Everett council signs letter urging delivery of light rail project
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.”
https://www.heraldnet.com/2026/04/30/everett-council-signs-letter-urging-delivery-of-light-rail-project/
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