Annual Service Plan
Recent and upcoming Link light rail openings mean there will be changes to existing ST Express bus service. Learn what these changes could look like for you.

South King and Pierce counties

As early as winter 2025, Sound Transit will extend 1 Line service from Angle Lake Station in the City of SeaTac south to Federal Way Downtown Station.  

The 7.8-mile extension includes three new stations:  

  • Kent Des Moines near Highline College 

  • Star Lake near South 272nd Street 

  • Federal Way Downtown 

1 Line trains will run every 8 minutes during peak times and every 12-15 minutes late at night and early morning. All three stations add parking, totaling 3,200 spaces along the extension. 

Note: ST Express changes will not be implemented until Fall 2026.

Sound Transit currently provides ST Express bus service in south King and Pierce counties that serves the cities of DuPont, Lakewood, Gig Harbor, Tacoma, Puyallup, Bonney Lake, Sumner, Auburn, Federal Way, Kent, SeaTac, Burien, and Tukwila. 

The following 10 ST Express routes serve about 6,700 riders daily; about 75% use routes 574, 578, and 594. Routes 574 and 594 provide service all day/night from Lakewood via Tacoma to SeaTac and Seattle, respectively. Others, like Route 590, provide supplemental service during the busiest times of the day. 

  • 574 // Lakewood–SeaTac/Airport 

  • 577 // Federal Way–Seattle 

  • 578 // Puyallup–Seattle via Federal Way 

  • 580 // South Hill P&R–Puyallup Station 

  • 586 // Tacoma–University of Washington 

  • 590 // Tacoma–Seattle 

  • 592 // DuPont–Seattle 

  • 594 // Lakewood–Seattle 

  • 595 // Gig Harbor–Seattle via Tacoma Dome Station 

  • 596 // Bonney Lake–Sumner P&R 

When 1 Line service to Federal Way Downtown begins in 2025, trains will run between Federal Way and Lynnwood via downtown Seattle. 1 Line riders traveling to the Eastside can transfer to the 2 Line in downtown Seattle for easy access to Bellevue and Redmond via the 2 Line Cross Lake Connection.  

If you currently ride any of the bus routes listed above, your trip could look different beginning fall 2026 at the earliest. Changes could include: 

  • Buses that integrate with the growing Link light rail network 

  • Bus routes that have updated schedules 

  • More frequent and reliable service throughout the day – Link trains will arrive about every 8-10 minutes between 6 a.m. and 9 p.m. 

  • More seats and overall capacity 

  • More connections to more places throughout the region