Seattle Transit Blog

Under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021, the Federal Transit Administration has awarded a third round of funding for bus transit totaling $1.5B nationwide. A total of approximately $47.2M was awarded to transit operators in Washington state, mostly to fund purchases of electric buses and to complete maintenance facility renovations. Here's the list ... Continue reading "Third Round of Federal Funding for WA Transit"

Several Eastside transit projects will open over the next six years and converge in Bellevue for transfers between them: What will each neighborhood have access to with a one- or two-seat ride? How good will their transfers be? This determines how many choices they have for work, errands, shopping, and recreation within a reasonable travel ... Continue reading "Bellevue Transfers in 2030"

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After pausing work on RapidRide K (Totem Lake to Eastgate via Kirkland and Bellevue) in 2020, King County Metro has restarted planning and design of the project. Building on the planning effort started in 2019, Metro is seeking community input on various aspects of project design, including walking/rolling access and the siting of a few ... Continue reading "Metro Seeking Input on RapidRide K"

Following the COVID lockdowns, many transit agencies had to contend not only with recovering lost riders but also ensuring service reliability and delivery. In addition to the pandemic itself, subsequent crises in staffing and supply chains hit transit systems hard. Drivers and maintenance staff were hard to find and spare parts needed for vehicle maintenance ... Continue reading "Are Metro service cancellations finally declining?"

Sound Transit plans to build an infill station at Boeing Access Road (BAR) in Tukwila, in addition to the Graham street infill station. To start the public engagement, Sound Transit opened an online open house and will host an in-person event on Wednesday, July 16th, nearby. Again, they suggested two locations: (A) next to the ... Continue reading "Boeing Access Road Station Project"

Countdowns:Lynnwood Link(August 30);RapidRide G(September 14) Transit Updates: King County Metro Charts Slow RapidRide Expansion in new project prioritization report. The Gig Harbor Trolley is running now until August 31. Pierce Transit is seeking input on its long range plan, Destination 2045. A couple Link 1 Line downtown tunnel station entrance closures: - The Pioneer Square ... Continue reading "Midweek Roundup - Open Thread 57"

As part of ST3, Sound Transit plans to build an infill station at Graham Street between the Columbia City and Othello stations. To start the public engagement, Sound Transit opened an online open house and will host an in-person event on Tuesday, July 16th, nearby. The Graham Street Station had been under consideration for quite ... Continue reading "Graham Street Station Project"

In preparation for its August 30 opening, Sound Transit has begun simulating full service on Lynnwood Link as part of its pre-revenue" testing. Northbound 1 Line trains will operate as usual, showing Northgate as their terminus. However, electronic signage on northbound 1 Line platforms will show the incoming trains as bound for Lynnwood. Riders will ... Continue reading "Lynnwood Link Begins Simulated Service"

Starting tonight, the stationary portions of the Ballard Bridge and 15th Avenue NW from Leary to NW 57th Street will be getting a major facelift. Associated closures will have significant impacts to buses using the bridge (specifically, RapidRide D, Route 17X, and Route 994 when it operates), and people attempting to walk, roll, drive, or ... Continue reading "Repaving Begins on Ballard Bridge & 15th Ave NW"

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Are you wondering if you can take transit to your 4th of July BBQ or a fireworks show? We've gathered information on transit service across the region as announced by operators over the last several days. Sound Transit 1 Line The 1 Line is running a modified version of Sunday service all day, and you ... Continue reading "Transit Service on the 4th of July"

Countdowns: Lynnwood Link (August 30); RapidRide G (September 14) Transit Updates: More midday water taxi trips for the Vashon Route. Seattle Times ($) says the additional runs hope to make up for reduced WA State Ferries service. Four Pierce Transit operators join the 1-million-club. The club" includes operators who have driven 1 million miles or ... Continue reading "Midweek Roundup - Open Thread 56"

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In response to the demands of community groups and a coalition of transportation and public safety advocates, Seattle City Councilmember Tammy Morales will formally propose an amendment to the 2024 Transportation Levy adding $150 million in spending on safe streets, maintenance and modernization, and expanding Seattle's tree canopy. The 2024 Transportation Levy, first proposed by ... Continue reading "Councilmember Morales proposes +$150M to Seattle Transportation Levy, Totaling $1.7B"

Countdowns: Lynnwood Link (August 30); RapidRide G (September 14) Transit Updates: Seattle Times ($): A Sound Transit bus crashed at 5th and Terrace on Saturday. 17 injured; 11 hospitalized. KING 5 notes that the driver told emergency responders the brakes failed. Also covered on Seattle Fire Line. A new bridge connecting Eastrail across NE 8th ... Continue reading "Midweek Roundup - Open Thread 55"

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Countdowns: Lynnwood Link (August 30); RapidRide G (September 14) Today is Juneteenth, a Federal holiday, but most transit operators are running normal weekday service. Transit Updates: Extension of the third avenue transit mall" through Belltown to Dexter (specifically, road reconstruction) may be delayed until after the 2026 World Cup. Metro is now officially considering hydrogen ... Continue reading "Midweek Roundup - Open Thread 54"

The Seattle Department of Transportation is asking for feedback on draft design concepts it's created for West Seattle Link Extension stations, seemingly based on the assumed alignment of an aerial station at Delridge, a retained-cut station at Avalon, and an underground station at Alaska Junction. The designs and notable concepts featured in the survey are ... Continue reading "SDOT seeking feedback on WSLE station street concepts"

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On April 27, the starter" segment of the 2 Line opened on the Eastside, connecting South Bellevue to the Microsoft campus in southwest Redmond. Prior to its opening, the line was expected to attract somewhere between 4,000 and 6,000 riders ($). As Sherwin Lee noted in September, ridership forecasting is for the line is complicated ... Continue reading "First Month of the 2 Line"

Ever since the Sound Transit 3 ballot measure was being assembled, the West Seattle Link Extension has been a contentious project. Frank Chiachiere wrote in 2016: not since the days of the Monorail has a rapid transit extension stirred up so much debate amongst the armchair planners." Transit advocates have long known the project would ... Continue reading "In Defense of West Seattle Link"

Countdowns: Lynnwood Link (August 30); RapidRide G (September 14) Transit Updates: WA State Ferries holding public meetings regarding the entire ferry system, via Zoom at noon on Monday, June 17, and at6 p.m. on Tuesday, June 18 RapidRide G passes 90% completion milestone. Service is scheduled to start with Metro's Fall service change on September ... Continue reading "Midweek Roundup - Open Thread 53"

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Rather than building a light rail extension for West Seattle, how could Metro provide better transit to/from West Seattle with additional bus services? Forward Thrust had envisioned such decades ago. Background While Forward Thrust had a bold vision to provide rail services for the whole region, for West Seattle it envisioned a busway through SODO ... Continue reading "West Seattle by Bus instead of Light Rail"

Countdowns: Lynnwood Link (August 30). Video of testing at Shoreline North. It's Ride Transit Month (and Pride Month). Join the Transit Riders Union, Seattle Subway, and the Transportation Choices Coalition tonight at 5:30pm for the Ride Transit Month Social, located at Olmstead in Capitol Hill. Transit Updates: Sound Transit's Fare Ambassadors begin platform payment checks. ... Continue reading "Midweek Roundup - Open Thread 52"

From 7:00 to 8:30pm this evening (June 3), at the Haller Lake United Methodist Church (13055 1st Ave NE, Seattle, WA 98125), Colleen Echohawk will facilitate an election forum featuring Position 8 candidates Alexis Mercedes Rinck,Saunatina Sanchez, and interim incumbentTanya Woo. The forum will focus on both highly localized issues related to the 130th Street ... Continue reading "Tonight: Seattle City Council Position 8 Election Forum"

Several buses have been rerouted because of last night's storm. This is causing delays as well as skipped stops. Check the Metro service advisory page to see if your bus is effected. This is a developing story, but here are the reroutes I am aware of: 10 - rerouted off of 15th Avenue E between ... Continue reading "Fallen Trees Force Bus Detours"

As formally announced on Friday, previewed by The Urbanist on Thursday, and briefly reviewed on PubliCola on Saturday, Seattle City Council Transportation Committee Chair Rob Saka (District 1) is proposing an amendment to the 2024 Transportation Levy adding $100 million across several categories for a total levy amount of $1.55 billion over eight years, and ... Continue reading "More Money and Oversight for Transportation Levy"

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This post is the fifth and final in a series, adapted from an article I wrote for my blog, Transportation Matters, a Pacific Northwest-flavored blog that discusses railway planning, urban planning, and related politics. The previous post described four proposals for improvements to Pierce Transit. This article proposes three improvements corridors to conclude the series: ... Continue reading "Better Transit in Pierce County: Corridor Improvements"

This post is the fourth in a series, adapted from an article I wrote for my blog, Transportation Matters, a Pacific Northwest-flavored blog that discusses railway planning, urban planning, and related politics. The previous post described three proposed improvements to bus transit in Tacoma. This article proposes four improvements for Pierce Transit: Secure a Sales ... Continue reading "Better Transit in Pierce County: Pierce Transit"

Countdowns: Lynnwood Link (August 30). Transit Updates: This weekend (June 1-2) has several Link reductions. Columbia City station will be single-tracked. Every other train will terminate at Stadium and not go further south, giving 10-minute frequency north of Stadium and 20-minute frequency south. Link will be closed between SeaTac and Angle Lake stations; passengers can ... Continue reading "News Roundup - Open Thread 51"

This post is the third in a series, adapted from an article I wrote for my blog, Transportation Matters, a Pacific Northwest-flavored blog that discusses railway planning, urban planning, and related politics. The previous post described five proposed improvements to the T line. This article proposes three improvements to the bus system in Tacoma: Dramatically ... Continue reading "Better Transit in Pierce County: Tacoma Buses"

This post is the second in a series, adapted from an article I wrote for my blog, Transportation Matters, a Pacific Northwest-flavored blog that discusses railway planning, urban planning, and related politics. Pierce County is a place of long-standing corridors and urban centers that need straightforward transit investments and services. Those investments and services should ... Continue reading "Better Transit in Pierce County: The T Line"

This post is the first in a series, adapted from an article I wrote for my blog, Transportation Matters, a Pacific Northwest-flavored blog that discusses railway planning, urban planning, and related politics. Introduction In this environment of service cuts and stalled transportation projects, it can be difficult to envision a future when Pierce County has ... Continue reading "Better Transit in Pierce County: Introduction"

Jarrett Walker is a world-renowned transit-network consultant, and the author of the Human Transit book and Human Transit blog. At a UCLA forum he discusses his philosophy and answers extensive questions. Topics include transit as freedom of opportunity", good vs bad route and land use designs, why the locations of buildings is the make or ... Continue reading "Sunday Movie: Jarrett Walker Q&A"

Earlier this month, the Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) has published a paper titled The False Promise of Microtransit," (pdf) a critique of flexible transit services like King County Metro's Via to Transit" and Pierce Transit's Runner. From the ATU's press release: The reality of microtransit, like other technology fads, is that it's less impressive and ... Continue reading "The False Promise of Microtransit"

Countdowns: Lynnwood Link (August 30). Transit Updates: Sound Transit has posted ridership data for April, showing stable ridership from March to April. No, the 2 Line isn't listed, yet. The Urbanist writes on Metro's continued labor capacity issues. The Federal Way Link overhead power system is being connected to Angle Lake Station. This will give ... Continue reading "Midweek Roundup - Open Thread 50"

Community Transit announced Monday afternoon that it has taken delivery of a fuel cell electric bus" (FCEB), stating it's the first of its kind in the Puget Sound region. The hydrogen-powered bus was made by New Flyer and is part of a pilot program to assess potential vehicles as Community Transit works towards replacing 30% ... Continue reading "Exploring a Hydrogen-Fueled Future"

In April, the King County Council committee on Transportation, Economy, and Environment received a report from Metro providing an update to its 2018 waterfront transit study (pdf). The study was requested by the Council to assess short- and long-term strategies for supporting public transportation on the waterfront as its major makeover nears completion. As the ... Continue reading "County Council Receives Update on Waterfront Shuttle"

On May 15, King County Metro staff briefed the County Council's Regional Transit Committee, (presentation pdf download here) focusing on ridership trends and the agency's capacity to return to 100% of planned service. Ridership Trends First, the good news: Metro ridership continued to grow across almost all modes between 2022 and 2023; Water Taxi service ... Continue reading "Metro Update on Ridership Recovery and Service Planning"

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Ryan Packer has the scoop on Twitter: Yesterday (May 17), Sound Transit staff delivered a letter to the Sound Transit Board of Directors with an innocuous subject line: Staff recommendation regarding the South Lake Union area alternatives for the Ballard Link Extension A brief history: last year, after the Sound Transit Board had selected preferred ... Continue reading "Sound Transit Staff Recommend Against New Alternatives for SLU and Denny Stations"

Link Extension Countdown: Lynnwood Link (August 30). What to expect (Sound Transit). Transit Updates: Community Transit boasts 50,355 boardings on Swift Orange Line during its first month of service. Service started on March 30. The World is Orange. Stride station names survey through May 31. King County Metro blogs about their hiring and training process. ... Continue reading "Midweek Roundup - Open Thread 49"

King County Metro has announced that the 2024 season of Trailhead Direct service starts on May 25, operating weekends and federal holidays (Memorial Day, Independence Day, and Labor Day) through the summer (ending September 15) with routes serving the Issaquah Alps and the Mount Si area. Trailhead Direct is operated by Metro in partnership with ... Continue reading "Two Trailhead Direct Routes Start May 25"

The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) recently announced grant funding for planning and development of high speed rail (HSR) in several corridors across the USA. Lucid Stew, a YouTube channel dedicated to HSR in the USA, is doing a series of videos on the these corridors. Their most recent video (19:15) was on the Cascade corridor, ... Continue reading "Video: Cascadia HSR"

The Affordable Housing Consortium (HDC), whose membership encompasses all of the major nonprofit housing developers in King County, as well as local housing authorities, financial institutions, service providers, consultants, architects, building contractors, attorneys, accountants, and government agencies," is celebrating the 9th Annual Affordable Housing Week, May 13-17. Founded in 1988 as the Seattle Housing Development ... Continue reading "9th Annual Affordable Housing Week Starts Today"

The Seattle Times ($) and Capitol Hill Seattle (CHS) blog reported that a man was stabbed multiple times on the platform at the Capitol Hill Station Saturday afternoon, and died after being transported to Harborview Medical Center. Seattle Police closed the station to investigate the crime, forcing Sound Transit to implement a bus bridge between ... Continue reading "Man Killed in Stabbing at Capitol Hill Station"

On May 9, Sound Transit's System Expansion Committee received a progress update (pdf) on the yet-to-be-opened portion of East Link, currently operating as the abbreviated 2 Line between South Bellevue and Redmond Technology Station. Although the opening of the connection between South Bellevue and Seattle is currently scheduled for late November 2025, Ryan Packer at ... Continue reading "East Link Lake Crossing Update"