Seattle Transit Blog

King County Metro's RapidRide D Line travels inbound from Crown Hill to downtown Seattle, primarily through Ballard, Interbay, and Uptown. Outbound trips travel north from downtown to Crown Hill. In August 2024, the D Line was the fourth busiest bus route in King County with 8,824 average weekday boardings. Average Ridership Per Trip The plots ... Continue reading "Ridership Patterns for RapidRide D Line"

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Community Transit will be improving Swift Blue along Evergreen Way in Lake Stickney (an unincorporated area north of Lynnwood) and Everett. The Swift corridor consists of Aurora Avenue, Pacific Highway and Evergreen Way. It currently has some BAT lanes with gaps. The new projects will fill in those gaps with new BAT lanes and potentially ... Continue reading "Swift Blue Improvements"

Although the RapidRide R project to replace Route 7 on Rainier Avenue has been postponed to 2031, SDOT (the Seattle Department of Transportation) has continued to implement bus lanes along Rainier Avenue. We'll go over a moderate recap of the changes made of the past decade starting from 2015, focusing on the transit improvements, as ... Continue reading "Route 7 Transit-Plus Recap"

Transit & Streets: Land Use & Housing: Commentary & Misc. News: This an Open Thread.

Ballots are being delivered for this year's General Election and are due on November 5. On behalf of the Blog, the Seattle Transit Blog Elections Committee recommends the following: Ballot Measures Candidate Elections All Other Elections Election Review The STB Elections Committee considered many initiatives, ballot measures, and candidate elections on the ballot for the ... Continue reading "STB Endorsements: 2024 General Election"

King County Metro's Route 7 travels inbound from Rainier Beach to downtown Seattle, primarily through Rainier Valley and the International District. Outbound trips travel south from downtown to Rainier Beach. In August 2024, Route 7 was the second busiest bus route in King County with 10,599 average weekday boardings. Before diving into the ridership data, ... Continue reading "Ridership Patterns for King County Metro Route 7"

There's also an agency slide deck on the project and technology. This is an open thread.

The private company Seattle Monorail Services is proposing a fare increase to use the Seattle Center Monorail. Fares would go from $3.50 to $4.00 for adults, $1.75 to $2.00 for youth, and $1.75 to $2.00 for reduced-fare riders. This is substantially higher than what King County Metro charges to ride the bus and Sound Transit ... Continue reading "Oppose the Monorail Fare Increase"

Transit: Seattle Zoning News: Commentary: This is an Open Thread.

Earlier this week, I asked Sound Transit if they had determined the cause of the extended Link disruption on September 17, and the cause of the disruption last Friday. I got this response from John Gallagher, Sound Transit Media Relations Manager: The disruption on Sept. 17 was caused by a damaged pantograph on an LRV, ... Continue reading "Link Disruption"

Transit & Streets: Housing & Land Use: On Mexico City's Cablebus lines: Commentary & Other News: This is an Open Thread.

King County Metro's RapidRide C Line travels inbound from Westwood Village to South Lake Union. It passes through Roxhill, Fauntleroy, Gatewood, Seaview, Fairmount Park, Genesee, SODO, Pioneer Square, downtown Seattle, Belltown, and Denny Triangle. Outbound trips travel in the reverse direction. In August 2024, the C Line was the 7th busiest bus route in King ... Continue reading "Ridership Patterns for RapidRide C Line"

I've enjoyed riding the East Link starter line, and one of the things I've enjoyed is how conveniently the at-grade stations are designed. To get between platforms at several of the East Link stations, you don't need to take stairs or ramps to go under or over the tracks; you just walk across the track. ... Continue reading "Crossing the Tracks at East Link Stations"

Not Just Bikes compares an Amtrak+VIA trip (New York - Toronto - Fake London) with European train lines.

Picture, if you will, a renovated waterfront. The Overlook Walk between Pike Place Market and the waterfront opened October 4th. The Urbanist has a detailed description. I took a walk on it two days later, on Sunday in the late afternoon. This photo was by Martin Pagel on opening day, but the crowd was similar ... Continue reading "Impressions of the Overlook Walk"

The Ballard Bridge, Evergreen Point Floating Bridge (SR-520), and SR-99 Tunnel will be closed this weekend. Check Metro and ST service alerts for detours before travel. News: Commentary: This is an Open Thread.

Recent Hurricane Helene and numerous other weather events around the world have reinvigorated the discussion on how to slow down the climate change related to carbon emissions. Transportation is the largest contributor to those emissions, so many efforts focus on it, in particular to reduce individual car usage. Many transit advocates push for more transit ... Continue reading "West Seattle Link and Climate Change"

Transit Service & Projects: Streets & Public Space: Land Use & Housing: Commentary: This is an Open Thread.

A few months ago, I was waiting for a Route 7 bus and was frustrated by the far too common bus bunching along Rainier Ave. When the bus arrived at my stop, it was followed immediately by two other Route 7 buses. I spent some time thinking about simple changes King County Metro (KCM) could ... Continue reading "Ridership Patterns for King County Metro Route 70"

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It's quite common in Seattle to see bikes and transit compete for the same limited street space. Once in a while though, we have the opportunity to improve both transit and cycling at the same time. This is one of those times. South Lake Union Streetcar The South Lake Union Streetcar opened in 2007. Unlike ... Continue reading "Replacing the South Lake Union Streetcar"

When the ST3 measure was approved by voters in 2016, Sound Transit had only some rough ideas about how to deliver the promised transit improvements. Cost estimates were done based on comparable projects. Now that the plans are getting more specific and Sound Transit can do bottoms-up estimates, it turns out that the projects are ... Continue reading "Munich vs ST3"

Transit News: Project Updates: Budget News: Commentary: This is an Open Thread.

This week (September 30 to October 6) is the annual Week Without Driving. Washington-based disability advocate Anna Zivarts notes in her excellent book When Driving Is Not an Option: Steering Away from Car Dependence: nearly 30% of Americans do not have a driver's license. This statistic includes everyone our car-oriented transportation system leaves behind, including ... Continue reading "Week Without Driving"

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Pundits claim West Seattle had been added to the ST3 plan by politicians envious that Ballard gets a light rail connection. It seemed easy to draw another line on the map, but now that Sound Transit published the final Environmental Impact Statement for the West Seattle Link Extension (WSLE) it has become evident that it ... Continue reading "Implications of the West Seattle Link Cost"

Ballard Bridge will be closed tonight (9/27, 7 pm) to Monday (9/30, 5 am). SDOT has advice on how to get around. Transit News: Land Use News: Seattle Budget Coverage: Opinions and Further Afield: This is an Open Thread.

Transit Updates: Local News: Other News, Opinion, and Miscellaneous: Upcoming Events: This is an Open Thread.

SDOT recently announced RapidRide J Line construction will start in October, with service planned to launch in 2027. RapidRide J will travel from downtown Seattle to University Districtvia Eastlake Avenue replacing Route 70. According to SDOT, the two years of construction will build the following: The project heading to construction has evolved somewhat since planning ... Continue reading "RapidRide J Line - Final Design and Recap"

CityBeautiful explores San Francisco's new transit center for MUNI and regional buses, and in the future Caltrain and high-speed rail. It's located south of Market and has a rooftop park reminiscent of New York's High Line. This is an open thread.

It's the seventh day of the restructure, and Link had power outages this week. How are things today? Mini news roundup: What happened to RapidRide G this week and how is Metro fixing it? (Ryan Packer, The Urbanist) How to deal with cost overruns in light rail extensions? (Stephen Fesler, The Urbanist) Sound Transit executive ... Continue reading "First Week, Part 3"

Last week, Sound Transit released the Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) for the West Seattle Link Extension (WSLE) ahead of its scheduled publication date of September 20. Although there's technically one more comment period allowed for the FEIS, the massive document and its findings present a detailed review of each of the potential alternative paths ... Continue reading "West Seattle Link Costs Keep Climbing"

Transit Updates: Local News: Other News, Opinion, and Miscellaneous: This is an Open Thread.

The big restructure continues in its fourth day. We still want to hear how Link ridership is doing in the morning and afternoon peaks, how much crowding there is. How are the dozens of restructured bus routes in Snohomish and King Counties doing? How is Lynnwood City Center station holding up re crowding? Is Northgate ... Continue reading "First Week, Part 2"

WSDOT opened the SR 520 direct-access ramps to Montlake on Monday, allowing buses between UW and the Eastside to jump the queue at the Montlake Blvd exit. I dropped by to watch them work in the afternoon and, though traffic was relatively light on a Monday, buses and HOV 3+ vehicles were staying on the ... Continue reading "Montlake's direct-access ramps are open"

It's the first weekday commute after the big restructure. How is service today? Is ridership any different? Is the G reliable? How crowded is Link? Is anyone using the 515? The express routes to SLU? How are the Link feeders doing? And new routes like the 61? Do you have a better experience going to ... Continue reading "First Week"

Community Transit partnered with famed travel writer Rick Steves to create a series of four neat videos highlighting travel destinations in Snohomish County made more accessible with yesterday's major restructure. Check them out!

Widespread bus restructures begin today (September 14) on King County Metro, Sound Transit, and Community Transit around the new Lynnwood Link extension and RapidRide G line. On Monday the long-awaited bus ramps on highway 520 open in Montlake. Pierce Transit and Everett Transit had minor changes earlier this month. September 14, 11am - 3pm: King ... Continue reading "Big Bus Restructures Begin"

Metro and Sound Transit will restructure bus routes in the north end on September 14, 2024 (two weeks after the opening of Lynnwood Link). The changes will occur at the same time as the changes surrounding RapidRide G which is why Metro is listing them on the same service change page. Here is a list ... Continue reading "Metro and ST Restructure for Lynnwood Link"

Countdowns:RapidRide G& restructures (Saturday! Sept. 14) RapidRide G Opening Celebrations: September 14, 11am - 3pm: King County Metro is hosting a RapidRide G opening day celebration on 19th Avenue between Madison & Pine. Enjoy refreshments & entertainment, grab SWAG, & sign up for an ORCA card". September 14, 5pm - 7:30pm: The Urbanist is hosting ... Continue reading "Midweek Roundup - Open Thread 65"

King County Metro's RapidRide G, Seattle's first center-running bus rapid transit (BRT) line, will start running this Saturday, September 14. The route features 24/7 service with all-door buses enabling boarding on both sides allowing transit riders to access the new center stations, bus only lanes, transit signal priority, and off-board payment with ORCA card readers ... Continue reading "RapidRide G and Bus Restructures"

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Edit, September 10, 7pm: the original article has been updated to correct errors and clarify statements with input from Sound Transit. We regret the errors. Sound Transit's Stride S1 Line, the bus rapid transit (BRT) project approved under ST3 to connect Bellevue to Burien via South Renton in 2028, has been updated over the last ... Continue reading "Stride S1 Line Updates: TIBS Reroute, Renton Station Swap, and More"

Ahead of the opening of the Lynnwood Link Extension, HNTB offered to participate in an interview with the Seattle Transit Blog discussing their work on the project. HNTB is an employee-owned infrastructure design firm with offices in downtown Seattle, Bellevue, and many other cities nationwide. They provided engineering design and construction oversight of the Lynnwood ... Continue reading "HNTB on Lynnwood Link"

Countdowns:RapidRide G& restructures (Sept. 14) Lynnwood Link Opening Roundup: Lynnwood Link Opens to Huge Crowds and Night Markets New Sound Transit light rail stations draw big crowds for first trips (Seattle Times, $) Video: What it's like to ride the new Lynnwood light rail train (Seattle Times, $) How Cities in Lynnwood Link's Path Prepared ... Continue reading "Midweek Roundup - Open Thread 64"

In this video Reece Martin (RMTransit) talks about the rail network in Germany's northwestern megaopolis along the Rhine and Ruhr rivers, which is similar in size and population to the Los Angeles region. The region is split into two comprehensive transit districts, and this video focuses on the northern one. A later video will look ... Continue reading "Rhine-Ruhr Railways"

Thanks to Sam for referring this video to us. The STB staff are collecting their thoughts on the opening, working on other articles, dealing with illness, and preparing for the bus restructures September 14th. So there may not be another article for a couple days. How is Link ridership this weekend? This is an open ... Continue reading "Sunday Movie: Lynnwood Link Looking East"

Tomorrow, Sound Transit will officially open the Lynnwood Link Extension, the latest northward expansion of the Link 1 Line. Approved by voters in 2008 in the Sound Transit 2 ballot measure, the expansion opens four new stations along 8.7 miles of (mostly) elevated track between Northgate and Lynnwood. From extending north from Northgate, the new ... Continue reading "Lynnwood Link Festivities"