharing your input on the Draft EIS online, you may also attend one of our upcoming information sessions, where members of the public will be invited to ask questions and offer feedback in person.