Midweek Roundup: historic test
by Nathan Dickey from Seattle Transit Blog on (#6ZXZJ)
Bruce Englehardt (photographer, wikipedian, and former STB contributor) posted photos of Sound Transit's historic live test 2 Line across Lake Washington. More photos (The Seattle Times, $) and video (Instagram post by Sound Transit; YouTube video by the NW Progressive Institute) of Sound Transit's historic live test of the world's first electrified rail line on a floating bridge. Local Transit News:The first East Link train under its own power on the floating bridge!
- Bruce Englehardt (@sounderbruce.bsky.social) 2025-09-09T07:15:09.938Z
- King County Council may enact its condemnation authority on 10 properties to facilitate construction of RapidRide I Line (The Urbanist).
- Efforts by Metro and Sound Transit to make transit feel more safe were on the cover of the Seattle Times ($) on Sunday.
- King County Metro wants to know how you'd improve Route 106 (Metro Matters). The 5-minute questionnaire is open until October 8.
- Sound Transit is considering double-length railcars for its Series 3 of Link light rail trains (The Urbanist).
- Between 2017 and 2023, Seattle added 35,000 households but only 3,300 cars (The Seattle Times, $). Additional coverage by The Urbanist.
- Seattle City Councilmembers are poised to vote on 106 amendments to the City's decadal Comprehensive Plan Update before its adoption (The Urbanist).
- Seattle's apartment construction boom has had an unexpected side effect: publicly-subsidized buildings seem to be struggling to compete against the depressed market rate as over 10% of affordable units are vacant (The Seattle Times, $). Are affordable" rents (30% of household income) too expensive, or do we have too many market-rate units? City officials think it's the latter.
- USDOT Secretary Sean Duffy continues to use any means necessary to justify defunding transit (Streetsblog USA).
- Anaheim, CA, is considering an aerial gondola (among other options) to connect its central transit center to its major tourist destinations (The Los Angeles Times). I wouldn't want to be in one when the Santa Ana winds kick up, though.
- The Waterfront celebrated its Grand Opening last Saturday, but many planned features were left on the cutting room floor (The Urbanist).
- With Seattle city leaders refusing pump the brakes on Seattle ST3 projects, the Sound Transit Board seems to be breaking back into parochial cliques as it stares down a $20-30B deficit over the next 20 years (The Urbanist). Additional coverage by the Seattle Times ($). However, both Mayor Harrell and County Councilmember Balducci are open to delaying or cancelling construction of a second tunnel through Downtown (KUOW).
Tomorrow, Sept. 11, 5:30pm: Transit candidate Meet & Greet hosted by Seattle Subway. RVSP here.
Thursday, Sept. 18, 5:30: Meet and Greet with King County Councilmember Claudia Balducci hosted by The Urbanist and Seattle Subway. RSVP here.
This is an Open Thread.