In case you’re not up on your acronyms, Sound Transit’s draft 2009 Service Implementation Plan is up on the web. There’s over 100 pages of stuff; some of it (as the name implies) is the service plan for next year and several years afterward. The big service changes in 2009 are the route modifications to the 554, 555, and 556. You may not have heard this, but there’s apparently some sort of train opening up next year as well.
The real meat, however, is extremely detailed ridership data for every route in the system. If you have a couple of hours to spare, it makes for pretty informative reading.
This SIP doesn’t seem to include new service hours from the passage Proposition 1 (ST2). I guess we’ll see that soon. Hopefully it’ll fund a Sounder shadow route — I think that’d be really cool.
I believe the link to it on the ST page actually says it doesn’t include Prop 1. This is just the draft – the final will likely be different.
Yes, the page says “WATCH FOR ANNOUNCEMENTS OF SERVICE PLANNING UPDATES FOR VOTER APPROVED ST2 SERVICE ADDITIONS.”
In bold text on the first page of the executive summary:
The Draft 2009 SIP was developed assuming no Sound Transit 2 (“ST2”) program.
Maybe the 100,000 hours promise will be delayed due to the economy?
No, the plan says very specifically that it assumes Prop 1 does not pass. There will be a new version.
I looked over mainly at the Sounder stuff and a bit confused on it but I’ll read over it closer to get the jist of it.
Ninth train starts June 2009 along with a schedule adjustment. It’ll be interesting how this will impact Amtrak with the train slated to leave at 5:18pm instead of 5:10pm.
On Link service:
ST says Route 194 will continue to run until Airport Link is open along with the airport shuttle bus. The shuttle takes 8 to 11 minutes each way (!) and runs every 10-15 minutes. ST expects most people traveling to Sea-Tac Airport from downtown to continue using the 194 until then.
On Link fares:
“Central Link fares will be set by the Sound Transit Board in early 2009. For purposes of
estimating fare revenue, fares for Central Link are assumed to have an average fare per
boarding of $1.30.”
With Metro bus fares rising, I wonder if light rail fares are going to be affected as well. It’s been years since the last ST bus fare increase. Maybe Link fares will end up being cheaper than Metro bus.
Does anybody know if there are practical impediments (e.g. needing to have the system offline for maintenance) to offering a few “Night Owl” runs on Link between 1 and 2:30AM, at least on Friday & Saturday nights, or if service will halt at 1AM because Sound Transit believes that ridership would not justify the costs?
Concerts often finish after 1AM, and bars don’t close until 2AM. Continuing transit service through those hours makes life easier and more affordable for people going out to bars/clubs/concerts and should reduce the number of people trying to drive while intoxicated.
With the initial segment, this may not be an overriding concern, but when North Link connects the U-District, Capitol Hill, and Downtown, and East Link connects the Eastside to Seattle, I expect there to be demand for reliable weekend late-night service.
I believe it’s because track inspections need to take place every night. Most systems – even in places like Tokyo, where there would be justification, are not 24 hour.
NYC has four tracks, so you can inspect one pair while you’re using the other.
We really should have quad-tracked Link.
Tony, you must be kidding — there’s no way 4-tracking is a better allocation of money running 2-track lines to more places.
I think that sound transit could probably pull off 23 hour service on Friday and Saturday. There would be enough time to pull off a quick inspection pass if necessary. Any major repairs could be done during the week nights.
Sound Transit has run Tacoma Link on extended hours on special occasions. I think they could extend service for another hour or two on Central Link.
I read somewhere about Tokyo that taxis handle most of the public transportation after the last trains and buses of the night have run (typically around midnight). There is a photo showing “an ocean of taxis” parked outside a train station waiting for passengers at night.