Seattle Transit Blog

Thanks to some unexpected free time these last few months, Pantograph is now available for three agencies in two new regions—our neighbors at TransLink of greater Vancouver, TriMet of Portland, and Lane Transit District of Eugene. Pantograph works in these new cities just as it does today in Puget Sound. Features include real-time mapping of … Continue reading "Pantograph transit tracker now available in Vancouver, BC and Portland, OR"

Months before the economic outlook turned gloomy amid the global COVID pandemic, Everett Transit was looking at financial trouble. Last year, the city-run system revealed that it forecast a $1.6 million budget shortfall that would continue due to Everett’s declining retail sales. While the agency has great plans to improve its network in coming years, … Continue reading "Everett Transit looks at future options, including merger"

The Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) has paused work on the Center City Connector (CCC) and several other projects as the city wrangles a steep revenue deficit. The pause appears likely to further delay the start of service. But the recession also threatens the longer term future of the streetcar. Needed revenues from the rideshare … Continue reading "Center City Connector on hold again amid fresh funding gaps"

How race intersects ($) with transportation planning. Already, calls to chip away at bus priority on the low West Seattle Bridge. But the high bridge is reparable, at least for a while. Sound Transit audit ($) makes suggestions that could save hundreds of millions, but out of almost $100 billion in spending. Sam Zimbabwe goes … Continue reading "News roundup: already"

Monica Nickelsburg reports that the Jump bikes, now acquired by Lime but, confusingly, still painted red and using the Jump Uber app, are back on the streets this week. The Lime brand has largely pivoted to scooters worldwide, but here in Seattle they’re still waiting for the City to figure out how scooter permits will … Continue reading "The bikes are back"

The city’s Stay Healthy Streets are an innovative, low-cost way to increase people space by bootstrapping on the existing greenways network. Kudos to the Mayor and SDOT for a creative solution. But as businesses start to re-open, we’ll need a much more aggressive approach, one that goes beyond the low-density residential areas and into commercial … Continue reading "Time to open more streets"

Warning: Crude language and violent subject matter This is an open thread.

With Snohomish County well into Phase 2 of its pandemic recovery, Community Transit is set to begin restoring its bus service over the next few months. On July 6, CT will bring service levels back to 75% of pre-pandemic trips to accommodate an increased need on heavily-used routes. A 85% restoration will take place in … Continue reading "Community Transit plans phased reopening in July and September"

Somehow, with transit cuts coming everywhere, Via rideshares live for another day. $35m cost overrun ($) on Tacoma Link. Meet bus driver Clay McClure. Bus hits 3rd Avenue pole. The future of Pierce Transit ($). ST gets $2m from Feds for Everett TOD. ST Express returning to fares, more 550 runs July 1. Feds providing … Continue reading "News roundup: more"

Metro announced yesterday that it is largely restoring pre-pandemic service levels on Monday: The result is Metro will operate more than 11,000 weekday bus trips, or 85% of its pre-COVID service level. Saturday service will be 8,200 trips (99%) and Sunday service will be 7,000 trips (99%). Starting Monday, Metro’s will increase the number of … Continue reading "Metro recovery starts Monday"

The Sound Transit Executive Committee failed on Thursday to reach agreement on realignment criteria for ST3 projects. Board members sought a set of agreed criteria for a better-tuned realignment, but in the end voted only to send a framework of possible criteria to the full Board without recommendation. A “blunt instrument” delay of five years … Continue reading "Sound Transit Board argues realignment criteria"

Seattle Office of Housing (PDF): Three parcels totaling 3.79 acres of land and more than 179,000 square feet, opposite the Mount Baker Link light rail station. Transformative opportunity to develop affordable housing, ground floor early learning, and open space near high capacity transit. The laundry facility, next to Mt. Baker Station, was one factor in … Continue reading "Mt. Baker laundry site to become affordable housing"

With the September 2020 service change, Metro will restore service to about 85% of pre-COVID levels. However, that’s just a precursor to a series of service reductions Metro is preparing over the next two years, with a cumulative reduction of 20%-30% of service from previous levels rolling out through every service change in 2021 and … Continue reading "More cuts in Metro service in 2021 & 2022"

MASS Coalition is raising funds for three POC-led organizations that are doing vital work supporting and strengthening Seattle communities RapidRide H construction has started. “Online open house” about Mercer Island bus/rail interface. Mountlake Terrace Freeway Station closing for construction, July 6th till November. Everett Transit looking at revenue-boosting options ($). Oregon agencies want to keep … Continue reading "News roundup: no more"

Due to a dramatic ridership decline as a result of COVID-19, Metro has reduced bus service to match ridership demand. But with revenues cratering, yesterday it announced a permanent 15% service cut compared to pre-pandemic levels for its September service change. This includes a 50% drop in Seattle-funded service, allowing it to continue to the … Continue reading "Metro to come back in September with 15% less service"

King County Metro has some challenging times ahead. The COVID-19 pandemic is likely to lead to a recession, one which is forecast to be as bad or worse than the great recession of 2008. Funding from the CARES act can help offset losses in the short term, but Metro will almost certainly have to reduce … Continue reading "Metro’s 2015 restructures, revisited"

Swift’s Link connection Recovery fare (14:21) CDC’s questionable transit advice (21:55) ST’s revenue shortfall (27:12) Passenger ferries (34:08) Tacoma Dome Link (35:49) Download link

On June 1st, Sound Transit instituted a “recovery fare” of $1 on Link and $2 on Sounder through June 30th, after a period of not collecting fares at all. ORCA is still charged at the normal rate; cheaper fares are only available through ticket machines or the TransitGO App. Early reports say 19% of Link … Continue reading "The “recovery fare”"

After almost four months of consideration, Community Transit announced that it has picked the route to extend the Swift Blue Line to intersect with Link. It will maintain a stop at Aurora Village Transit Center, as shown above. Alternatives would have continued on Aurora, skipping the transit center. Meridian is a residential street less likely … Continue reading "Swift picks a Link extension"

It’s been 9 months since Sound Transit broke ground on Lynnwood Link, the first step towards a light rail spine in Snohomish County. While the past few months have gone in an unexpected direction, there has still been visible progress along the I-5 corridor from Northgate to Lynnwood. As with past photo tours, these shots … Continue reading "Photo Tour: Lynnwood Link, quarantine edition"

Things not looking great for the Point Wells development proposal, and a mooted Sounder Station there. The monorail is running again. Now Bellevue is closing streets to cars. Bye bye beg button. ECB on the future of Stay Healthy Streets. NACTO has new guidelines for Covid-proofing our streets. The dilemmas of a transit manager during … Continue reading "News roundup: disconcerting"

Over the lifetime of the ST3 program, Sound Transit now expects a revenue shortfall on the order of $8-12 billion. Without adjusting expenditures, the agency will run out of available debt capacity by 2028. On Wednesday afternoon, a Board workshop learned more about the depth of the financial crisis and began to review options for … Continue reading "Sound Transit faces $8-12 billion revenue shortfall"

The simplicity of the Seattle Transportation Benefit District (STBD) is a big part of its appeal: two straightforward taxes used to purchase Metro service hours. Back when it was first proposed, then-councilmember Nick Licata insisted that the money not go to what he considered wasteful capital projects (a.k.a. streetcars). But several years ago, with Metro … Continue reading "The ever-present allure of capital funds"

The Puget Sound Regional Council (PSRC) has a survey of potential passenger ferry routes on Lake Washington and Puget Sound. It’s part of a study commissioned by the Legislature earlier this year and due to be complete by January. The rather generously scoped study is to examine ferry opportunities across the twelve-county Puget Sound region. … Continue reading "Another passenger ferry study"

The Tacoma Dome Link Extension (TDLE) delivers rail from Federal Way to the Tacoma Dome, not to be confused with the “Tacoma Link” streetcar running today. It will offer a 35 minute ride from the Tacoma Dome to Seatac in 2030, compared to 37 to 74 minutes, less frequently and reliably, scheduled on ST 574 … Continue reading "Tacoma Dome Link reduces the options"

A series of meetings this week will select criteria for Sound Transit’s program realignment. A Board workshop will be held on Wednesday. On Thursday the Executive Committee expects to recommend evaluation criteria for projects to be altered or delayed. On June 25, the full Board is to approve those criteria before a further series of … Continue reading "Sound Transit to decide evaluation criteria for program realignment"

RapidRide H construction about to start. Seattle seeks federal money for the West Seattle Bridge, which makes feel better about prospects for light rail. Bike trips way up. Friend of the blog Greg Nickels and environmental activist Paulina Lopez to help sort out the West Seattle Bridge mess ($). Homes for 35,000 by light rail … Continue reading "News roundup: about to start"

Seattle added 11,440 residents in the year ended last July, faster growth than any other city outside the sunbelt, and enough to make Seattle America’s fastest growing large city since 2010. But that is still the fewest residents Seattle has added any year this decade, and a halving of the peak growth seen in 2016. … Continue reading "Seattle’s growth slows again as Eastside grows faster"

SDOT’s got a new survey out about light rail to West Seattle and Ballard. It’s different than the usual fare with a bunch of alternatives on a map. Instead, it’s a high-level questionnaire about principles. It asks respondents to rate 20 different values as “important” or “not important”. These values are sorted into bins called … Continue reading "SDOT Link Survey"

In 2014, Seattle voters approved a six-year tax package for Metro transit via the Seattle Transportation Benefit District (STBD). It included a 0.1% sales tax and a $60 vehicle license fee, and the taxes expire this December. In recent weeks, there have been hints that the expected renewal may not be on the Fall ballot. … Continue reading "Will the Seattle TBD be renewed?"

To support social distancing guidelines, King County Metro is considering a reservation system so that riders don’t get passed up on late-night routes (1 am to 5 am), according to an agency survey. Today, drivers are authorized to pass up riders at the stop once the number of passengers reaches 12 (for 40-foot buses) or … Continue reading "Metro considering reservations for late-night trips"

State Route 520 Redmond Pedestrian Bridge from Sound Transit on Vimeo.

Believe it or not, Seattle has had a long and illustrious history of public transit and exotic forms of transportation, dating back to the beginning of American settlement in the region midway through the 19th century. While rail nerds on the East Coast have the luxury of picking between hundreds (if not thousands) of good … Continue reading "A guide to researching Seattle’s transit history"

Metro ridership is holding roughly steady at about 100,000 boardings per weekday, or about 75% off 2019 levels. After last week’s restoration of some mid-day trips on some routes that are still relatively popular, Metro is sending out 6 more buses at night on the 7, A, and E to thin the crowds on those … Continue reading "Metro ridership flat, but with more night trips"

Happy 50th Forward Thrust, Take 2. C-Tran hasn’t cut anything but commuter routes; ridership fell in March but steady in April. A Trump tweet that doesn’t make you wince. Metro fined for “training violations.” ST restoring some service to Pierce County May 24th. ECB reveals the homelessness angle to ST’s new pandemic fare, and some … Continue reading "News roundup: climbing again"

For those who are still riding transit for essential business or activities, it’s time to dust off your ORCA cards and keep your cash and cards handy. Three regional agencies have announced plans to re-introduce fare collection as part of a phased recovery process. Beginning on June 1, Sound Transit, Pierce Transit, and Community Transit … Continue reading "Fares and service to be partially re-introduced on June 1"

Last week, King County Metro General Manager Rob Gannon delivered a sobering assessment of Metro’s challenges in returning to normal service. Funding from the CARES Act has back-filled most of the revenue declines for 2020, but massive shortfalls in fare and tax revenue lie ahead after that once-off money runs out. Between foregone fares and … Continue reading "Metro faces steep challenges in 2021"

Sounder North Tacoma BRT (13:40) No really, Tacoma BRT (31:30) Uber + Lime quasi-merger (43:25) Huzzah for safe streets (57:15) Download link

Christof explains further with photos in his Twitter thread.

Pierce Transit has released a new virtual open house for its bus rapid transit project, which is in the middle of final design. The bus rapid transit line will travel along 14 miles of Pacific Avenue (State Route 7) from Downtown Tacoma and Tacoma Dome Station to Spanaway, replacing the popular Route 1. The agency … Continue reading "Pierce Transit’s first bus rapid transit line to split between mixed and exclusive lanes"

Now the U-district contemplates a freeway lid. 20 miles of “Stay Healthy Streets” now permanent. Meet local hero Dongho Chang. I am not sure how STB will navigate a potential future where transit is once again primarily a social service rather than something people with economic options might use. Provide feedback on Star Lake Station. … Continue reading "News roundup: potentially grim"

CNBC: Uber Technologies CEO Dara Khosrowshahi outside the New York Stock Exchange ahead of the company’s IPO, May 10, 2019. Uber is leading a $170 million investment round in Lime, the electric scooter and bike rental company announced Thursday. Bain Capital Ventures, Alphabet and separately its venture capital arm GV are also participating in the financing round, Lime said. Under the deal, … Continue reading "With Uber’s investment, Lime is getting back into the local bike share game"

In response to “crowding” (by current standards) on some routes, Metro is restoring some trips this week on weekdays from 10am to 5pm: Based on operator availability, we are dedicating roughly 15 additional buses starting today to six routes where coaches are either reaching capacity or passing up customers to maintain social distancing guidelines. These … Continue reading "Metro restores some trips, ridership still way down"

When we wrote recently about Sound Transit’s post-COVID funding shortfalls, the comments conversation turned quickly to Sounder North. The lightly used commuter rail line is everybody’s favorite local example of a transit service serving too few riders at extreme costs per rider. As the only Sound Transit rail serving Snohomish County to date, it has … Continue reading "Whether to cut Sounder North?"

The Port of Seattle became the first governmental entity in the region to roll out a face mask requirement for everyone in public areas on Port property Saturday. SeaTac Airport is included in that mandate. On Friday, Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan announced that an ordinance was in the works that would at least cover retail … Continue reading "Face mask laws coming"

In February, I wrote a piece detailing my thoughts on how to name the Link lines. In it, I prioritized usability and conformity with international best practice. The verdict is in, and Sound Transit have announced that Link lines will be numbered moving forward. In my opinion, this is great – they’re universal, and avoid … Continue reading "Reviewing the new Link line names"