South Link Connections: Metro proposes final route improvements in south King County
This blog post is also available in: Español (Spanish)
Link light rail has expanded south with three new stations in Kent/Des Moines, Star Lake and downtown Federal Way. Metro continues to work with Sound Transit and other partners to improve public transportation options for communities in south King County.
The South Link Connections project will create a new transit network that connects Metro buses with Link light rail, ST Express buses, and Pierce Transit services in King County.
After the feedback we heard from community members and partners, Metro is excited to share our final transit network proposal. These were developed in collaboration with residents and officials from Algona, Auburn, Burien, Des Moines, Federal Way, Kent, Normandy Park, Pacific, SeaTac, Tukwila and parts of unincorporated King County.
Project mobility priorities
Throughout the project, Metro gathered community feedback through in-person engagement, online surveys, partnerships with community-based organizations, as well as advisory conversations with the South Link Mobility and Partner Review boards. In the first phase of public engagement, Metro worked with the Mobility Board to set the five main mobility priorities below. Metro used these priorities to inform the proposed changes to the transit network.
Greater transit coverage
Improved early morning and nighttime service
Faster travel times within and beyond the project area
Improved east-west transit connections
Increased weekend service, especially on Saturdays
Key points of the final network proposal
- New transit connections: Adds new and improved connections to Link light rail stations.
- More all-day service: More all-day service: Invests in bus routes that operate all day, every day. There will be 51% more trips on weekdays and 72% more on weekends.
- Expanded weekend service: Introduces new Saturday and Sunday service and increases weekend frequency on main pathways. More specifically, there would be new weekend service in Burien, new Sunday service between Kent and Federal Way, and more frequent weekend services between Kent Des Moines Station, Kent Station, Kent East Hill and Green River College. The final network proposal would provide 57% more trips on Saturday and almost twice as many trips on Sunday when compared to today.
- Stronger east–west travel: Improves essential east-west routes connecting major destinations across the area including:
- Highline College, Kent Station and Green River College
- Twin Lakes Park & Ride, Federal Way Downtown Station and Auburn Station
- New on-demand options: Launches two new Metro Flex on-demand pilot services in Federal Way and Auburn.
- Faster service: Updates bus routes between west Federal Way and downtown Federal Way to make this connection quicker, more direct and easier to navigate.
- Simplified network: To reduce service that is now covered by Link light rail and reinvest transit hours where they’re needed most, we proposed to remove: 122*, 123*, 154*, 157*, 162, 165 (entirely replaced by Routes 164/166), 177, 178*, 179*, 190*, 197*, DART 901. Additionally, Route 193 is proposed for trip reductions, with one less morning and one less afternoon trip.
*Routes that are currently suspended/not operating.
Next steps
The King County Executive has submitted a final ordinance package for the proposed South Link Connections network investments to the King County Council for consideration and a vote. The King County Council is scheduled to consider the proposal this spring.
Service change implementation
Metro implements major changes twice a year, in the spring and the fall. Since the Federal Way Link Extension opened in December 2025, Metro is planning minor service changes aligned with the South Link Connections final network proposal for the Spring 2026 service change on March 28. These changes focus on connecting routes to new stations and expanding the hours of service.
Pending approval by the King County Council, implementation of the remaining planned changes would begin with the Fall 2026 service change. Implementation with each Metro service change is based on workforce capacity to ensure service is delivered reliably, which may require changes to happen in phases. Visit Metro’s Service change page for more information on when specific changes will happen. Service changes are also announced on the Metro Matters blog.
Contact us
Please reach out to us in your preferred language by email at: haveasay@kingcounty.gov
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Another thing is maybe have an express route that could maybe serve downtown Seattle South lake Union I-5 from Mercer Street and exiting 149 and 147 for Kent Des Moines and Star lake and on to Federal Way downtown station and continue to twin lakes Park and Ride. To give commuter a best fashion of a Metro Network. Second thing is for Route 165 keep the same route number and do what it does and only the Route 162 will be also a new all day route the majority of spending time on SR 516 just like the current route also for Route 156 instead of using South 240th Street 16th avenue South and Kent Des Moines Station you Pacific Hwy turn left that Kent Des Moines road and turn right on 24th avenue South by the way you’re saving couple minutes extra then just doing the Long haul. And also maybe at a route that could maybe serve military road like the former Route 192 also have a route that could operate 16th avenue South South of 240th Street to take riders to Redondo area which they got no bus service today. And Also Considering extend the route A line to South Federal Way park and ride via highway 99 making it the whole be a full Pacific highway from south end to the North end
Restore the route 122 for a local route not the peak-only bus
I agree from burien to Kent Des Moines station
I think what they should actually do is keep route 177 for continuous express route to Seattle bypass the link one line. And for the Route 162 turn into a all-day route which will run between lake meridian and Kent Des Moines station and delete the downtown version maybe have route 177 all of trips both directions stops at Star lake in Kent Des Moines park and ride for a convenient transfer and also replacing the current hours for Route 162 riders ask for a partial service between Kent Des Moines and downtown Seattle. Route 165 should still remain the same route number and continue to go to burien just for a convenient one shot trip between Green River and burien with the same frequency on the weekdays except add every 30 minutes service on Sundays and the Route 162 will be all day route with every 30 minutes between lake meridian Kent station and current routing to Kent Des Moines station. Also I’m considering for a route 193 to extend to South Federal Way park and ride remove the 320th park and ride and replace with the South Federal park and ride after the Federal way downtown station you hit back on I-5 to exit 142B for South 348th Street. I think that’s what they should actually do