Copper wire theft briefly shuts down light rail in Kent, Federal Way
Published 3:52 pm Friday, February 20, 2026
Copper wire theft shut down the Federal Way Link Extension for several hours Friday morning, Feb. 20 between Angle Lake in SeaTac and downtown Federal Way, halting light rail in Kent and Des Moines.
Life rail trains stopped at about 6:30 a.m. and resumed at about 10:48 a.m., according to Sound Transit. Riders could catch shuttle buses at the two stations in Kent and one in Federal Way.
“We take the recent copper wire thefts on the 1 Line very seriously,” said Sound Transit spokesperson Amy Enbysk in a Feb. 20 email. “This incident, which occurred last night (Feb. 19) between Angle Lake and Federal Way Downtown stations, temporarily disrupted service. Unfortunately, this is part of a broader trend. We have experienced multiple thefts recently, and similar incidents are regularly occurring nationally and internationally. Some recent incidents have been extremely brazen, including tampering with wires while trains are in service.”
Sound Transit shut down the same section for a short time the morning of the Seahawks Super Bowl parade on Feb. 11 due to copper wire theft. Thieves steal the copper and then look to sell it.
“Sound Transit is approaching this issue with the utmost urgency,” Enbysk said. “We are actively investigating the incident. As we’ve brought the segment online and encountered recent incidents, we continue to increase security measures, install additional cameras, and enhance monitoring at critical locations to deter future thefts.”
The agency opened the 7.8-mile stretch between Angle Lake and Federal Way in December.
“Our crews worked diligently to repair the damage and were able to restore service at approximately 11 a.m.,” Enbysk said about the Feb. 20 incident. “Safety is our top priority, and we are committed to protecting our riders and transit infrastructure.”
