Seattle Transit Blog

As we covered a while back, Metro is gathering input on bus routes following the implementation of Lynnwood Link. They have initially proposed a sizable service gap along Lake City Way, as well as limited connectivity in the area. This should be fixed. Current Service and Future Plans There are three buses that run on … Continue reading "All of Lake City Way Should Have Frequent Bus Service"

Sound Transit releases WSBLE study results and new options (for the West Seattle and Ballard Link Extension). Public input until February 17. ST2 Link openings scheduling. Staff are exploring the possibility of opening the East Link starter line without delaying Lynnwood Link’s opening, a partial ST Express restructure with the starter line (no specific routes … Continue reading "News Roundup: Lots of Things"

Like many people in the Puget Sound region, Covid has changed my commute patterns and my use of transit. As a result – and perhaps not surprisingly – my posting here has gone down dramatically as well. But one thing I have been thinking quite a bit about is how the ST3 package could pivot … Continue reading "Rethinking ST3 in the Covid Era"

The buses in the north end of the county will be restructured with the arrival of Lynnwood Link. A big part of this is the new Stride S3 route (also known as Stride 522). Some have called for a “shadow” of this new frequent and fast, limited-stop route. What is a bus shadow, anyway? The … Continue reading "Does the Stride S3 (522) Need a Shadow?"

KUOW’s Week in Review podcast today discusses several relevant topics: Kshama Sawant will leave the Seattle city council this term to form a national movement. The state legislature is considering a wealth tax, a basic income for low-income people, and raising the minimum zoning in single-family areas. Possible zoning alternatives are 2-plex, 4-plex, 6-plex, either … Continue reading "Open Thread: North American Buses"

Here’s a list of the retail open in selected parts of the midtown retail district in downtown Seattle. I inventoried Westlake Mall, Pacific Place, Pine Street between 9th and 3rd Avenues, and the emptiest part of 3rd Avenue between Olive Way and Union Street. I also did a less-extensive look at Pike Street, and did … Continue reading "Downtown Retail Inventory"

On January 11th, Sound Transit held the second Interbay-Ballard workshop to prepare for a route selection by the Board in March. The workshop summarized the findings from the first workshop and online responses, and then presented a few new options for tunnel stations along 14th and 15th Ave NW. These options were to address some … Continue reading "Ballard Station Workshop"

130th Station in Seattle is estimated to open in mid 2026. (Thanks to eddiew for the link.) This would fit in with other openings thus: I couldn’t find a date for the Swift Green UW Bothell extension. Sources: ELSL/Lynnwood proposal. ST3 realignment adopted Aug 2021. T line. RapidRide G. RapidRide H. RapidRide I. Community Transit … Continue reading "Open Thread: 130th in 2026"

Metro is seeking input on “Phase 2” of Lynnwood Link Connections. In Phase 1 they gathered input on what the public wanted, and now they have taken those ideas and proposed a restructure. There are several themes common with this proposal, which are listed after the map. Fewer Routes and Less Coverage After the Northgate … Continue reading "New Metro Restructure Proposal for Lynnwood Link"

Where the US needs more Interstate highways (Geography King). April Fools in January. Why transit cities are better for everyone (RMTransit) Paris RER is the best commuter rail in the world (RMTransit) What the US gets wrong about trams (RMTransit) This is an open thread.

We usually call Sounder “regional rail” or “commuter rail”, but both terms are ambiguous. Other possible terms like “metropolitan rail”, “local rail”, “express rail”, or “rapid transit” are also ambiguous. That leaves me at a loss with what to call Sounder or RER that’s not ambiguous. The same problem exists with Cascades. “Regional rail” implies … Continue reading "What to call Sounder-type rail?"

Sounder’s ridership is still just a third of pre-pandemic levels ($), even as Link has surpassed its 2019 level and Metro buses have recovered more than half. The Seattle Times headline says “Sounder’s trains future in limbo”. The article goes on to say, “Julie Timm, Sound Transit’s new CEO, said it’s too early to make … Continue reading "New Year’s News Roundup: Sounder Faltering"

The Downtown Seattle Association released an update to its Third Avenue street reconfiguration vision. The DSA is a private organization of business leaders dedicated to promoting shopping and jobs downtown. Here’s our previous coverage in June, and a comment thread in September. The vision describes Third Avenue as “a critical north-south transportation route in downtown … Continue reading "Third Avenue Renovation"

Snow is expected today, although it continues to be unpredictable as it was three weeks ago. Here’s a fresh open thread to discuss it and other topics. Wednesday and Thursday will be unusually cold in the low 20s. Beware of black ice. Metro’s Snow Guide dashboard has a map of which subareas are on snow … Continue reading "Fresh Open Thread"

Sound Transit is getting more serious about an East Link starter line until the defective plinths delaying the lake crossing can be replaced. We earlier covered Claudia Balducci’s original proposal and Sherwin Lee’s plea for good transfers. The delay of the lake crossing has cascading impacts on the Lynnwood extension, which will finish construction first … Continue reading "ST2 Link Progress"

Link public art: history and review ($). Jarrett Walker is writing a second edition of his book “Human Transit”, and is asking for input on what to include. Population-weighted density, or, is Los Angeles denser than New York City? (Pedestrian Observations) Video of San Francisco’s new Central Subway. (Stroll With Me) The most important rail … Continue reading "News Roundup"

Metro sent an email alert today: “After two Metro operators identified a manufacturing issue in the steering system in some vehicles, Metro proactively removed 126 buses from service out of its 1,500-vehicle fleet. The identified problem did not lead to any accidents or injuries. Metro inspected all its buses to ensure all vehicles in service … Continue reading "Metro Cancellations"

Snow started to fall this morning in central Seattle. The National Weather Service expects snow and rain/snow and snow through Thursday, although with little ground accumulation. Enter your zip code for a neighborhood-specific forecast, and scroll down to “Additional Forecasts” and click “Forecast Discussion” for a detailed analysis. Metro’s Snow Guide dashboard has a map … Continue reading "Open Thread: Snow Time"

This is a semi-open thread on transit in Snohomish County. I’m trying this as a new idea to group topics by broad areas. The next one will be on Pierce County in a week or so. If you have any Pierce-related links, or ideas for other semi-open threads, you can email them to contact at … Continue reading "Snohomish County Transit"

Includes comparisons to Europe (of course). The video is an hour long but has several topics of interest to transit fans. This is an open thread.

The Urbanist has a news roundup on Sound Transit and Community Transit activities. Stride 3 (Shoreline-Bothell) is at 60% design. Community Transit is starting to write a new long-range plan. Sound Transit is asking the public about access alternatives at the South Tacoma Sounder station. Other than that there’s been little news, so it’s up … Continue reading "Open Thread: Slow News Day"

Initial election results will be posted at 8:15 pm, then on subsequent days by 4 pm. I assume there will be one or two comments about it. Link will be closed between SODO and Capitol Hill November 11-13. Replacement buses will fill the gap. Trains will continue running north of Capitol Hill and south of … Continue reading "Election Open Thread"

In the next Link expansion, riders will have another shorthand way of identifying stations and navigating the system. The rarely used station pictograms will be retired in favor of a system of station codes based on international best practice. Similar to bus stops, airport gates, and freeway exits, stations will have a 3-digit code consisting … Continue reading "Station Codes will Replace Link Pictograms"

SDOT is planning a north-south cycletrack on Beacon Hill as part of Safe Streets. Separately, a set of recreational trails recently opened in Cheasty Park on the eastern side of the hill. The cycletrack will run along 15th Avenue South and Beacon Avenue South from the José Rizal Bridge to South Spokane Street. This will … Continue reading "Beacon Hill Bike Lanes and Trails"

A proposed pedestrian superblock on East Pike Street, bounded by Broadway, 12th Avenue, East Pine Street, and East Union Street. This looks intriguing. 10th and 11th Avenues already feel almost pedestrian between Pine and Pike Streets, which is pleasant when shopping or attending a nightclub. Having a 3 x 2 block fully pedestrianized area would … Continue reading "News Roundup: Pedestrianizing Pike Street"

More ways to share your thoughts about Seattle transportation. Reflections from a week without driving. Take a survey about bus lanes on Rainier Avenue or bus lane hours on 15th Ave W and Elliott Ave W. Hmm, that second suggestion sounds familiar. Fremont Bridge closing overnight this weekend. What’s next for Safe Streets. This is … Continue reading "News Roundup"

Sound Transit is collecting feedback on the Chinatown-ID station for ST3 starting with an open house tonight. Much has been written about the various options, but it seems clear that the only option even remotely acceptable to the neighborhood is “4th Avenue Shallow.” Even that may be a bridge too far, per Naomi Isaka’s reporting … Continue reading "Chinatown-International District open house tonight"

This is an open thread.

West Seattle Bridge is open. Interesting numbers for when it was closed. Ryan Packer write about the legacy of the closing. Greg Spotts, the incoming SDOT Director, gets around (rarely by car). This story about getting to school is late, but so was the first day. We are two days into the official “Week Without … Continue reading "News Roundup"

Now that it’s much more certain that the entirety of the 2-Line will not open in 2023, Sound Transit has an excellent opportunity to consider still starting Eastside-only service on time: a proposal first publicly voiced by King County Council Chair Claudia Balducci and endorsed by transit geeks across the region. It’s easy enough to … Continue reading "To make Eastside-only East Link work, excellent transfers are needed"

This is an open thread.

This is an open thread.

Marketplace, an NPR program, ran an exposé on our local transit recovery, featuring yours truly. Although I wouldn’t necessarily dichotomize myself into the choice rider camp (per Jarrett Walker’s analysis on the subject), the segment does a reasonably balanced job highlighting different aspects of transit ridership. I especially appreciated the renewed focus on all-day travel, … Continue reading "Marketplace features Seattle’s transit recovery"

King County Council Chair Claudia Balducci recently penned an op-ed to the Seattle Times arguing for East Link to meet its commitment of a 2023 opening, but only on the Eastside. But what if we opened an Eastside-only light rail line connecting Redmond to Bellevue, or even to Mercer Island, in 2023? Could we provide … Continue reading "Balducci wants intra-Eastside Link to open on time"

Tiles are fixed early, Link is back to normal. Seattle is still adding lots of apartments. Downtown is doing OK, depending on how you look at the numbers. Some concern about the Spring District. It is centered around a brewpub — can’t be that bad. Lots of ferries are delayed. This is an open thread.

A chance to weigh in on changes to Aurora. 520 to be shutdown later this month; buses will have to go around. The transit driver shortage is not just local. Maybe we should listen to the drivers (or give them bonuses). New York City tries to speed up the buses. State Patrol tickets a lot … Continue reading "Sunday News Roundup"

Sound Transit: However, on both the east and west sides of the bridge, the contractor’s work to fix problems with cast-in-place concrete plinths supporting the tracks has led to the identification of further challenges. These include issues with mortar pads, rebar placements and track fasteners, which the contractor has agreed to fix by re-casting the … Continue reading "More Link delays"

The youth fare is abolished effective Sept. 1st. This year’s transportation package in Olympia sends transit agencies a bunch of money in return for getting rid of the fare, neatly solving the dilemma of encouraging ridership by either cutting fares or using the money to improve service. Agencies across the state quickly fell into line. … Continue reading "Youth fares almost gone"

Mayor Bruce Harrell: “We are now hearing many community members questioning whether there needs to be a new station in the community at all – and as a matter of good government we need to answer that question. “To be clear, looking at alternative location options in addition to those currently proposed does not mean … Continue reading "No station in Chinatown?"

Sound Transit is planning for service changes in 2023, and has just released its 2023 Service Plan for public comment. This plan outlines the changes to Sound Transit service that is anticipated for 2023. And the outlook is… bleak. For some background, you may recall that there were significant improvements in transit service planned in … Continue reading "Sound Transit’s 2023 service plan shows no signs of labor shortage relief"

From the mayor’s office: Seattle (July 27, 2022) – Today, Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell announced that he will appoint Greg Spotts to be the next Director of the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT), pending confirmation by the Seattle City Council. … Spotts currently serves as the Executive Officer and Chief Sustainability Officer at the Los Angeles … Continue reading "Harrell names new SDOT head"

Danny Westneat’s latest column in The Seattle Times asks a bold question: Why are we continuing with the same transit planning — such as for Sound Transit’s future light-rail segments — without factoring that a third or more of the workforce may not be commuting to a downtown core, or commuting at all? Westneat is … Continue reading "No, we’re not entering a period of “untransit”"

The Seattle Times rightly asks why Seattle has been so eager to get a station at 130th but so reluctant to add zoning capacity Vancouver’s 16km SkyLink extension to Surrey to open in 2028, cost $4B Related: Translink’s ridership is at a remarkable 72% of pre-Covid levels SDOT rolls out a safety campaign to try … Continue reading "News Roundup: flocking safety"

Seattle Transportation Plan is seeking input; “one plan to rule them all,” instead of the modal plans of years past So is the Seattle Comprehensive Plan (land use & zoning) The Urbanist: speeding up Route 36 SDOT: Bus lanes going in (finally!) on Rainier Ave. Seattle Times: Amtrak service to B.C. is coming back sooner … Continue reading "Weekend Roundup: it’s a plan"

Seattle Subway has 5 fundamental pillars of rider experience: speed, reliability, accessibility, expandability, and safety. Ensuring expandability, and the financial and operational feasibility of future expansion, is fundamental to making sure ST3 is a good transit investment, and Sound Transit seems to have forgotten that. We need your help to remind the Sound Transit Board … Continue reading "Call to action: don’t let the Sound Transit board make expansion beyond ST3 impossible"

The Sound Transit Board failed to advance 20th Avenue NW in Ballard to Draft Environmental Impact Statement Study. Sound Transit must study a Ballard station in the heart of Ballard. Seattle Subway has 5 fundamental pillars of rider experience: speed, reliability, accessibility, expandability, and safety. For many reasons that Seattle Subway has laid out previously, … Continue reading "Call to action: tell the Sound Transit board to reopen study of an ST3 Link light rail station in the heart of Ballard"

Too little internet content is about unironic appreciation for people doing the right thing. So good for Dan Strauss, trying to put the light rail station where the people are in his district: “Placing the station to the east undermines our city’s work to create a densely connected community,” Strauss said. “This is infrastructure that … Continue reading "Seattle’s position on WSBLE"

Seattle Times‘ Mike Lindblom has a long dive into light rail crashes on MLK. It’s too in-depth to summarize but well worth reading. Meanwhile, Times Columnist Naomi Ishaka argues for more gates in the Rainier Valley to protect pedestrians U-PASS is now fully-subsidized for all UW employees. Good on TRU for organizing around this effort … Continue reading "News roundup: fully subsidized"

This is an open thread.

Denver and Los Angeles are cancelling freeways The Seattle DOT would like your comments on the new city-wide transportation plan Visit the online hub to learn more Also from SDOT: West Seattle Bridge re-opens in September The Urbanist covers Aurora Avenue’s safety and bus project Metro: NE 43rd St re-opens to transit on June 25 … Continue reading "News roundup: cracked up"