Copper wire thieves strike again, shut down light rail between SeaTac and Federal Way

Sound Transit light rail shut down between the Star Lake Station in Kent and the Angle Lake Station in SeaTac for almost three hours on Wednesday after thieves stole copper wire, causing a power issue.

The 1 Line’s south extension has only been open since December. But it has experienced repeated, brief disruptions because of power fluctuations that Sound Transit believes are tied mostly to wire theft.

Repeated wire theft along light rail lines

The alert went out at 4:11 a.m. on Feb. 7, and the line had to shut down for repairs and inspections.

“We had staffed up extra ‘crafts’ today, which are the folks who make repairs. And we were able to deploy things really, really quickly along the alignment,” said Henry Bendon, a public information officer for Sound Transit.

Sound Transit coordinated with King County Metro to create a “bus bridge” that detoured around the closure.

Riders could also transfer to the Rapid Ride A Line. That line has extra service for the parade.

Repairs wrapped up just before 7 a.m. The first trains proceeded slowly before full capacity was restored.

Bendon would not say what was specifically damaged along the line or how it was discovered. The Seattle Times reported previously that thefts targeting wire often end up damaging other equipment.

Copper Theft on the rise

Sound Transit has added more cameras, alarms, and security to combat the issue, but thefts keep happening.

Copper prices have soared in recent years. That makes the scrap market more lucrative, and transit lines and telecommunications infrastructure have become major targets.

In Ballard, thieves stole $40,000 worth of wire between the summer of 2025 and New Year’s Eve. The company finally installed tracking devices inside the wiring. That helped police trace the stolen materials to cars that contained hundreds of pounds of stolen wire, plus digital scales and cash.

Legal intervention

It’s become such a prolific issue that utilities and telecom companies urged lawmakers to take action.

At a Senate hearing last fall, Comcast representatives said the issue has “risen to a crisis level” as prices have gone up. According to the Washington State Standard, Lumen reports more copper thefts in our state than any other.

In January, lawmakers introduced House Bill 2213, which would impose a ten-day “holding period” on metal recyclers before they can sell scrap, and require them to upload pictures of wire to a searchable database. It would also allow police to seize wire that they believe was stolen, even after it was sold.

King County Senior Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Gary Ernsdorff told Seattle’s Morning News anchor, Manda Factor, that recyclers know that what they are buying is stolen.

“My dad’s 97 years old. He can’t see well enough to drive. He can’t hear very well. But if a dude came up to him in a ratty old pickup truck with a pair of bolt cutters and a whole bunch of four-foot sections of communication copper wire transmission line, he could spot a thief a mile away,” said King County Senior Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Gary Ernsdorff.

A big day for light rail

Despite the early hiccup, Sound Transit staff said they are prepared for the big crowds.

Dubbed “Operation Blue Thunder,” Sound Transit’s Henry Bendon said all the regional agencies got together to coordinate their efforts.

The 1 Line is running trains every six minutes during the parade, which is more along that “alignment” than ever before. The agency even pulled trains from the east side to keep up with transit demand.

Based on estimates, Sound Transit may see the volume in one day that they expect for the entirety of the World Cup this summer.

“It was the Seahawks Super Bowl on Sunday. It’s very much ours and transit’s here today. So we are prepared, we are ready,” Bendon said.

Contributing: Manda Factor, KIRO Newsradio

Read more of Jillian Raftery’s stories here.