What should Sound Transit name Federal Way’s light rail station?

Public input wanted on two name possibilities.

Sound Transit is asking the public to help name Federal Way’s incoming light rail station.

The two possible name choices are Downtown Federal Way Station or Federal Way Downtown Station. Sound Transit’s Board of Directors plans to pick a name in May.

“One of the crucial final steps in the process is to complete the public engagement by vetting the shortlist of names with you and asking for your comments on the potential names,” according to an April 12 Sound Transit project update.

Federal Way’s new station is located along South 320th Street and 23rd Avenue South. The agency is also selecting names for the stations near Kent/Des Moines Road and South 272nd Street.

Beginning in 2019, the name selection process included input from stakeholders, cities along the Federal Way Link Extension route, and the public.

For the Kent/Des Moines Road station, names under consideration include Midway, Highline, Highline College and Kent-Des Moines (each name will end in “Station”). For South 272nd Street, the possible name is Star Lake Station.

Sound Transit’s Station Naming Policy was updated in 2021 to ensure stations and facility names have continued relevancy, allow for future system expansion, and most importantly help reduce rider confusion and help them find their way within the system.

The policy calls for:

• An emphasis on geography – city, neighborhood, landmark, or a combination of those

• Reducing the length and character counts of station names

• Avoiding redundancy or confusion with existing facilities

How to participate

Call, email or mail your comments by Tuesday, April 19.

Leave a voicemail at 206-398-5465. Email fwle@soundtransit.org or send mail to Sound Transit Community Engagement, c/o Kurt Workman, 2505 S. 320th St, Suite 500, Federal Way, WA 98003

Reporter Steve Hunter contributed to this story.