Seattle Transit Blog

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?"

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"

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"

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"

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"

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"

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"

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"

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"

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"

This is an open thread.

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?"

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"

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"

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"

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"

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"

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"

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"

Dear Monsieur Jean-Marc Cote. His vision of 2000 didn’t materialize. But was that his lack of imagination or ours? How well can we envision public transit in 100 years? With good news for the future of Washington State public transit in the expected passage of the proposed $16 billion transportation package, it seems a good … Continue reading "Love Fantasy Football? Try Fantasy Transit"

Marko Liias: OLYMPIA – On Tuesday, Senate and House Transportation Committee Chairs Sen. Marko Liias, D – Everett, and Rep. Jake Fey, D – Tacoma, unveiled Senate Bills 5974 and 5975 and House Bills 2118 and 2119 — Move Ahead Washington — a 16-year transportation proposal for Washington state. The $16 billion package provides historic funding for preserving our infrastructure, combating climate change by reducing emissions, expanding safe, … Continue reading "WA Dems propose a $16B transpo package"

Metro usually gathers a citizen sounding board when it’s planning a major service change. It’s a way to gather impressions after detailed technical discussion instead of drive-by comments. They’re currently collecting applicants for the service change associated with Lynnwood Link. If you’re willing to approach it with an open mind, think about the community as … Continue reading "Join the Lynnwood Link Mobility Board"

This is an open thread.

Stephen Fesler also unhappy with how ST3 is turning out Transit update from West Seattle Rogoff says reduced fare enforcement partly responsible for collapsing revenues ($), ECB is skeptical And now the Supreme Court can make things even worse Plan for Kirkland’s Dan Ryan Tower ($) is coming together Venu Nimani is the new Dongho … Continue reading "News roundup: enforcement"

In the week between Christmas and New Year, King County Metro activated its emergency snow network (ESN) for only the second time. However, it felt different this time around. In 2019, the situation was widely understood to be an emergency (even prompting Governor Inslee to declare a state of emergency, limiting the hours vehicles could … Continue reading "Metro needs a more flexible snow network"

Last week Sound Transit released the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for the West Seattle/Ballard Link Extension (WSBLE), the long-awaited Link line from Alaska Junction to 15th and Market, via Sodo, Downtown, South Lake Union, Uptown, and 15th. The comment period began today. View the online open house and comment here. Really Deep Stations Both … Continue reading "Comment on the WSBLE"

by ROSS BLEAKNEY The bus routes that are north of Seattle will change after Lynnwood Link. Several routes cross the county line, or should. These are operated by King County (Metro Transit) or Snohomish County (Community Transit). What follows is a proposal for changes to these routes. This is not meant to be a comprehensive … Continue reading "Intercounty Routes for Lynnwood Link"

As Sound Transit has done several times before, it is shutting down the 1 Line between SODO Station and Capitol Hill Station this weekend, for maintenance work. A free bus bridge will run from SODO Station To Capitol Hill Station, serving temporary stops at the stations in between. However, this time, the bus bridge will … Continue reading "1 Line bus bridge downtown this weekend"

Via expands to the Renton Highlands Pedersen will remain Seattle Transportation chair The website for the new ORCA is live Metro canceling some trips through Jan. 21 due to driver shortages Teamsters strike still delaying Link projects A list of all the transportation-ish bills in Olympia WSF neglect is starting to show This is an … Continue reading "News roundup: shortages"

Seattle’s new Mayor does not seem to be a fertile source of pro-housing legislation, having campaigned on skepticism about changing single family zones. But instead of struggling for dimes, we can pick up dollar bills at the state level. The bills are SB 5670 and HB 1782, and as explained by local treasure Dan Bertolet, would legalize: … Continue reading "Big housing bills in the legislature"

The 2022 legislative session is starting off with a bang this week. Before the first week is done Senate Bill 5528 will have a hearing in the transportation committee. The bill picks up where last year’s HB 1304 left off but expands the function to a regional level under the governance of Sound Transit. A city, subarea, … Continue reading "SB 5528 Gives Transit Power Back to Voters"

Sam Zimbabwe out at SDOT; what does it mean? Kent Keel staying as ST Board Chair West Seattle/Ballard EIS will arrive January 28th Escalator switching at CHS North Sounder is landsliding again An update on Safe Routes to School Worst year on Washington’s roads ($) since 2006 Pandemic trends in ridership, by neighborhood type Boston … Continue reading "News roundup: escalator switching"

Sound Transit recently released a revised Link schedule that will take effect January 8th “to better reflect actual trip times.” The main difference is that a Northgate-Angle Lake trip turns out to be 4 minutes slower, from 53 minutes to 57. There are four spots where it loses one of those minutes: Roosevelt-Northgate, UW-U District, … Continue reading "Link a little slower than expected"

No one is going to remember the Durkan administration, positively or negatively, based on its transit or land use legacy. The twin crises of the pandemic and a reckoning with racist policing will dominate the historical record. But here at STB, we always size up the outgoing mayor (Murray, McGinn, Nickels) on this basis. And … Continue reading "Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan"

2021 was the slowest year at STB in well over a decade. Nevertheless, both readers and commenters turned out when we did: Most Read “The Fate of Washington State Highway 304” (10/25). One of our new writers, Melony Joyce, sketches the big picture for our ferries, was almost five times as viral as the next … Continue reading "Most read posts of 2021"

This snow will stick around a while. In non-pandemic, normal work week times, this might have been a snowpocalypse event. Meanwhile, Metro’s Emergency Snow Network is in effect. ST express has Snow reroutes but Link is basically unaffected. 6 Sounder trips are suspended.

With 2021 coming to a close, our region has set sail on a major, exciting, one-in-a-generation opportunity to restructure and reform our transit network thanks to billions in capital investments. In 2008, regional voters approved Sound Transit 2 (ST2), and these investments are now bearing fruit as our regional light rail network will nearly triple … Continue reading "Getting ready for big changes to regional transit"

King County Metro put out a web news release to the public on the possibility of snow this weekend, and how to be prepared to travel in it. This is an open thread.

The ST2 projects were cruising along, but now there’s a concrete driver strike ($) Everett and CT will do another study on merging Feds send Metro $396m to make up for Covid losses Another bikeshare vendor — the more, the merrier Inside Metro’s 2022 budget Marko Liias is the new Senate Transportation Chair. There is … Continue reading "News roundup: no better friend"

OMF at S. 336th St is “preferred” On Thursday, the Sound Transit Board made the responsible decision and designated S. 336th St in Federal Way as the “preferred” site of South Link’s Operations and Maintenance Facility (OMF). It has not actually eliminated the other two sites from consideration, but the process will put somewhat more … Continue reading "ST Board makes the obvious decision"

Zee Shaner, writing on the Sound Transit blog: Shortly after the Northgate, Roosevelt and U District stations opened in October, riders quickly noticed that next train information had disappeared from 1 Line platform digital signs. Passengers wondered why it was ‘broken’ and when we could ‘get it working again’. We want to clarify that the system is working just as it always has, but we made the deliberate decision to turn it … Continue reading "Real-time info will get better next year"

From the Governor’s blog: Gov. Jay Inslee’s 2022 supplemental budget proposes significant funding to reduce poverty, increase housing and resources for homeless individuals, expand K-12 learning supports, invest in clean transportation and green economy, decarbonize buildings, and protect salmon habitat. The governor released his budget in Olympia on Thursday and was joined by David Schumacher, director of … Continue reading "Inslee’s housing and climate proposals"

The recent stall of a Sound Transit light rail train after the Apple Cup has brought on a public discussion on communicating with transit customers. Let’s hope that conversation continues. It is an important one. Have you ever felt a touch of fate? Several weeks ago I decided to take public transit from Seattle to … Continue reading "We are an unruly lot: Five observations on communicating with transit customers"

Lizz tells the story of vision-impaired people struggling to navigate transit Everett Council considers states its priorities for Link By some metrics, some are pronouncing microtransit a success More camera enforcement ($) More electrics for PT Seattle grows faster ($) than suburbs 2010-20 Traffic is back, transit ridership still down Natural gas buses aren’t carbon-neutral … Continue reading "News roundup: more"