King County Metro outlines bus routing changes to connect Burien with new Federal Way light-rail link

King County Metro officials told the Burien City Council on Feb. 10 that a planned restructure of bus service tied to the Sound Transit Federal Way Link extension aims to shift resources from peak-only commuter routes toward more frequent all‑day and weekend service in South King County.

"We're excited to come and talk with you tonight about Metro's restructure around the extension of the Sound Transit Link Line," said Amanda Pleasant Brown, who identified herself as Metro government‑relations staff. Metro staff emphasized the changes respond to the opening of new light‑rail stations at Kent‑Des Moines, Star Lake and Federal Way and to community priorities identified in phase‑1 engagement.

The presentation highlighted three changes that Metro said would affect Burien riders: new Saturday and Sunday service on the DART Route 631 (which currently runs only on weekdays), earlier and later trips on Route 156 plus an extension to the Kent‑Des Moines light‑rail station, and a newly created Route 166 that would replace the Burien–to–Kent portion of current Route 165 and offer 30‑minute all‑day service, including on Sundays.

Metro said the Route 166 through‑routing design would allow some southbound trips leaving the Burien Transit Center to continue through at Kent‑Des Moines so riders would not have to change buses in most cases. Metro staff acknowledged that northbound travel would be more complicated: "In the opposite direction, only every other 164 trip towards Kent‑Des Moines Station turns into Route 166," Nicole Aguirre, the project manager, told the council.

The agency also said its Phase‑2 network would remove 10 peak‑only routes to free resources for expanded local service and add weekend service on two corridors in the study area. Metro said nine of the 10 peak routes proposed for removal are currently suspended and not in operation.

Council members praised proposed changes, while raising neighborhood concerns. Deputy Mayor Sarah Moore thanked Metro for prioritizing weekend and early/late service and noted the loss of prior express routes that provided fast trips to downtown Seattle. Councilmember Hugo Garcia asked Metro to consider impacts on Boulevard Park and other lower‑income neighborhoods annexed into Burien. Metro staff said decisions were driven by resources and the five community priorities established in the project’s advisory process: greater coverage, extended hours, faster trips to high‑capacity stations, improved east‑west connections and increased weekend service.

Metro said the project will run three phases of public engagement, with the current draft publicly available through February and additional outreach and refinements planned through summer 2025. Final proposed changes are expected to be submitted to the King County Council in spring 2026 with implementation targeted for fall 2026.

Council members asked Metro to return with follow‑up on how the restructure will interact with the state Department of Transportation’s Gateway Project in Burien’s south end and to provide more detail about service frequency and operating assumptions.

Metro staff encouraged residents and local partners to take the project survey (southlinkconnections.com) and noted materials and recordings are available in multiple languages.