Seattle Transit Blog

CityNerd looks at South Lake Union, its walkability and bicycle lanes, the notoriously unreliable route 8, the wide stroads, and Big Tech's hidden motives for colonizing" downtown areas. How are the Sunday Movies going? Do you like the mix of topics and creators? Are there other topics or creators we've missed that you'd like to ... Continue reading "Sunday Movie: SLU and the L8"

Sound Transit is in the early stages of building Stride 3, a new bus rapid transit service. It will run along SR-522 and Northeast 145th Street between Bothell and Shoreline South/148th Station. Additional right-of-way will be added along parts of the corridor to allow the buses to avoid congestion. One of the more controversial areas ... Continue reading "Fixing Stride 3"

Excerpts from the 1975 novel Ecotopia by Ernest Callenbach. Twenty years earlier in 1955, California, Oregon, and Washington seceded from the US to form a sustainable environmentalist utopia. Since then there has been a cold war and little contact between the US and Ecotopia. Now an American journalist goes to Ecotopia to report on its ... Continue reading "Friday Roundtable: Ecotopia Transit"

I was going to Uwajimaya on September 4th for a routine shopping trip. I got off a 14 bus at Union Station, when right in front of me was a sign for a Sound Transit board meeting. So I went inside to see it. I thought it was the full board meeting (and the signs ... Continue reading "ST Rider Experience Meeting 9/4"

Local Transit News: Land Use & Housing: Other Transportation Commentary & Miscellaneous: Upcoming Events: 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 ... Continue reading "Midweek Roundup: historic test"

By KIAN NAEEMI The Harborview Medical Center area is a bottleneck afflicted with crushing traffic. Multiple roads funnel traffic east into James Street, where traffic then struggles onto I-5. At the same time, bus routes 3 and 4 are trying to serve the same kind of trip on those roads, getting people to the Link ... Continue reading "Speeding Up Routes 3 and 4"

For the first time in history, a light rail vehicle has crossed a floating bridge under its own power. Just before midnight Monday evening, Link vehicle 219 traveled between Mercer Island station and Judkins Park station via the Homer M. Hadley Memorial Bridge. Unlike the tow test in May, the vehicle in yesterday's test was ... Continue reading "Sound Transit Completes Live Wire Test on Floating Bridge"

Was hyperloop a scam? The Cascadia high-speed rail study compared hyperloop to other modes. (CityNerd) The Vegas Loop, which does exist, is unbelievably impractical and gets few riders. Ray rides it and compares it to Las Vegas's other transit. (CityNerd) Ray will be be in Seattle at Town Hall November 5th. Livestream tickets are available; ... Continue reading "Sunday Boring Movies"

Over the past two decades, the City of Seattle, Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT), Port of Seattle, Friends of Waterfront Park, Downtown Seattle Association, Seattle Center, King County Metro, numerous community groups, and thousand of Seattle residents have contributed to redesigning and rebuilding Seattle's waterfront. Years of debates, discussions, proposals, votes ($), and construction ... Continue reading "Friday Roundtable: Waterfront Park Grand Opening"

The next 18 months may be the most important period of Sound Transit history as it tries to close a $30-40 billion program gap (The Urbanist). Additional coverage by the Seattle Times ($). Mayor Harrell thinks a new technical advisory group and regulatory reforms will get the job done with no program cuts or new ... Continue reading "Midweek Roundup: mid-life overhaul"

Biking the new Seattle waterfront and East Marginal Way with Greg Spotts, former SDOT director. (Best Side Cycling) Biking the Vancouver Seawall Trail. (City Beautiful) It goes 28 km (17 miles) around Stanley Park, around False Creek, and along the Kitsilano shore to several beaches. This is an open thread.

The Fall Service Change is upon us and most of the transit agencies in Puget Sound have updates to their network. These changes will take effect over the next few weeks, starting as soon as tomorrow, August 30. These agencies include King County Metro, Sound Transit, Community Transit, Pierce Transit, Everett Transit, and Intercity Transit. ... Continue reading "Fall 2025 Service Change"

This morning, Sound Transit announced the official opening day of the Federal Way Link Extension, which will extend the 1 Line to three new stations beyond its current terminus at Angle Lake. An opening ceremony will be held across the extension on Saturday, December 6, 2025, kicking off full 1 Line service to the new ... Continue reading "Federal Way Link to open on Dec. 6"

Local Transit & Land Use: National News: Commentary & Miscellaneous: This is an Open Thread.

The Link 1 Line runs between Angle Lake in SeaTac and Lynnwood via Tukwila, Seattle, Shoreline, and Mountlake Terrace. In May 2025, the 1 Line had 105,586 average weekday boardings. The 1 Line initially opened in July 2009 and ran between downtown Seattle (Westlake) and Tukwila. Since then, it has expanded north to the University ... Continue reading "Ridership Patterns for Link 1 Line"

California high-speed rail is good, is well under construction, is likely to survive federal grant loss, and could be improved with a conventional-speed interim extension. (Alan Fisher) Los Angeles has big rail and BRT expansion plans. (Nick Andert (nandert) via RMTransit) In June we covered the LAX metro station and the K line in Los ... Continue reading "Sunday Movies: CAHSR & Los Angeles Expansion"

Last week, Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) crews installed the first Freight and Bus (FAB) lane in Seattle on 4th Ave S. The new lane runs northbound from S Walker St to under the Edgar Martinez Dr S overpass. Metro routes 131 and 132 serve stops along this segment of 4th Ave S. The bus ... Continue reading "Friday Roundtable: FAB Lane in SODO"

Recent Transportation Headlines at The Urbanist: Other Transportation: Land Use & Housing: Commentary & Miscellaneous: This is an Open Thread.

Last May, SDOT released a new fact sheet on its Harrison and Mercer Transit Access project, spanning the blue line in the map above. It's at 30% design, and construction can begin as early as" 2026 (although since the May update, that has slipped to 2027). The plan is for, more or less, the usual ... Continue reading "Bus Improvements on Harrison, but Will There be Buses?"

A tale of two cities. Redmond city planning led to massive TOD around Downtown Redmond and Overlake Village stations, and expedited the Link planning. (Yet Another Urbanist) Kemper Freeman's war on transit. (Yet Another Urbanist) This is an open thread.

Pike Place Market's car-free pilot was recently extended until Spring 2026. During this time the Market will create a comprehensive street management plan that will take effect before the FIFA World Cup in June. We don't know what the final plan will be, but it may result in Pike Place becoming the third pedestrian street ... Continue reading "Friday Roundtable: Pedestrian Streets in Seattle"

Upcoming Link Disruptions:- Several sporadic periods of reduced evening service for construction of Pinehurst Station- Downtown tunnel (Westlake to SODO) will be closed Saturday, August 23, from morning to 1pm, for East Link testing. Shuttle buses will run every 10-15 minutes. Local Transit News: Commentary & Miscellaneous: This is an Open Thread. Contact us if ... Continue reading "Midweek Roundup: light rail culture"

The first ever bus routes. (The Tim Traveler) Hint: They're in France and have to do with Blaise Pascal. Three good things about Metro buses and ST Express by a visitor. (Trains are Awesome) The London Underground has express services. (Ontario Traffic Man via RMTransit) This is an open thread.

Seattle has a long history with rail public transit. This map was drawn by Harry Foesig and published in Leslie Blanchard's 1968 book, The Street Railway Era in Seattle: a Chronicle of Six Decades. Despite the map depicting Seattle 129 years ago, many of the routes shown are still served by Metro routes today. STB ... Continue reading "Friday Roundtable: Seattle Street Railways in 1896"

The Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) is wrapping up two projects in Pioneer Square that will make traveling in the area easier for everyone. SDOT is hosting a celebration during the Pioneer Square Art Walk today from 5-7pm at 3rd Ave S & S Main St. SDOT's 3rd Ave S & S Main St project ... Continue reading "SDOT Project Completion Celebration in Pioneer Square"

Elections Headlines: Transit & Streets: Land Use & Housing: Commentary & Miscellaneous: Selected election results (1st drop; 8pm, Aug. 5): This is an Open Thread.

Pike Place Market with cars in 2022, and without cars in 2025. (Juan Rodriguez) Cars were removed from Pike Place in April due to a building construction project blocking a lane. They were supposed to return this month but Mayor Harrell extended the ban to spring 2026. The city is taking advantage of this temporary ... Continue reading "Sunday Movie: Pike Place Market With and Without Cars"

One of the most significant transit gaps in Seattle is on Boren Ave between Jackson Street and Denny Way. Boren Ave is aligned with the downtown grid and runs through the heart of First Hill. The avenue is unique as it is the only road connects South Lake Union (SLU), First Hill, and Little Saigon. ... Continue reading "Friday Roundtable: Boren Ave Route Idea"

On Monday, King County Metro announced fares will increase on September 1, 2025, for multiple Metro services and for the Seattle Streetcar, which is owned by SDOT but operated by Metro. From the announcement: The new adult $3 fare brings the price of riding Metro buses, Metro Flex and Seattle Streetcar in alignment with Sound ... Continue reading "Metro and Seattle Streetcar fares increasing on Sept. 1"

Local Transit & Streets: Other Transportation: Commentary & Miscellaneous: This is an Open Thread.

Livability in Melbourne, Australia. (CityNerd) The Seattle waterfront streetcars in 1982-2005 came from Melbourne. When an Australian friend who'd grown up in Melbourne visited, I took him on the streetcar. It really reminded him of his childhood. The current Melbourne streetcars ave a green-and-yellow style that looks like a Metro bus on rails. And they're ... Continue reading "Movies: Melbourne & Auckland"

The Bellevue Arts Fair is this weekend if you're looking for something to do. It's a large free annual festival of artists' booths and other artsy activities. It started Friday and continues Saturday 10am-7pm, and Sunday 11am-6pm. Here's a map with the event locations. The fair started in 1948, and has been running annually my ... Continue reading "Bellevue Arts Fair"

The annual Seafair Festival Weekend is next week on August 1-3 at Genesee Park. Festivities include an air show, hydroplane races, and a classic car show. Event organizers are encouraging attendees to use public transportation. For most people, the Link 1 Line will be the best option. The closest station is Columbia City. Route 106 ... Continue reading "Friday Roundtable: Seafair Festival Weekend Transit"

Elections 2025: Ballots are out for the August 5 Primary Election. Guides & Endorsements: WA Voters' Guide (official), The Urbanist, Transportation for Washington, Progressive Voters Guide, The Stranger, The Seattle Times ($), Real Change. In Seattle, the City Council is looking to codify deference to district representatives regarding issues in their district, which would make ... Continue reading "Midweek Roundup: transit to avoid traffic"

Why the Chicago L's Evanston Express line isn't really an express. (Car Free Keith) Why the Washington and Oregon coast has no large cities. (Geography by Geoff) This is an open thread.

The over the next few weeks, the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) will be putting the final touches on Segment 1 of the Beacon Ave S & 15th Ave S Safety Project. This project has resulted in protected bike lanes from S Spokane St to the Dr. Jose Rizal Bridge, several new speed cushions and ... Continue reading "Friday Roundtable: Beacon Hill Safety Project"

King County Metro's RapidRide G Line travels inbound from Madison Valley to downtown Seattle on Madison St. Outbound trips travel in the reverse direction. In May 2025, the G Line had 6,113 average weekday boardings. The G Line launched in September 2024 and uses the first (and still only) center running bus lanes in King ... Continue reading "Ridership Patterns for RapidRide G Line"

Transportation: Commentary & Miscellaneous: This is an Open Thread.

In a surprising turn of events, Sound Transit CEO Dow Constantine announced Thursday that he now wants the agency to open the Federal Way Link Extension on the 1 Line as soon as possible, and move its opening ahead of the 2 Line's long-delayed Cross-Lake Connection. The Federal Way Link Extension (FWLE), after having setbacks ... Continue reading "Accelerated Federal Way Opening"

A love letter to trams. (Not Just Bikes) Trams in this sense mean surface light rail with transit-lane priority on arterials, like Link on MLK, or the MAX Blue Line outside downtown. Not stuck in car congestion or shunted away to freeways. He makes some interesting counterarguments to many STB authors/commentators' positions: Race the L8 ... Continue reading "Sunday Movie: Trams!"

On Thursday, Fix the L8 hosted a race between people walking, rolling, and dancing vs a Route 8 bus. The race was on Denny Way from Dexter Ave to Stewart St. On paper, this should be an easy win for Route 8 as its schedule indicates a 7 minute trip along this segment. Walking is ... Continue reading "Race the L8"

On the Fourth of July, Everett has a downtown parade, a festival at a waterfront park, fireworks in the evening - and two bus shuttles running every 5 minutes. I used it as an excuse to check out American Legion Memorial Park and the arboretum there in the afternoon. Everett's geography has some parallels with ... Continue reading "Friday Roundtable: Everett 4th Festival"

King County Metro has shared their revised South King County restructure proposal in preparation for Sound Transit's Federal Way Link Extension (FWLE) opening in 2026. Metro is accepting feedback via a survey until August 31. Overall, this plan will introduce three new routes and two new Metro Flex areas, revise eight routes, and remove 13 ... Continue reading "South Link Connections Phase 3 Proposal"

Local Transit News: A post on the updated South Link Connections bus restructure proposal is in the works. Other Transportation: Land Use & Housing: Commentary & Miscellaneous: This is an Open Thread.

The metric that housing should cost 30% of income is not based on any scientific estimate of people's total living expenses. (Radical Planning) Instead it has an arbitrary history, and has evolved to be detrimental to both affordable housing and mortgages. This is an open thread.

While most people looking at the sky today are hoping to see fireworks, I prefer to look at overhead trolleybus wires. The map below outlines the location of all trolleybus wires in Seattle. This dataset was created by King County and last updated in 2018. While the map has not been updated in 7 years, ... Continue reading "Friday Roundtable: Metro Trolley Wire Map"

Tomorrow is a Independence Day, so Puget Sound transit agencies are running reduced schedules. To help everyone travel to and from the celebrations throughout the region, some agencies are running extra service. The schedule changes are outlined below. Click on an agency's name to view the official announcement. Sound Transit King County Metro Washington State ... Continue reading "4th of July Transit Service"

Local Transit News: Other Transportation: Land Use & Housing: Commentary & Miscellaneous: This is an Open Thread.

This is a hypothetical redesign of King County Metro's transit service in the Seattle area, with smaller changes to Sound Transit service, meant to enhance riders' ability to reach destinations throughout the city whatever the time of day. Within the city's borders, every stop is served by at least one route with 15-minute or better ... Continue reading "A Bus Network for Access Above Demand"