Seattle Transit Blog

The complexity of our bus system often presents power users with a dilemma. There are often multiple ways to get to a destination, and the bus to take often depends on which one comes first. Sometimes, it’s a choice whether to travel east-west or north-south at start. In other cases, extreme bus density downtown means routes […]

To establish a north/south link in the heart of the county, Pierce Transit is weighing the potential of high-capacity transit (HCT). These systems, designed to carry a larger volume of riders with greater speed, reliability, and frequency than a standard fixed route bus system, can operate either on a dedicated track or lane, or on […]

Commute Seattle Executive Director Jonathan Hopkins joins us. Topics include: Lowering drive alone rates (2:55) Fixing 3rd Avenue (23:55) ST3 timelines (37:37) Bike share (42:15) http://traffic.libsyn.com/seattletransitblog/STB_podcast_044.mp3

Community Transit is proposing a small fare policy change for next year, as part of preparation for the next-generation ORCA system planned to launch in 2021. If approved at next month’s board meeting, the fare policy change would eliminate a lower-cost fare used on commuter routes by riders who only ride within one or two zones. […]

For many years, SDOT has sought to build an overpass separating cars, trucks, and buses on Lander Street in Sodo from crossing train traffic. Last time we checked in, the project was included in the Move Seattle project list and had secured a $45 million federal grant, but was still $40 million short of full […]

The Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) Local 587 approved a three-year labor contract which includes a nine percent raise over three years and allows part-time drivers to work weekend shifts, King County Metro Transit announced Tuesday. The current contract prohibits part-time drivers from working weekends and past 8:30 pm during the week. According to Metro, this […]

Amtrak Cascades, the Northwest’s intercity passenger rail service, will add two new trips between Seattle and Portland by year’s end, a spokesperson for WSDOT confirmed yesterday. WSDOT officials first unveiled the new timetable (PDF) at a rail advocacy picnic in Lacey on Saturday. The new trips are being added thanks to $800M in federal stimulus funds, […]

Across the country, as bus routes are increasingly overcrowded and delays have slowed commuters, private transit companies are providing another choice. Mark Hallenbeck, director of the Washington State Transportation Center, sees a market for private transit but says these companies will not replace the need public transit fulfills. Answers edited for length and clarity. STB: […]

Everett Transit has been preparing for a major face-lift for one of the city’s main transit corridors, North Broadway, between Downtown Everett and the Everett Community College campus. Originally slated for this year, the project has been pushed back into 2018 while additional design work is completed. The North Broadway project will add 24 bus […]

Link Light Rail operators have been given orders to slow accelerations to reduce stress on the system after an electrical failure at the Tukwila International Boulevard Station substation Tuesday resulted in a power outage to the southern portion of the Link light rail system, according to Sound Transit. On Tuesday a “major electrical substation failure” […]

Last week, I covered part 3 in the series about Seattle-Vancouver high-speed rail, covering the Bellingham-Vancouver segment; the first two parts, by Zach Shaner, covered Seattle-Everett and Everett-Bellingham. This piece, the last part, covers the possibilities for suburban stations. Is it better to build stations in Downtown Vancouver and Seattle, or in less constrained suburban […]

Transportation is the second-largest monthly expenditure for many households. And for some, the cost of a bus or train ticket can limit access to parts of the city within walking distance. A pilot program conducted by Capitol Hill Housing, an affordable housing developer, subsidized fares for a group of residents and showed that a small […]

The SODO Track mural nears completions as 26 artists add to the 2-mile art experience this month. Last year eight murals were completed along the light rail track (also known as the SODO busway and trail), between the SODO and Stadium stations. This year the murals have expanded south to Spokane Street. “We want to […]

On Wednesday, Sound Transit quietly released a draft of its Annual Report and 2017-2022 Transit Development Plan. The TDP, which state law requires ST to complete each year, operates at a higher level than the Service Implementation Plans released in the fall. While the TDP offers less granular detail about the agency’s plans than the […]

Young Professionals in Transportation are hosting Seattle’s first TransportationCamp on Saturday, August 12, at the offices of MG2 in Downtown Seattle. Attendees will be given the opportunity to explore transportation topics, ideas, and emerging trends with fellow transportation professionals, students, and enthusiasts in a welcoming environment. TransportationCamp is structured like an Unconference, so rather than having scheduled speakers and […]

To relieve overcrowding at parking lots near trailheads in the Issaquah Alps, starting Saturday a new King County Metro bus route will ferry hikers to three trailheads between the city’s two park and rides. Partnering with King County Parks Department, Metro’s new Trailhead Direct service will run Saturdays, Sundays and Holidays through October, with buses […]

[Readers have been asking about our 4-part series on Seattle-Vancouver high speed rail. With Zach moving on to new adventures, we’ve asked Alon Levy of the excellent blog Pedestrian Observations to finish out the series. Enjoy part 3 below. – Ed.] Seattle Transit Blog has looked at special challenges involved in high-speed rail in the […]

The open mayoral election has exposed how inadequate our first-past-the-post voting system is for a modern city. We have three urbanists running for mayor (Jessyn Farrell, Cary Moon, and Mike McGinn), seemingly splitting the urbanist vote and cancelling each other out. We have two strong lefty candidates, who are threatening to knock each other out […]

King County Metro has a survey up, aimed at people who work in the SODO area, which the agency defines as between Royal Brougham Way and Lucille Street. This is part of Metro’s Community Connection program, “in which Metro works with local governments and community partners to develop innovative and cost-efficient transportation solutions in areas […]

The same day the Seattle City Council approved a design for the Roosevelt RapidRide and endorsed plans to seek federal and state funding for the project, councilmembers were given a dismal prediction on the future of federal transportation funding. “It’s not a great picture,” said Leslie Pollner, a federal lobbyist for the city. She told councilmembers […]

Sound Transit has released their May Ridership Report and Link is still going strong, up 11.9%. Average daily ridership for Link in May was: Weekday: 73,208 (+11.9%) Saturday: 54,273 (+17.1%) Sunday: 42,497 (+16.5%) Other weekday modal ridership stats: Sounder: 16,970 (+0.6%) Tacoma Link: 3,570 (+3.6%) ST Express: 65,853 (-0.8%) Sound Transit Systemwide, +5.0% Weekday, +8.9% Total Boardings My charts below […]

Eighteen years ago, anti-tax activist Tim Eyman decimated funding for public transit with his first $30 car tab initiative, which eliminated the motor vehicle excise tax (MVET). His latest initiative, I-947, once again proposes to replace the current MVET with a flat $30 car tab fee. The initiative is estimated to cost Sound Transit between […]

On August 3rd, SDOT is hosting an open house for the Northgate Pedestrian/Bike bridge project: At the open house: See the latest Northgate Ped/Bike Bridge design and get a sense of what it will be like to use the bridge. Learn about the route for the Northgate Neighborhood Greenway. Get information on other transportation projects […]

Beginning last winter, you may have noticed platform decals in the Downtown Seattle Transit Tunnel attempting nudge new-ish Seattle rail riders to follow the universal etiquette of not blocking the door as people exit. That experiment is over. ST spokesperson Kimberly Reason: The decals at Westlake were temporarily installed on a six-month trial period to […]