Federal Way Link to open on Dec. 6

This morning, Sound Transit announced the official opening day of the Federal Way Link Extension, which will extend the 1 Line to three new stations beyond its current terminus at Angle Lake. An opening ceremony will be held across the extension on Saturday, December 6, 2025, kicking off full 1 Line service to the new terminus at Federal Way Downtown.

When it broke ground in 2020, the extension was expected to open in 2024. Completion was eventually delayed to mid-2026 following due to impacts from the 2020 pandemic, a 140-day concrete truck driver strike (KUOW), and the discovery of unstable soils next to I-5 south of the Midway Landfill (Sound Transit).

However, construction appears to have proceeded ahead of schedule. Earlier this summer, Sound Transit CEO Dow Constantine announced the agency would be making every effort to open the extension as soon as possible, even if it meant usurping the cross-lake connection of the 2 Line between Bellevue and Seattle as the next major expansion of the Link system. Opening of the cross-lake connection is now tracking toward next spring.

Continue reading “Federal Way Link to open on Dec. 6” | 0 comments

Midweek Roundup: first train ever

Local Transit & Land Use:

National News:

Continue reading “Midweek Roundup: first train ever” | 48 comments

Ridership Patterns for Link 1 Line

The Link 1 Line runs between Angle Lake in SeaTac and Lynnwood via Tukwila, Seattle, Shoreline, and Mountlake Terrace. In May 2025, the 1 Line had 105,586 average weekday boardings.

The 1 Line initially opened in July 2009 and ran between downtown Seattle (Westlake) and Tukwila. Since then, it has expanded north to the University of Washington in 2016, Northgate in 2021, Lynnwood in 2024, and south to SeaTac in December 2009 and Angle Lake in 2016. The Federal Way Link Extension is expected to open later this year.

The ridership data discussed in this article is just a snapshot of the current system. Link is still a growing system and many of the non-Link transit projects being built in Puget Sound will have a direct or indirect impact on ridership over the next few decades. The methodology behind the data shown below is discussed in the first comment below the post.

Average Weekday Boardings Per Station

The plot below shows the average weekday boarding count by station in each direction in May 2025. Southbound boarding counts are shown on the left and northbound boarding counts are shown to the right. The alighting count for a given station is similar to the boarding count in the opposite direction.

Average 1 Line Weekday Boarding Counts in May 2025

The 1 Line ridership patterns show that the highest ridership occurs between downtown Seattle and Northgate. U District has the higher number of southbound boardings and SeaTac/Airport has the highest number of northbound boardings. All stations north of the Montlake Cut (UW and above) have more southbound than northbound boardings. All stations south of UW have more northbound passengers.

Some observations for each station:

Continue reading “Ridership Patterns for Link 1 Line” | 69 comments

Friday Roundtable: FAB Lane in SODO

Last week, Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) crews installed the first Freight and Bus (FAB) lane in Seattle on 4th Ave S. The new lane runs northbound from S Walker St to under the Edgar Martinez Dr S overpass. Metro routes 131 and 132 serve stops along this segment of 4th Ave S.

The bus lane stops under Edgar Martinez Dr S overpass, leaving an 800ft gap before the existing northbound bus lane starts after S Royal Brougham Way. Traffic from the overpass merges onto 4th Ave from the right in this gap.

Freight and bus lanes could be the solution for improving bus reliability on key freight corridors. SDOT is planning on piloting FAB lanes on Westlake Ave once the Route 40 Transit Plus Multimodal Corridor project is complete.

Continue reading “Friday Roundtable: FAB Lane in SODO” | 55 comments

Midweek Roundup: one step closer

Recent Transportation Headlines at The Urbanist:

Other Transportation:

Continue reading “Midweek Roundup: one step closer” | 90 comments

Bus Improvements on Harrison, but Will There be Buses?

Last May, SDOT released a new fact sheet on its Harrison and Mercer Transit Access project, spanning the blue line in the map above. It’s at 30% design, and construction can begin “as early as” 2026 (although since the May update, that has slipped to 2027).

The plan is for, more or less, the usual recipe: road repaving, transit priority treatments, and pedestrian safety. The details are subject to the remaining 70% of the design.

Alert readers might notice what’s unique about this transit corridor work: there are no bus routes on the corridor! The new-ish Eastlake Layover Facility is at one end, so perhaps it’d be a little easier to start some routes on time. But SDOT and Metro confirmed to me that there is more in the works.

Continue reading “Bus Improvements on Harrison, but Will There be Buses?” | 49 comments

Friday Roundtable: Pedestrian Streets in Seattle

Pike Place Market’s car-free pilot was recently extended until Spring 2026. During this time the Market will create a comprehensive street management plan that will take effect before the FIFA World Cup in June. We don’t know what the final plan will be, but it may result in Pike Place becoming the third pedestrian street in Seattle. Occidental Avenue was pedestrianized in 1971, and a half block of Pike St was pedestrianized in 2023.

Pedestrian streets significantly improve the local environment of any neighborhood by creating space for people to meet, eat, and relax. Study after study has shown that pedestrianizing an area increases foot traffic and spending at local businesses, while creating a cleaner and safer environment. Seattle needs more permanent pedestrian spaces.

Continue reading “Friday Roundtable: Pedestrian Streets in Seattle” | 76 comments

Midweek Roundup: light rail culture

Upcoming Link Disruptions:
Several sporadic periods of reduced evening service for construction of Pinehurst Station
– Downtown tunnel (Westlake to SODO) will be closed Saturday, August 23, from morning to 1pm, for East Link testing. Shuttle buses will run every 10-15 minutes.

Local Transit News:

Continue reading “Midweek Roundup: light rail culture” | 75 comments

Sunday Movie: Buses

The first ever bus routes. (The Tim Traveler) Hint: They’re in France and have to do with Blaise Pascal.

Three good things about Metro buses and ST Express by a visitor. (Trains are Awesome)

The London Underground has express services. (Ontario Traffic Man via RMTransit)

This is an open thread.

62 comments

Friday Roundtable: Seattle Street Railways in 1896

Seattle Street Railways 1896 by Harry Foesig. Map scan by Andrew Filer.

Seattle has a long history with rail public transit. This map was drawn by Harry Foesig and published in Leslie Blanchard’s 1968 book, The Street Railway Era in Seattle: a Chronicle of Six Decades. Despite the map depicting Seattle 129 years ago, many of the routes shown are still served by Metro routes today.

  • RapidRide D runs on 15th Ave, Elliott Way, and Mercer St.
  • Westlake Ave is served by Route 40.
  • Eastlake Ave now has Route 70, soon to be the J Line.
  • RapidRide G covers most of Madison, Route 11 covers the eastern third.
  • The Central District had two routes similar to today’s routes 3 and 4.
  • Route 7 travels down Rainier.
Continue reading “Friday Roundtable: Seattle Street Railways in 1896” | 52 comments

SDOT Project Completion Celebration in Pioneer Square

The Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) is wrapping up two projects in Pioneer Square that will make traveling in the area easier for everyone. SDOT is hosting a celebration during the Pioneer Square Art Walk today from 5-7pm at 3rd Ave S & S Main St.

SDOT’s 3rd Ave S & S Main St project redesigned 3rd Ave S between Yesler Way and S Main St. The street now has wider sidewalks, a smoother roadway surface, and improved pedestrian lighting. The bus stop at 3rd Ave S & S Main St is quite busy, serving routes 7, 14, 21, 36, 40, 70, 124, 131, and 132.

Continue reading “SDOT Project Completion Celebration in Pioneer Square” | 14 comments

Midweek Roundup: 2025 Primary

Elections Headlines:

Transit & Streets:

Continue reading “Midweek Roundup: 2025 Primary” | 131 comments

Sunday Movie: Pike Place Market With and Without Cars

Pike Place Market with cars in 2022, and without cars in 2025. (Juan Rodriguez)

Cars were removed from Pike Place in April due to a building construction project blocking a lane. They were supposed to return this month but Mayor Harrell extended the ban to spring 2026. The city is taking advantage of this temporary pedestrianization to study how people are voting with their feet and cars; e.g., any changes in foot traffic or vendor sales. Some people have long advocated for a permanent ban, while some drivers complain about losing the ability to quickly drop into a shop and leave. Some vendors are concerned they may be losing sales as people walk in the middle of the street and don’t see the shop rather than being forced to walk directly in front of the shop. But there’s is a great opportunity to create a truly pedestrianized street to complement the early-1900s market and new overlook walk and waterfront renovation.

Serfaus, Austria, population 1000, has the second-smallest subway in the world. (TFS Transport via RMTransit) Why does it have it? Skiers! Cars are banned in the village. The U-Bahn runs from the consolidated parking garage through the village center to the ski lift.

The smallest subway according to some criteria is the Carmelit in Haifa, Israel. It’s 1.1 miles long with 6 stations. Other contenders can be found by doing a web search for “smallest subway in the world”. It partly depends on the criteria: shortest length, fewest stations, lowest capacity, smallest host city, and whether funiculars (steep-incline services) are eligible.

This is an open thread.

56 comments

Friday Roundtable: Boren Ave Route Idea

One of the most significant transit gaps in Seattle is on Boren Ave between Jackson Street and Denny Way. Boren Ave is aligned with the downtown grid and runs through the heart of First Hill. The avenue is unique as it is the only road connects South Lake Union (SLU), First Hill, and Little Saigon. The current transit network in the area is still focused on getting people to and from downtown Seattle. Over ten Metro and Sound Transit routes intersect Boren Ave, heading to and from downtown. A route along Boren would connect these many routes and provide a direct route between the International District, First Hill, and South Lake Union.

Downtown Seattle Transit Map with Boren Ave Circled (Screenshot from Seattle Transit Map)

Running a bus on Boren is not a new idea. Today, peak hour express routes 193, 303, 322, and 630 have stops on Boren. This proposal is focused on adding an all-day, frequent bus route. Over the past 15 years, several STB posts have proposed rerouting a bus to Boren Ave, including Route 7 and Route 106. These proposals are still valid ideas; however, today’s route proposal focuses on a different route: Route 40.

Continue reading “Friday Roundtable: Boren Ave Route Idea” | 116 comments

Metro and Seattle Streetcar fares increasing on Sept. 1

On Monday, King County Metro announced fares will increase on September 1, 2025, for multiple Metro services and for the Seattle Streetcar, which is owned by SDOT but operated by Metro.

Table of fare changes on King County Metro services, as presented on “Metro Matters” on July 28 (King County).
Continue reading “Metro and Seattle Streetcar fares increasing on Sept. 1” | 22 comments

Midweek Roundup: early Christmas gift

Displays within Link light rail trains got a facelift recently: they now show the station number and travel direction (photo by author).

Local Transit & Streets:

Continue reading “Midweek Roundup: early Christmas gift” | 51 comments

Movies: Melbourne & Auckland

Livability in Melbourne, Australia. (CityNerd) The Seattle waterfront streetcars in 1982-2005 came from Melbourne. When an Australian friend who’d grown up in Melbourne visited, I took him on the streetcar. It really reminded him of his childhood. The current Melbourne streetcars ave a green-and-yellow style that looks like a Metro bus on rails. And they’re in mixed traffic, because that’s how they were built a century ago.

New Zealand. (CityNerd) Ray says Australia and New Zealand have a lot in common with the US, including sprawl and freeways and sometimes inadequate transit. But where they’re different or changing, it shows what American cities can do.

This is an open thread.

48 comments

Bellevue Arts Fair

The Bellevue Arts Fair is this weekend if you’re looking for something to do. It’s a large free annual festival of artists’ booths and other artsy activities. It started Friday and continues Saturday 10am-7pm, and Sunday 11am-6pm. Here’s a map with the event locations. The fair started in 1948, and has been running annually my entire life. I’ve attended it several times in the past and always find several interesting things.

Events & Locations

The biggest part is a couple hundred artists’ booths in the Bellevue Square parking garage. It’s a curated set of artists selling paintings, prints, photography, and metal sculptures. Being inside the garage with asphalt and white lines and oil stains beneath you and concrete all around is a bit of a bummer, but you quickly forget about it once you start looking at the art.

Continue reading “Bellevue Arts Fair” | 17 comments