Everett council signs letter urging delivery of light rail project

Published 2:12 pm Thursday, April 30, 2026

EVERETT — The Everett City Council voted Wednesday to sign their names to a letter urging Sound Transit to complete the Everett Link Extension, the 16-mile light rail line set to arrive in the city by 2037.

The letter comes as the regional transit agency is weighing cost-saving measures amid a $34.5 billion budget shortfall across its light rail extension projects in the Sound Transit 3 package, approved by voters in 2016. That shortfall is due to inflation, increased construction costs, tariffs, labor shortages, supply chain disruptions and added right of way costs, Sound Transit has previously said.

The shortfall does not affect the Everett Link Extension as severely as other projects in the Sound Transit 3 plan like the West Seattle or Ballard Link extensions — some projects nearly doubled in expected costs compared to original plans, while the Everett Link Extension’s costs increased by about five to ten percent. Sound Transit staff have previously said that there is a high likelihood of keeping the Everett extension affordable by making some design changes to the route, while keeping all six stations planned for the extension.

“The Everett Link Extension is the most cost-effective and impactful light rail segment under consideration,” the letter approved by the city council Wednesday reads. “The cost increases are dramatically lower than other segments due to the extensive and intentional use of existing rights of way, the major portions of track alignment that can be run at-grade, and substantially lower land acquisition costs.”

The letter also states that maintaining the commitment to Everett voters, who have been paying into the system for decades, is “essential to preserving public trust and upholding Sound Transit’s commitment to subarea equity.”

“We urge the Board to deliver the Everett Extension in full and on schedule and to address the most significant cost escalation within the segments where they are occurring, rather than shifting impacts to Everett,” it reads. “We recognize the complexity of this decision and the competing pressures before the Board, and we believe that maintaining the full Everett Extension reflects a balanced, responsible approach that upholds voter commitment, subarea equity, and meaningful regional connectivity.”

The letter was brought forward by city council vice president Paula Rhyne. The council approved it unanimously.

“The intent of the letter is to remind the board that Everett is expecting the completion of the Everett Link Extension, and that the Everett Link Extension is not the route segment that’s the biggest problem for cost overruns, so cutting our promised route should not be part of the solution,” Rhyne said at an April 22 meeting.

Snohomish County Executive Dave Somers, who chairs the Sound Transit board, is expected to bring forward an updated Sound Transit 3 plan that the board could vote on by June.

Current plans call for the Everett Link Extension to arrive near Paine Field by 2037 and open in downtown Everett by 2041. A draft environmental impact statement, studying the effects of the extension’s possible station locations in precise detail, is expected to be released this fall.

Will Geschke: 425-339-3443; william.geschke@heraldnet.com; X: @willgeschke.