Seattle Transit Blog

Earlier today, Brent White wrote the 500,000th comment on a Seattle Transit Blog article. Seattle Transit Blog wouldn't be the same without you: our readers and commenters. Thank you for reading and discussing the latest transit news, route proposals, and ridership data with us since 2007. To celebrate this milestone and the incredible community that ... Continue reading "Join us for Seattle Transit Trivia on August 24!"

Starting August 29, King County Metro, Sound Transit, and Pierce Transit will be making changes to bus routes in south King County and Pierce County. Most of these changes are in response to the Federal Link Link Extension that opened in December 2025. Service changes in east and north King County will be discussed in ... Continue reading "Fall 2026 Service Change: Pierce County and South King County"

Seattle is the opposite of every other US city. (Safety First) Is urbanism inherently left wing? (Oh the Urbanity!) (Warning: The end contains a Canadian rant on US policies.) The Alto high-speed rail mentioned in the video will connect Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, Quebec City, Peterborough, and Trois-Rivieres at 200 mph. It's currently in planning. Toronto-Montreal ... Continue reading "Sunday Movie: Seattle Difference & Density Politics"

At the Sound Transit Board System Expansion Committee meeting on Thursday, the agency shared a series of updates on the upcoming West Seattle Link Extension. The grand opening for the 3.9 mile extension from SODO to Alaska Junction has slipped from 2032 to 2035. This delay is due to longer than expected construction time for ... Continue reading "Friday Roundtable: West Seattle Link Update"

Correction, 8/12 11:30am: We retract the previous statement about a train derailing and have updated the paragraph below with a comment from Sound Transit. We regret this error. After someone crashed their car into a barrier and pushed it onto the tracks along MLK Way on Monday evening, a southbound train attempted to use the ... Continue reading "Midweek Roundup: ban rental junk fees"

King County Metro has shared an updated high-level design of the RapidRide R Line and is asking the community for feedback. The R Line will travel between Rainier Beach station and downtown Seattle on Rainier Ave when it opens in 2032. First envisioned in the 2015 Levy to Move Seattle, work on this route was ... Continue reading "RapidRide R Line Project Update"

Why the DC Streetcar failed. (Climate and Transit) Why small studio apartments are proliferating. Seattle is mentioned twice. (Stewart Hicks) Musical interlude: Crazy Downtown by Allan Sherman, 1965. This is an open thread.

The eastern half of Bellevue Transit Center is closed for Stride S1 and S2 construction, so several bus stops are relocated to adjacent streets. The current phase will last until October. Then the western half of the transit center will close until January. Currently three temporary bus stops have been established on adjacent streets: Sound ... Continue reading "Bellevue Transit Center Bus Relocations"

Over the past three months, thousands of Seattleites have enjoyed a car-free section of Lake Washington Boulevard (LWB) each weekend. The inadequately titled Bicycle Weekends" program closes 3 miles of lakefront roadway to cars so everyone can walk, bike, roll, and play along the water. Mayor Wilson expanded the program this year to include every ... Continue reading "Friday Roundtable: Celebrate Lake Washington Boulevard"

Preliminary first-count results released yesterday. Coverage by KUOW, by The Urbanist, by The Stranger, by The Seattle Times ($), and by the Northwest Progressive Institute. King County's results are here (PDF); statewide results are accessible here. First-drop preliminary results represent about half of ballots cast; later counts typically trend very progressive in the Puget Sound ... Continue reading "August 2026 Primary Election"

First-drop election results after the headlines. Service changes are coming at the end of August! Summary articles are in the works. Headlines: EDIT, 11:30am: Election Results have been moved to a new post. This is an Open Thread. Election results should be discussed in comments on that post.

Sound Transit's expanded night-owl bus service is starting on August 29 with service between Redmond-Seattle and Lakewood-Seattle. In 2025, the agency originally proposed three night-owl routes that would provide service to most Link stations while trains are not running. While two of these routes will start this month, the north route to Everett has been ... Continue reading "Sound Transit expands night-owl service to Lakewood, Redmond - not Everett"

Update: Normal service on the 1 Line and 2 Line resumed shortly after 2pm on Sunday. Late last night, an empty Link train derailed while turning around using the pocket track at International District/Chinatown station. The train was on its way to Stadium station to help ease the crowds of Ed Sheeran fans waiting for ... Continue reading "Derailed train shuts down Link service downtown"

In 2019 Amsterdam committed to removing 10,000 street parking spaces in 5 years to make a more liveable city, repurposing the space for sidewalks, bike lanes, and transit. Local residents were enthusiastic after they were removed. Now Amsterdam is removing 10,000 more spaces by 2030. (Not Just Bikes) This is an open thread.

Seafair is happening Friday-Sunday at Genesee Park. Metro has a transit access page and area map. Route 50 goes to Genesee Park from Columbia City, Othello, and SODO Link stations. Columbia City station also has a shuttle bus between 9am and 6pm on festival days. The page has a list of Link P&Rs and how ... Continue reading "Seafair Weekend & Ballard Link Update"

This is an Open Thread.

Since smashing ridership records following its blockbuster round-the-clock service during the FIFA World Cup, Link light rail has been plagued by a myriad of disparate service disruptions. Just a few days after the USA vs. Belgium match, an open hatch door took down the catenary wire near UW Station, leading to service being suspended in ... Continue reading "Sound Transit addresses recent post-World Cup service disruptions"

Manila's jeepneys and emerging metro rail network. (Evan Edinger) Evan Edinger and Not Just Bikes tour London's bike path network. They compare it to a decade ago and to The Netherlands. Musical interlude: Via con Me (It's Wonderful). 1950s Rome with scooters and streetcars. This is an open thread.

This is an Open Thread.

After nearly two months of various council deliberations and public commentary, the Seattle Transit Measure is officially heading to voters in this year's November General Election. This measure proposes to renew funding for boosted transit service in Seattle, first enacted in 2014 (and reduced in 2020) for 10 years. Mayor Wilson's proposal in June faced ... Continue reading "Seattle Transit Measure renewal headed to voters in November"

Why have two downtown lots have remained empty for over a decade? The story of the Seattle Times lot and the Pioneer Square Station lot. (Build Core) Housing price dynamics in the US, UK, and New Zealand. (Patrick Boyle) This is an open thread.

Link will have a few maintenance reductions in late July and early August. On Sunday July 26 all day, the Crosslake part of the 2 Line will be replaced by shuttle buses between South Bellevue and International District. The shuttle will run approximately every 10-15 minutes. The 1 Line will run every 8 minutes from ... Continue reading "Friday Roundtable: Link Reductions July-August"

A Seattle city committee voted on a slate of amendments to the Seattle Transit Measure (STM) levy renewal Mayor Wilson proposed. The meeting video has the proceedings. It's three and a half hours long, and parts of it were confusing to me. I watched the debates and votes on 6 of the 22 amendments. This ... Continue reading "Seattle Transit Amendments Results"

PubliCola interviewed Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson: Part 1 and Part 2. Cascade PBS sat down with Tacoma Mayor Anders Ibsen, also at 6 months into his first term. Transit & Streets: Land Use & Housing: Other: This is an Open Thread.

By OLIVER CHEN Living in Seattle, I've come to appreciate the humble bus. I find riding the bus much more pleasant than driving through the city (and certainly much better than circling for parking!). Sitting alongside my fellow Seattleites makes me feel like a participant in the ebb and flow of the city rather than ... Continue reading "Mapping King County Metro Ridership"

Deadly stroad crosswalks are unique to the US. (Safe By Design) How LA Metro accidentally made itself fare-free. (Alex Davis) Musical interlude: Walking in LA. I can take a Bus Downtown (You Can Walk Downtown). This is an open thread.

This Monday, July 13, Seattle City Council is holding public hearings on the Seattle Transit Measure, Mayor Katie Wilson's proposed renewal of funding for more frequent, reliable bus service across Seattle. Councilmembers are considering a long list of potential amendments to the proposed measure. Some proposed amendments would cut funding, shorten the measure, and slow ... Continue reading "Action Alert: Stand Up for Seattle Transit"

Sound Transit has unveiled their initial proposal for the 2027 service plan. These changes are relatively minor compared to the Fall 2026 service changes that will take effect in August. This proposal includes changes for routes 510, 512, 532, 535, 545, 560, and Link. Routes 510 and 512 In Everett, early-morning Route 510 trips and ... Continue reading "Friday Roundtable: Sound Transit's 2027 Service Plan Proposal"

At 6:47 this morning, Sound Transit issued an ominous alert stating 1 Line and 2 Line trains are experiencing delays until further notice due to power issue near University of Washington Station". Less than 10 minutes later, Link service between Northgate, Stadium, and Judkins Park Station was suspended due to the power issue, with shuttle ... Continue reading "Link disrupted due to power issues near UW Station"

Over the past four weeks, Seattle hosted six World Cup matches featuring teams from eight different countries. Fans from around the world traveled to Seattle to cheer on their team and enjoy the Pacific Northwest. Seattle stepped up to the challenge of hosting 750,000 visitors by implementing temporary changes to make their experiences as wonderful ... Continue reading "Seattle won the World Cup, what did we learn?"

Transit & Streets Land Use & Housing This is an Open Thread.

Look out Seattle! World Cup fever has reached its peak. The final World Cup game in Seattle is today at 5pm at Seattle Stadium (Lumen Field). The US Men's team will be playing against Belgium in the Round of 16. The stadium itself will be busy, along with various watch parties around the city. Expect ... Continue reading "How to get around Seattle today"

A Golden Gardens Direct ride from the beach to central Ballard, partly with a view of the bike trail and its linear woods. (Scooby Doo and the Goblin King) This is the real-time trip block by block, so if you find it too slow you can go into Settings -> Playback Speed and speed it ... Continue reading "Sunday Movies: Golden Gardens & Duvall"

Holiday service announcements: Metro holiday service with Sound Transit, streetcars, and the King County water taxis. Sound Transit, Community Transit, Pierce Transit, Everett Transit, Kitsap Transit, Monorail, Washington State Ferries announcements. Trailhead Direct (choose route from Routes menu; holiday section is in top right). Below is a breakdown by day. If something is critical to ... Continue reading "Friday Roundtable: July 4 Weekend Service"

Reminder: most transit agencies will be running Sunday/holiday service this Friday, July 3, in observation of Independence Day. Check your local agency's service alerts. Reminder: To ensure there is enough space on trains, bikes and scooters are not allowed on trains on World Cup match days. There are matches today (July 1) and next Monday ... Continue reading "Midweek Roundup: Transit Champions"

Since the Lynnwood Link Extension opened in August 2024, Community Transit has overhauled its network. The two Link stations in Snohomish County have allowed the agency to invest more service hours in local routes than ever before. This investment comes at the cost the Commuter routes, which the agency has truncated and rebranded as Express. ... Continue reading "Community Transit Ridership Jumped 24% After Lynnwood Link Restructure"

Vancouver BC chose a Skytrain extension in the eastern Surrey-Langley suburbs over a competing surface light rail (LRT) proposal with a different L-shaped route. The video discusses the tradeoffs between the two, how to build an elevated rail extension, and the socioeconomic factors for the station cachement areas in both alternatives. (The B1M) This is ... Continue reading "Sunday Movie: Surrey-Langley Skytrain"

Reminders: To ensure there is enough space on trains, bikes and scooters are not allowed on trains on World Cup match days. Local: Further Afield: This is an Open Thread.

On Friday, Sound Transit and King County Metro carried over 500,000 passengers on trains, buses, and boats throughout Puget Sound. Both Link and the King County Water Taxi set a new one-day ridership records of 280,000 and 9,483 boardings, respectively. Friday was a busy day in Seattle. Communities around the City hosted Juneteenth celebrations. The ... Continue reading "Seattle Scores Record Transit Ridership"

Leaders from King County and Seattle met at Golden Gardens Park Monday morning to inaugurate a new shuttle service direct to Golden Gardens Park. Golden Gardens Direct" will provide a direct connection between Market Street in central Ballard to the park on Seaview Ave NW. Buses will run every 30 minutes every day from 11 ... Continue reading "Golden Gardens Direct shuttle starts Saturday"

What are Barcelona superblocks (superilles) really like? What do they look like, how many people use them, and what do they do in them? Here's an overview: By CityFixer. Seattle is briefly mentioned at 9:30-9:41. Some shorts on the superblocks: (1) Streetfilms overview, (2) a zen garden like effect with flat rock seats, (3) the ... Continue reading "Sunday Movie: Barcelona Superblocks"

Borrowing a phrase from Kirk Hovenkotter (Executive Director of Transportation Choices Coalition), today's Roundtable is about tourist use of Seattle's mass transit system. On Monday, Seattle held its first FIFA Men's World Cup match at Seattle Stadium" (Lumen Field). Sound Transit, King County Metro, Community Transit, and Pierce Transit each boosted transit service to get ... Continue reading "Friday Roundtable: the world is riding Seattle transit"

Earlier this week, Sound Transit shared the per-station breakdown of Link's record-breaking ridership in April 2026. The two new stations, Judkins Park and Mercer Island had 2,130 and 1,723 average weekday boardings, respectively. Ridership at these stations will increase over the next year as travel patterns change. Additionally, Metro and Sound Transit will restructure their ... Continue reading "Early Look at Crosslake Connection's Record-Breaking Ridership"

Community Transit has transformed its network over the past few years. Since its founding in 1976, Community Transit (CT) has operated a mix of local routes in Snohomish County and commuter routes to Seattle and other significant employment centers. Following Sound Transit's Link extension to Lynnwood in August 2024, CT deleted all but one of ... Continue reading "Community Transit Express Route Ridership Data"

Reminders: Seattle is hosting 5 more FIFA World Cup games over coming weeks. Keep an eye on your transit agency's service alerts and be aware there may be crowds at unusual times. Bikes and scooters are banned from Link trains on game days. This Friday, June 19, is Juneteenth, and Seattle hosting a match between ... Continue reading "Midweek Roundup: Summer of Soccer'"

Reece Martin (RMTransit) resurfaces with a discussion with Dr Jonathan English on how process issues affect the quality of transit projects. They call it engineering issues" vs phone call issues". Engineering issues are straightforward technical problems, like building Link on a floating bridge or a tunnel in dubious soil. Phone call issues are those where ... Continue reading "Bonus Movie: Process"

Three videos by J-Man Explores. Riding all the Community Transit Swift lines in one day, with the history of each transit corridor. Swift is the limited-stop BRT in Snohomish County, 13-30 miles north of Seattle, serving Lynnwood and Everett and surrounding cities. Transfers from Link light rail are at Shoreline North/185th station and Lynnwood City ... Continue reading "Sunday Movies: All Swift Lines & Rural Puget Sound"

On Friday afternoon, Community Transit Route 424 made its final trip from Seattle to the City of Snohomish. This marks the end of Community Transit's Commuter bus service to Seattle. When Community Transit was created in 1976, the agency operated just seven local bus routes. Within the first year, the system grew to 15 local ... Continue reading "Community Transit ran its last bus to Seattle"

Visiting Bainbridge Island will be a bit easier on Saturdays this summer thanks to a new free shuttle operated by Kitsap Transit. The route will operate on Saturdays between June 13 and September 12 (except July 4) from 11am to 7pm. Route 385 will be timed with the Bainbridge-Seattle ferry and run in a small ... Continue reading "Friday Roundtable: Free Downtown Bainbridge Shuttle"

The 2026 Men's World Cup kicks off today with a match between Mexico and South Africa in Mexico City. Seattle is hosting six games over the next five weeks. To ensure everyone can easily get where they need to go, transit agencies across Puget Sound are running extra services on match days. Seattle Each match ... Continue reading "Transit to World Cup Events"