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by Sherwin Lee on (#60AAE)
Last month, Metro reported an average weekday ridership exceeding 200,000 boardings. This is a mark that hasn’t been seen since the pandemic started, with the exception of last October (which typically represents the peak month of ridership in a year). More encouraging is that year-over-year growth is currently sitting at about 40%, which certainly trends … Continue reading "Transit ridership is slowly recovering"
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Seattle Transit Blog
| Link | https://seattletransitblog.com/ |
| Feed | https://feeds.feedburner.com/seattletransitblog/rss |
| Updated | 2025-06-03 12:30 |
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by Sherwin Lee on (#6096N)
Shōtengai are the original pedestrian malls. This is an open thread.
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by Frank Chiachiere on (#5ZZP7)
Sound Transit: Timm is currently CEO of Greater Richmond Transit Company, where her more than 400 employees operate successful regional bus routes serving the Richmond, Virginia area. Timm is known as a highly collaborative leader who forges strong relationships with community groups and partners, and for building an agency culture focused on dedication to public … Continue reading "Sound Transit’s new CEO: Julie Timm"
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by Sherwin Lee on (#5ZZM7)
Since Sound Transit released the DEIS for the new West Seattle-Ballard extension, stakeholders have been poring over the findings and submitting their comments. One major group of stakeholders is the Chinatown-International District (CID) neighborhood, which recently came out in full force either against the 5th Avenue alternative or against all options entirely. Mike Lindblom has … Continue reading "New ST3 International District Station options face stiff resistance"
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by Sherwin Lee on (#5ZWQC)
Sound Transit is marketing a slate of service impacts from 2-Line (East Link) construction and 1-Line maintenance as a “Future Ready” program. Starting next month and stretching into Q1 of 2023, existing 1-Line service will undergo intermittent periods of reduced longer headways and shuttle service. From the press release: Time periods Travel impact Monday, July … Continue reading "Link work to impact service through early next year"
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by Sherwin Lee on (#5ZVAM)
[UPDATE: Service details added below] With Cascades service between Seattle and Vancouver out for most of the remainder of 2022, cross-border travelers between the cities will have a new option in FlixBus. The German-based intercity carrier is launching a new Seattle-Vancouver route, slated to begin service this Thursday, June 2nd. The suspension of Cascades service … Continue reading "A new cross-border service starting June 2nd"
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by Sherwin Lee on (#5ZS2K)
The MarketWatch podcast discusses the future of transit, with some good ideas, and some bad. This is an open thread.
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by Frank Chiachiere on (#5ZQCP)
New Eastrail bridge breaks ground next to future Wilburton station. Could open before East Link? Capitol Hill Seattle: Seattle city council moving back to some in-person meetings West Seattle bridge closer to re-opening in “mid-2022” The Atlantic: Jerusalem Demsas takes on the NIMBY-population-growther nexus Seattle Times: Gene Balk crunches the data and Seattle is [slightly] … Continue reading "Friday news roundup"
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by Frank Chiachiere on (#5ZNZ1)
Ryan Packer, The Urbanist: SDOT says that the first phase of this transit lane could save riders on the Route 7 one minute per trip, but that the full extension could save riders 6 minutes during times of highest congestion on Rainier Avenue. That could translate to as many as 141 cumulative hours saved per … Continue reading "Bikes, buses and Rainier Avenue"
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by Tim Bond on (#5ZK6N)
Seattle Monorail Services has proposed a pair of 25 cent fare increases to take effect this year and next
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by Frank Chiachiere on (#5ZB9E)
King County Metro and Parks: Trailhead Direct starts May 28. Seattle is kicking off the new comprehensive plan with a website and survey. If you are interested in zoning reform, direct your energy there. Amtrak delays Seattle-Vancouver return until “late 2022” due to staffing The Urbanist: new Sound Transit real-time arrival screens delayed until the … Continue reading "News roundup: delayed"
by Frank Chiachiere on (#5Z70S)
King County Metro: The current ORCA website will be permanently shut down at 11:59 p.m. tonight, Thursday, May 12, and will transition to the new site on May 16. Customers can still add cash to their cards at vending machines, customer service locations and participating retailers. In order to transition to the new ORCA system, … Continue reading "Free transit this weekend, new ORCA on Monday"
by Frank Chiachiere on (#5Z6XV)
Ethan Bergerson, SDOT blog: After careful review, we selected three scooter companies to receive operation permits for 2022–2023: Lime, LINK (by Superpedestrian), and Bird. In addition to scooters, riders continue to have the option of renting shared bicycles from Lime and Veo. In addition to welcoming back Lime and LINK (by Superpedestrian), we are excited to welcome Bird. Bird operates in over 400 cities and … Continue reading "SDOT shuffles the scooter & bike share mix"
by Frank Chiachiere on (#5Z483)
Mike Lindblom, The Seattle Times: Above all, the position “requires incredible soft skills,” the search firm, CPS-HR of Sacramento, heard from staff and interest groups. “Most often, we heard about the need to listen,” a report said. While relevant to any top executive, the feedback reflects worries by the board about reliving Rogoff’s first year, when … Continue reading "Sound Transit’s CEO search"
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by Frank Chiachiere on (#5Z12T)
KUOW: Why are condos in Seattle so expensive? New York magazine: Who’s Afraid of the Subway? Publcola and The Urbanist discuss Sound Transit’s new fare enforcement policy The Urbanist also has a preview of the first phase of ORCA dropping on May 16 SDOT: Levy to Move Seattle Q1 progress report Next City: the Bay … Continue reading "News roundup: fares"
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by Sherwin Lee on (#5YZTK)
A glimpse into what we might have had if Forward Thrust had passed. This is an open thread.
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by Frank Chiachiere on (#5YYTT)
The New York Times recently ran an excellent feature on Portland’s efforts to curb emissions while still building highways: But despite Portland’s efforts, the number of cars and trucks on its roads has kept rising as the city and its suburbs have grown — along with tailpipe pollution that is warming the planet. While Portland … Continue reading "Portland’s driving dilemma"
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by Sherwin Lee on (#5YWB4)
Like many workers, I all but abandoned transit usage through 2020 and most of 2021, only returning mid-last year as my office reopened. Yet even as a lot of facets of society have returned to normal, transit ridership has struggled to rebound. There is still lingering uncertainty as COVID persists and most company return-to-office plans … Continue reading "What will be the new normal for post-COVID ridership?"
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by Frank Chiachiere on (#5YTWN)
Finishing on the server moves from last week. Apologies for any downtime! Update: maintenance complete.
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by Sherwin Lee on (#5YSGH)
Mike Lindblom at the Seattle Times has the scoop: Project staff mentioned a potential start date of February 2024 in a presentation Tuesday to King County Metro Transit rail-division employees. Metro personnel operate and maintain the trains. “That information is a bit premature,” Ron Lewis, director of design, engineering and construction management, said in an … Continue reading "East Link opening likely delayed until 2024"
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by Sherwin Lee on (#5YR0A)
The B1M, a channel for construction videos, features our system expansion. This is an open thread.
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by Frank Chiachiere on (#5YP1B)
The ROI on bus lanes is remarkable: Another benefit of the lanes is a more consistent trip time for riders. Travel-time variability decreased by up to 26% northbound and 55% southbound, according to the data. And the lanes appear to have encouraged more people to take the bus, with ridership increasing 13% in the first … Continue reading "San Francisco’s Van Ness BRT"
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by Frank Chiachiere on (#5YNMB)
No guarantees that ST staff will read your incisive 1500-word comment on STB, unfortunately, so you might want to share it with them directly. Re-read Seattle Subway’s post and the comments below if you want to refresh your memory.
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by Frank Chiachiere on (#5YKBH)
We’re migrating to a new server and comments may not post on Wednesday 4/27 and possibly into Thursday 4/28.
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by Frank Chiachiere on (#5YJR8)
Erica has an excellent overview of Metro’s latest report on the possibility: In a recent report on the future of Metro’s fare system, the agency outlined its plans for smoothing the transition to eliminating cash fares, which—according to Metro—will make boarding faster, ease conflicts between riders and drivers, and eliminate the need to periodically repair Metro’s 1,509 … Continue reading "Eliminating cash fares"
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by Frank Chiachiere on (#5YJ15)
MyORCA.com: Beginning in May 2022, the new myORCA mobile app and website will make paying for transit rides in the Puget Sound region faster and easier. Later in 2022, we’re adding more retail locations where you can buy and reload ORCA cards and launching a new card design. MyORCA replaces the aging orcacard.com and orcacard.biz … Continue reading "New ORCA app and website coming next month"
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by Frank Chiachiere on (#5YC2X)
After a somewhat confused day of messaging, all local transit agencies jointly lifted their mask requirements after a federal judge knocked down the CDC’s rule. David Kroman in the Times: Immediately after the Monday ruling, Seattle-area agencies largely kept their current policies in place, albeit without strong enforcement mechanisms. By late Monday and early Tuesday, … Continue reading "Local agencies lift mask requirements"
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by Seattle Subway on (#5Y4TQ)
As the public comment window for Sound Transit’s West Seattle Ballard Link Extension draft environmental impact statement (DEIS) comes to a close, it’s time to make your voice heard about what will be built as part of ST3. As always, powerful stakeholders who do not prioritize transit quality are very well represented in this process … Continue reading "Seattle Subway’s summary recommendations for the ST3 DEIS"
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by Frank Chiachiere on (#5Y0KQ)
As Sound Transit has moved the West Seattle-Ballard Link Extension (WSBLE) through the EIS process, several challenges have emerged, with early concerns focused on the Ballard and West Seattle termini. These are nowhere near solved, but a compromise alignment seems within reach. The middle of the line is another question: serious disruption in Chinatown / … Continue reading "Put First Hill back on the table?"
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by Seattle Subway on (#5XY8N)
When looking at the two options presented by Sound Transit for South Lake Union (SLU) in the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS), we’re struck by how poorly the station will serve South Lake Union. The Harrison option is deep at about 120’ and all the way on the western edge of SLU. The Mercer option … Continue reading "SLU Station Can Be Better, Cheaper, and Easier to Build on Westlake"
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by Bruce Nourish on (#5XVZP)
STB has been on the 23rd Ave electrification beat since 2011, and the last update was via CHS in 2016, when trolleybus service was projected to begin in 2018. The street repaving and pole installation described in 2016 is long ago complete, and 2018 was a while ago, but Route 48 is, alas, still plied … Continue reading "Route 48 Electrification Expected in 2026"
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by Frank Chiachiere on (#5XRF9)
Sound transit has a blog post up that pairs well with our recent discussions of transfers and deep stations: As people have begun to study the recently published Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS), some have wondered about the depths of the stations and what the rider experience would be like to access the platforms and transfer … Continue reading "Diagramming station depths"
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by Seattle Subway on (#5XQ08)
Convenient transfers can transform a good transit network into a great one. When you don’t think twice about switching lines, the network is really doing its job. Unfortunately the designs proposed for ST3’s two new massive transfer stations, Westlake and International District (ID) Stations fall well short of that mark. These designs feel like they … Continue reading "ST3 Transfers Must be Excellent"
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by James Lewis on (#5XNS8)
A series of public meetings focused on limited segments of the WSBLE DEIS is underway. Those who are unable to attend can comment by email, voicemail or snail mail using this page. You can even schedule a 20-minute virtual meeting with the project team to ask questions about the DEIS in the meantime. As a … Continue reading "Link options in Interbay"
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by Frank Chiachiere on (#5XMFP)
Lizz Giordano, South Seattle Emerald: The CID is preparing for a messy buildout for the West Seattle-Ballard Light Rail Extension that will run a second set of tracks through the neighborhood. After weighing options studied in a newly released planning document, many in the CID say the choice is clear: lay tracks under 4th Avenue to avoid taking … Continue reading "No good options in CID"
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by Frank Chiachiere on (#5XK1G)
Madeline Feig, Commute Seattle blog: However, the pandemic significantly altered travel behavior, and this year’s data broke from these historic trends. Comparing 2019 to 2021, the share of remote work among all Downtown commuter modes increased by 36 percentage points, to 43.3% of all surveyed trips. The percentage of transit trips, once at an eight-year … Continue reading "Commute Seattle’s 2021 mode survey"
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by Brent White on (#5XHKQ)
Note that the video is from 2020, when there was a shortage of N95s and other masks. There are several producers of everyday-use NIOSH-approved N95s in the US that sell directly online and can deliver within days, such as Aidway, which I use, and have found reasonably comfortable. The CDC has a long list of … Continue reading "Weekend open thread: The physics of N95 masks"
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by Brent White on (#5XB3K)
King County Metro rolled out its spring service change last Saturday, with new green-striped schedule pamphlets. Several routes’ schedules were adjusted to better serve school bell times, including routes 48, 50, 106, 107, 128, and 269. Routes 106 and 107 will have a slightly different schedule on Wednesdays than the rest of the week. Routes … Continue reading "Transit agencies roll out spring service changes"
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by Brent White on (#5X9R4)
This is an open thread.
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by Seattle Subway on (#5X4NH)
Like most observers, we were shocked when we saw how deep Sound Transit’s station plans were for the new downtown tunnel. Beyond engineering complexity, deep stations can present a problem for riders: getting to and from the surface isn’t always easy and fast. This concern is particularly amplified by the location and intention of these … Continue reading "Are ST3’s Deep Stations a Problem?"
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by Martin H. Duke on (#5X1G9)
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by Seattle Subway on (#5WZ63)
As we review the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) results as presented by Sound Transit, the decision to cut out all the central Ballard station options stands out as a huge mistake. There is only one Ballard station in ST3 and we have only one chance to get this right. We need a Ballard station where … Continue reading "ST3’s Ballard Station Has to Serve Ballard"
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by Martin H. Duke on (#5WW00)
How the state transpo budget affects area projects New ORCA TVMs on their way Sound Transit’s service change and Metro’s SBB reflects on the bike helmet law repeal Disagreement as to whether ST vehicles are lawless, dangerous or not Brooke Belman will be the interim ST CEO after May 31 Kent’s microtransit experiment is called … Continue reading "News roundup: service change"
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by Brent White on (#5WJYC)
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by Martin H. Duke on (#5WE66)
Avalon residents ask if a station there is really needed (!) Missing middle housing bill is dead, but ADU reform is not Some advice for YIMBYs on how to win more battles Bad behavior on buses and trains ($) is out of control, Metro seeking answers ($) New Sound Transit guidelines will avoid pedestrian crossings … Continue reading "News roundup: safety"
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by Seattle Subway on (#5WD3N)
Senate Bill 5528 is moving! It passed the Washington State Senate with Bi-Partisan Support and is now scheduled for public hearing in the House Transportation Committee on Thursday, at 1:30pm. We need your help to make this bill become law. To show your support for more and better transit: Go to the House Committee Sign … Continue reading "Action Alert: SSB 5528 In House Transportation Committee"
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by Martin H. Duke on (#5WA9H)
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by James Lewis on (#5W8XC)
It’s busy season for transit news around the Sound. Amidst the numerous announcements of late (zoning reform, East Link, state funding, oh my) the most concrete development has been the release of Sound Transit’s Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for the West Seattle/Ballard Extension (WSBLE). With the comment period now open and several virtual public … Continue reading "WSBLE Deep Dive: Interbay and Ballard"
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by Alex Kvenvolden on (#5W7K5)
As expected, phase 3 of the East Link Connections restructure proposal is out. It was developed using feedback from phase 2, when the first proposed network was released. In the first network, a clear trend was a dramatic increase in coverage throughout the eastside, with bus service on many corridors that never had any service … Continue reading "East Link Connections process moves into phase 3"
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by Guest Contributor on (#5W6GJ)
by ROSS BLEAKNEY The Seattle Department of Transportation has begun work on making Metro’s route 40 faster and more reliable. With these changes, Metro can substantially improve the transit network in the north end if it alters two very popular routes. Improvements for the 40 The 40 is often delayed around the Fremont Bridge. It … Continue reading "Improving Metro 40 and D"
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