The Seattle Transit Measure (STM) is a 0.15% sales tax that raises $50 million each year to boost bus service and make transit safer, faster, and more accessible in the City of Seattle. Originally passed in 2014 as the Seattle Transportation Benefit District (STBD), it was renewed and renamed in 2020 as the STM. The STM expires next spring and Mayor Wilson’s administration is expected to put a renewal on the ballot this fall.

This three-part series investigates how the STBD came to be, how it evolved into the STM, and what lies ahead given its impending expiration and the massive opportunity we have to expand bus service in Seattle.

Continue reading “Seattle Transit Measure: History as the STBD (2014 to 2020)” | 12 comments

Headlines:

• Vehicle Barrier Plan for Pike Place Market Comes Into View (The Urbanist)
• Issaquah Pitches Case for Keeping Its Light Rail Line on Track (The Urbanist)
• Light rail carried over 200K riders on Seahawks Super Bowl parade day (The Seattle Times, $). What about buses?
• Over 8 million people now live in Washington State (The Seattle Times, $). No mention of city-level statistics, but a comparison to other states. Census tract stats show 38% of workers in King County work remotely most days, up from 7% pre-pandemic, but the density of remote workers varies across the county (The Seattle Times, $).
• Two new senior executives and one boomerang hire at Sound Transit: Jessyn Farrell as Exec. Director of Government and Community Relations; Marshall Foster as Chief Planning and Development Officer, and Brook Belman returns as Deputy CEO (Sound Transit)

Continue reading “Midweek Roundup: 200,000 riders” | 90 comments

The full build out of Sound Transit 2 coming close after the December 6 opening of Federal Way Link Extension and the upcoming March 2026 full East Link. This article will go over the a map of transit times and have a brief recap of what ST2 will accomplish.

Above is the Sound Transit Future Extensions Map (Supposed 2024) annotated with transit times using the Chinatown as the 0 minute starting point. Heading north one can reach Northgate in 21 minutes and Lynnwood City Center in 35 minutes. Traveling east one can reach Bellevue Downtown in 22 minutes and Downtown Redmond in 41 minutes. Traveling south one can reach SeaTac in 33 minutes and Federal Way Downtown station in 50 minutes.

Continue reading “Sound Transit 2 Travel Times and Recap” | 96 comments

While Mexico City’s population keeps growing (currently at 23 million), it has become the city with the worst traffic and one of the most polluted cities in the world. To address these challenges, the city has invested in a mostly carbon-free multi-modal transit system consisting of the Metro subway, MetroBus BRT, trolley and regular bus lines, regional rail and light rail, a bike share system, and one of the largest urban gondola systems (CableBus) on the world. Outside of the city boundaries it also connects to the state’s bus and gondola lines. To serve riders from all income levels, it is also very affordable (7 pesos, about 40 cents, less for students/seniors). A single payment system makes it easier to use any of the different modes. This article explains the changes during the last decade and potential learnings for Seattle.

Continue reading “Learn from Mexico City: Multi-modal network” | 45 comments

Amtrak recently held an exclusive “first look ceremony” at their new Airo trainsets coming to certain routes nationwide over the next few years. Today’s videos review the new trains, which are coming to our very own Amtrak Cascades route first. The new trains are expected to roll out later this year.

The New York Times covered it on Friday with photos of the construction process at the Siemens Mobility factory in Sacramento, California. (NYT gift link)

This is an open thread.

52 comments

The first scheduled Link 2 Line train departed International District/Chinatown station (CID) this morning, marking the start of full 2 Line simulated service — a key final step before the 2 Line’s full opening on March 28. For the next six weeks, passengers will be allowed on the trains between CID and Lynnwood, and between Downtown Redmond and South Bellevue. Trains will travel empty across Lake Washington. To travel between CID and South Bellevue, passengers should transfer to Sound Transit Route 550.

This long awaited milestone brings significant benefits to many Link riders on both sides of Lake Washington. Passengers traveling between Lynnwood and CID will be able to use either the 1 Line or 2 Line. The two lines will alternate, resulting in a combined 4 minute frequency during peak hours and 5 minute frequency the rest of the day. Passengers traveling to a station south of CID should wait for the next 1 Line train. On the Eastside, 2 Line trains will now run between 4:00am and midnight.

Continue reading “2 Line Simulated Service Begins” | 54 comments

An excellent new essay on HistoryLink explains the history of Community Transit (CT), the public transit authority of Snohomish County. The essay divides CT’s history into seven chapters:

• The 1970s: Transit Makeover covers the formation of the Snohomish County Public Transportation Benefit Area Corporation (SCPTBA) in 1976;
• Hello, Community Transit explains how CT got its name in 1979 and early expansions;
• New Directions discusses decisions made in the 1980s;
• The 1990s: Out With the Old includes a dramatic story involving a federal grand jury and highlights CT’s rollout of the nation’s first articulated buses;
• Into the 2000s documents difficulties and victories at the turn of the millenium;
• The 2010s: Recession and Expansion covers CT’s response to and rebound from the Great Recession of 2008
• The 2020s: COVID and Recovery brings us to today.

After the jump is a recent episode of CT’s ongoing series “That Transit Show” highlighting CT’s maintenance workers and facilities.

Continue reading “Friday Roundtable: Community Transit’s History” | 64 comments

Average Ridership Per Trip

The plots below show the average weekday ridership by stop in each direction, color-coded by time of day. For a more detailed breakdown of how the plots are set up, please refer to the How to Read the Plots section of the article discussing Route 70.

Route 60 provides essential crosstown service, operates as a last-mile connection to Link, and stops near numerous schools and hospitals. Some observations:

Continue reading “Ridership Patterns for King County Metro Route 60” | 24 comments

Massive gridlock and transit reroutes today as the Seahawks celebrate their second Super Bowl win; here’s how to take transit to the victory parade. If you’re local and want to go, strongly consider riding a bike instead.

Sound Transit’s monthly maintenance program ended 1 Line service between Mount Baker and TIBS early last night (Feb. 10), and will do so again tomorrow night (Feb. 12, starting around 9:30pm). Maintenance planned for tonight (Feb. 11) was cancelled to accommodate the Seahawks parade and expectations of late-night revelry.

Headlines:

• King County Advocates Push for Transit Funding Measure in 2026 (The Urbanist)
• Bus lanes make busy roads work better (State Smart Transportation Initiative)
• Olympia Seeks to Boost Sound Transit with Long Overdue Permit Reforms (The Urbanist)
• USDOT might restrict federal funding for transit systems that don’t charge fares (Politico)
• Very bad transit service cuts are coming to Portland (Human Transit)
• 2026 Levy Plan Sets Stage for a New Mayor’s Transportation Priorities (The Urbanist)
• Sound Transit broke ground on the Renton Transit Center (ST News Release)
• Making the I-90 Interchange Work Better for Rainier Avenue South (WSDOT Blog)
• Bothell Housing Boom Brewing in Wake of Recent Zoning Reforms (The Urbanist)
• Seattle Poised to Remove SEPA Review Hurdle for Most Housing Projects (The Urbanist)

This is an Open Thread. Comments should focus on topics clearly related to transit and land use issues and be mindful of our Comment Policy.

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Earlier today, Sound Transit announced the full 2 Line will begin simulated service on Saturday, February 14. During this final testing stage, passengers will be allowed on 2 Line trains between Downtown Redmond and South Bellevue stations, and between International District/Chinatown (CID) to Lynnwood City Center stations. Simulated service will run between February 14 and the full 2 Line opening on March 28.

The start of simulated service brings significant service increases for riders on both the 1 Line and 2 Line. 1 Line passengers traveling between CID and Lynnwood will experience 4 minute frequencies during peak hours and 5 minute frequencies during the day. While the 2 Line will primarily use 2-car trains, the extra capacity will reduce crowding during busy times. 2 Line passengers on the Eastside will also see improved service as 2 Line trains will now run until midnight.

Continue reading “Full 2 Line Simulated Service Begins Saturday” | 29 comments