Video Roundup

Why you shouldn't put light rail in tunnels. (RMTransit)

In the video Reese argues that German U-Stadtbahn trams work well because they only have a short tunnel in the city center. Beyond that you should either have surface light rail or tunneled high-capacity metro, but not light rail with extensive tunnels. He mentions Link and a few other cities as what not to do.

Salt Lake City's transit is surprisingly good. It's a model for other medium-sized American cities. (RMTransit)

A London Overground overview. (RMTransit)

More below the fold....

Living car-free in Las Vegas. (CityNerd)

Tokyo's musical train stations. (Bright Trip) Link stations have unique pictograms. Tokyo stations have 7-second melodies. I've seen a elevator like that, where each parking garage level has song themed after a different city.

Non-video items

East Link update. Target date 2025 (with possible starter line in 2024). Testing is ongoing in Bellevue, track replacement west of Mercer Island (those plinths). Travel times: Mercer Island - UW 20 minutes; South Bellevue - SeaTac airport 50 minutes; Redmond Tech - Bellevue Downtown 10 minutes.

Seattle's draft comprehensive plan and EIS will be published in September. Community meetings start in November. In the meantime here's the One Seattle Plan portal.

Seattle's Art Deco skyscrapers. ($) With pictures of Wooworth's, the 4th & University building (and the Cobb building next to it), and the Exchange Building.

This is an open thread.