68 Replies to “Sunday Open Thread: New East Link Video”
A random question I’ve always had: when taking the 71/72/73 from downtown to the U District weekday mornings, sometimes the bus goes via I5, and sometimes it goes via Eastlake. Is there any guiding principle for the route choice, or is it just up to the individual driver?
I think it mostly has to do with which way the express lanes are going, and/or how heavy the freeway traffic is, but idk
When express lanes are open northbound, the routes always use them. It’s when the express lanes are closed that drivers choose between Eastlake and I5.
I am yet to ever see a 71/72/73 bus take I-5 when the express lanes are closed. They always just use Eastlake, albeit without stops.
Peak-hour nothbound buses take Eastlake. At 9am they switch to I-5 (regular lanes) and get off at 45th. Sometime in the afternoon they switch to the express lanes. I take them every day at different times in the morning, and they always follow this pattern. At the 7 o’clock hour Eastlake is pretty empty and the buses make good time. By 8:30 it’s slow going, so I sometimes wait until 9:00 when the first freeway bus goes. Sometimes I-5 is clear then, sometimes not. Sometimes I-5 is clear but then you get into a traffic jam on 45th, which I don’t understand but it repeatedly happens.
That is why I like the 66 so much. It is consistent. I never have to try to remember which routing it will take at any given time. So sorry it is scheduled for deletion.
The really pressing question on everybody’s mind after watching this video: once East Link takes over the I90 express lanes, what route will the Seattle Marathon and Seafair Triathlon use? These are the important issues of our time.
Everyone running will hop on the Link trains to cross the lake of course…
Before the race everyone flips a coin. Those who flip heads will race on the eastbound lanes. Those flipping tails will race on the westbound lanes. There will be no auto traffic on i90. Mercer island will not have access to the mainland during that time.
I want someone to research something for me. At the end of the video, the dude says “Like every trip, the ride is smooth, safe and dependable.” On Central Link, especially in the Rainier Valley, not EVERY trip is safe or dependable. A few times a year some truck or car runs a red light and crashes into the train. I want someone to compare the number of Central Link’s at-grade crossings with the future East Link’s crossings. It seems like East Link will have much fewer locations for potential train/vehicle collisions and will be more reliable than Central Link. Am I correct? Please tally up the number and report back here with your findings. Thank you.
Do your own damn research. The info is freely available.
Um, excuse me, but I believe you get the best results through teamwork. I did my part by posing the question. Now you want me to do the research, too? How on earth is that teamwork?
Sounds like you’re used to being in charge of the team, which definitely has its merits in the business world, but doesn’t translate well to this more egalitarian internet forum. True, “aw” was being unnecessarily abrasive but unless you’re serving a pre-arranged command or moderation function in this discussion, you swing no more weight here than anybody else, and telling someone else to tally up some numbers and get back to you came off the wrong way.
By the way, I am curious about those figures. Why not look them up and see if they match your predictions? It’d be interesting to see if you’re right.
Charles,
“Sam” is an advanced Watson-bot programmed by IBM to ask questions about transit. It’s sort of like ELIZA for New Urbanists.
Strange how most of the express lane on/off ramps and tunnels are staying put. I will be interested to see how they block off the two Island Crest Way tunnels that will no longer be needed.
Some will be connected to the outer roadway HOV lanes and some will be used for maintenance access.
Do any of you know any bicyclists who were ticketed in Kenmore along the Burke-Gilman Trail over the past several weeks? If so, I’d like to hear about the circumstances surrounding the citation. So far I’ve only heard the police’s side of the issue but would like to hear from anybody who got a ticket.
I know that a bicyclist was killed in a Kenmore crosswalk by a pickup that didn’t stop for him. Could Kenmore misguidedly be ticketing bicyclists in the name of “safety awareness?” I hope they are also targeting vehicles that don’t stop for people in crosswalks.
I’m aware of that incident. It’s one of several that led to the creation of the pedestrian & bicycle safety committee that I am on.
I’m still waiting to hear about a single ticket being written enforcing the Vulnerable User bill that was passed a few years ago. This law allows fines of thousands of dollars to be assessed when driving behavior causes harm to walkers or bike riders.
Down here in Portland (actually in Washington County), a motorist who had a diabetic attack, ran over and killed a child, and then lied to police about his condition and management thereof–just got four years in prison and permanent revocation of this license–the sort of sentence usually reserved for drunks who kill people.
Sending diabetics to prison under these circumstances is probably rare–but apparently he had one prior MVA due to his condition (which he denied to the cops–and almost got away with, until a local reporter did some digging that apparently the police screwed up on); and was not following recommended practices concerning management of diabetes.
It may well be the case that the reporter’s discovery embarrassed law enforcement, causing them to throw the book at the fellow.
There were some folks in the Seattle family biking group on Facebook that were ticketed recently.
Thanks for the tip, I will look them up and ask for some info.
To escape the heat in the Willamette Valley, I took the bus out to Cannon Beach a few days ago.
I was able to successfully read the Seattle Transit Blog on the bus WiFi, but I found that the touch screen was driven mad by the inverter noise (I presume). Many random characters attempted to appear in the response box and post themselves.
Anyone else have this sort of problem on other bus lines?
Android device or iOS? I’ve heard there are certain cheaper touchscreen implementations that are more susceptible to interference.
If you took the Amtrak bus then I’m surprised you got much WiFi at all. I take that bus all the time and never get Internet access between Banks and the 101/26 junction.
While on the subject, has anyone had a good experience with Amtrak Cascades and/or Bolt WiFi? Both are mediocre at best.
iOS, but it is one of the older phones.
Other than the usual dead spots, I’ve not had a problem with Cascades between Portland and Seattle. There were times that it was pretty slow but they are enforcing the no videos part of the agreement more severely, so things weren’t so bad as of a week ago.
The two times I have taken BoltBus, the WiFi agreement required that you sign up for some program or other, so I used a non-wifi entertainment hardback device I borrowed from the library instead.
If we are going to be accurate, it isn’t exactly Amtrak’s bus. It is MTR Western, paid for by Oregon DOT. You just use Amtrak to buy the tickets.
Yeah, tell me about it. Before they started electronic ticketing a few months ago, I would never receive my Amtrak points for that run without sending them my ticket information. Some how, between MTR Western and Amtrak my ticket number/Amtrak points information would always disappear. Better now that they scan the barcode.
I never had that problem, but I do remember the points being very slow (over a month) to arrive.
Are the public records on the internet about old metro routings? For example, I was out jogging the other day and saw a sign for Metro route 220 (on 112th ave NE in Bellevue). I’m curious what the 220 was and where is was going (esp. Becuase the xx0 or xx5 routes tend to be more important — though not always). However, a google search can’t seem to turn anything up.
Was it on 112th Ave SE? Metro used to have a peak hour express that ran Overlake P&R>NE 8th St.>140th Ave NE>Lake Hills Connector>Wilburton P&R>S. Bellevue P&R>I-90>Downtown. Four trips in each direction Monday-Friday. I know the 220 was operating through most of the 1990s but I don’t have any idea when it started or ended.
This was actually 112th Ave NE. It was at the 14th St and 112th Ave NE intersection. The 232 serves that stop today, but it also had a 220 label.
Oran Viriyincy has some old maps of Metro routes on his Flickr page. There’s one for circa 1983 and another circa 1997 that both have some form of the 220.
I found it! The 220 started at the Redmond P&R > 140th NE > NE 20th > Northup Way to S. Kirkland P&R > 112th NE to Bellevue TC. It ran 6am – 6pm, approximately every 30 minutes during peak hours, hourly during midday. The 220 was discontinued in the February 2008 Eastside reorganization.
Interesting! So it was like the 249 (eg Bellevue > S Kirkland > Northrup), but then turned north on 140th to go to Redmond rather than continuing East and terminating at OTC like the 249. Yeah — sounds like a good thing they killed the route, there’s nothing on 140th for a very long stretch.
The 220 was on 140th. The south end may have had a stop on 112th, It was one of the lowest-ridership routes and was deleted several years ago.
I’m considering starting a Wikia to hold this sort of information. History of companies, agencies, projects, routes, weird operational minutia (e.g. the “when do the 7[123] run on I-5?” discussion above). I think it would be a “strictly no editorializing allowed” sort of deal. If I did that would people contribute?
Haha, I hadn’t realized before just now that Wikia specifically had such a pronounced fandom/fictional world/social media bent. There are other Wiki hosts out there… though maybe Seattle transit information really is a fantasy/AU sort of deal.
If you saw a 220 sign at NE 14th & 112th, it likely means two things. Either Metro truncated the route and rerouted it to BTC for a while and then deleted it; or they deleted the route, reused the number for a different route, and then deleted that route too.
Question: eventually the additional lines will mean the removal of the buses from the downtown transit tunnel, correct? When that happens will the trains go much faster? I know the Link train sets are capable of much faster speeds and acceleration (ride through the Baker tunnel to see what I mean) but they go so damn slow in downtown.
The short answer is yes, buses will be removed from the tunnel. Exactly when, however, is still being debated. The best date right now is 2019, following construction of the turn-back track that will be necessary in order to run the East Link line.
As for tunnel speeds, I’m with you, I expect improvements from ID station on up. I can see where there could potentially be delays entering or leaving the tunnel system between the south entry on Royal Brougham and the ID platforms for switching and traffic. The occasionally-interminable delays caused by bus traffic should (theoretically) be eliminated from the tunnel. (I sure hope Metro is figuring out ways to handle the dramatic increase in bus traffic downtown…)
Took my bike from Kent East Hill up 108th (one of the Google recommended routes) to get to Renton’s Coulon Park as I wanted to see the Blue Angels.
They’ve been doing some nice work turning 108th into a bike friendly route to get down the hill.
Although curvy it’s a bit less breakneak and trafficky than Benson. And it lets you right into downtown Renton. Getting through Renton to Larkspur mall — where I ate lunch — and then to Coulon — was a breeze and although very commercialized had good riding.
I took a route that led me to the Interurban for the way back and treated myself to a 168 up the hill for completion. One day I might try biking back up 108th as it’s grade is probably one of the least severe for climbing the 500 ft.
Nice post, John. Sounds like a fun ride. Very perspicacious of you to use the bike rack for the climb up…..
If the video is to be believed, Sound Transit does’t think the new Embassy Suites hotel next to King Street Station will get built by 2023.
Lol at the gratuitous mention of “passing the home of the Super Bowl Champion Seattle Seahawks.” Everyone wants to bask in the reflected glory. No love for the Mariners, Sound Transit?
Also, “International District Chinatown Station” is such a mouthful. Has any transit patron ever used that name? Ridiculous. I wish ST would just settle on “ID Station” and call it a day.
It used to be International District Station, until the King County Council changed it in 2004.
I think it’s worth noting that both new stations here have two entrances – one to the east and one to the west. This “barbell” station layout is great! It’s what the DC Metro uses in many of its stations.
I’d just point out that the trains run past the stadium but don’t stop! LOL! If they mentioned the Mariners the missing stop would be a more glaring problem because that stadium is further from the International District-Chinatown Station. I sure wish there was a way to have an event-only tail track station off of East Link for stadium goers but it’s probably too late for that. Getting to and from East Link to stadium events is sure going to be crowded and confusing.
It would be more confusing to have trains from the eastside either not go downtown, or to go to the Stadium station then backtrack in, just on game days.
IDS, at Jackson, is not that far from the stadiums, and it isn’t hard to find. It’s close enough for route 550 and it’ll be close enough for East Link. I think some people heading south already use IDS today just to get on before the big crowds board at Stadium.
For Sounders games people actually use Pioneer Square to avoid the crowds at IDS.
Such a “tail track” would be fifteen to thirty feet in the air and run smack into the other aerial structures along Royal Brougham and Fourth Avenue South.
Does anyone know if ST3 could include infill stations? I’m specifically thinking of Graham St. and Bellevue Ave & E Pine St.
You can count Bellevue Ave. and E. Pine right out. Building a new underground station would be very expensive and maybe not even feasible. I think there is a significant grade between the PSST and CHS.
Graham St. being at the surface would be much easier.
Infill stations in the U-Link tunnel are impossible. The station platforms must be very nearly flat, and the tunnel sections between 9th and Pine and Capitol Hill Station and CHS and the deepest point underneath the Montlake Cut are on as nearly constant grades as are possible to achieve.
Such infills would have had to be “roughed in” by the TBM’s at the time of tunnel construction. That train has left the station.
Criminal.
I often wonder if thee could be an infill stop just south of Dearborn Street under the 12th Avenue bridge. It would be less than 1000 feet from both Yesler Terrace and the First Hill Streetcar (and a shorter distance than between some baggage claim and Link at the airport).
Yes but a station at Bellevue and Pine is not likely due to the curve and slope of the track.
I noticed that Sound Transit was testing 4-car Link trains this weekend. I took this pic at the Mt Baker Station.
Is that the right link? I saw only one car…
and it was a BMW.
More likely that sea-fair extras were sent out as a single train to be split up later.
It was an out of service train. It stopped at the station for about a minute and a half, didn’t open the doors then continued on.
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I really hate freeway light rail alignments and stations. Completely worthless for almost all pedestrians.
If you’re going back that far, this should be run in a tunnel under Jackson St or further north, to serve the southern side of the Central District. But that ship sailed long ago.
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A random question I’ve always had: when taking the 71/72/73 from downtown to the U District weekday mornings, sometimes the bus goes via I5, and sometimes it goes via Eastlake. Is there any guiding principle for the route choice, or is it just up to the individual driver?
I think it mostly has to do with which way the express lanes are going, and/or how heavy the freeway traffic is, but idk
When express lanes are open northbound, the routes always use them. It’s when the express lanes are closed that drivers choose between Eastlake and I5.
I am yet to ever see a 71/72/73 bus take I-5 when the express lanes are closed. They always just use Eastlake, albeit without stops.
Peak-hour nothbound buses take Eastlake. At 9am they switch to I-5 (regular lanes) and get off at 45th. Sometime in the afternoon they switch to the express lanes. I take them every day at different times in the morning, and they always follow this pattern. At the 7 o’clock hour Eastlake is pretty empty and the buses make good time. By 8:30 it’s slow going, so I sometimes wait until 9:00 when the first freeway bus goes. Sometimes I-5 is clear then, sometimes not. Sometimes I-5 is clear but then you get into a traffic jam on 45th, which I don’t understand but it repeatedly happens.
That is why I like the 66 so much. It is consistent. I never have to try to remember which routing it will take at any given time. So sorry it is scheduled for deletion.
The really pressing question on everybody’s mind after watching this video: once East Link takes over the I90 express lanes, what route will the Seattle Marathon and Seafair Triathlon use? These are the important issues of our time.
Everyone running will hop on the Link trains to cross the lake of course…
Before the race everyone flips a coin. Those who flip heads will race on the eastbound lanes. Those flipping tails will race on the westbound lanes. There will be no auto traffic on i90. Mercer island will not have access to the mainland during that time.
I want someone to research something for me. At the end of the video, the dude says “Like every trip, the ride is smooth, safe and dependable.” On Central Link, especially in the Rainier Valley, not EVERY trip is safe or dependable. A few times a year some truck or car runs a red light and crashes into the train. I want someone to compare the number of Central Link’s at-grade crossings with the future East Link’s crossings. It seems like East Link will have much fewer locations for potential train/vehicle collisions and will be more reliable than Central Link. Am I correct? Please tally up the number and report back here with your findings. Thank you.
Do your own damn research. The info is freely available.
Um, excuse me, but I believe you get the best results through teamwork. I did my part by posing the question. Now you want me to do the research, too? How on earth is that teamwork?
Sounds like you’re used to being in charge of the team, which definitely has its merits in the business world, but doesn’t translate well to this more egalitarian internet forum. True, “aw” was being unnecessarily abrasive but unless you’re serving a pre-arranged command or moderation function in this discussion, you swing no more weight here than anybody else, and telling someone else to tally up some numbers and get back to you came off the wrong way.
By the way, I am curious about those figures. Why not look them up and see if they match your predictions? It’d be interesting to see if you’re right.
Charles,
“Sam” is an advanced Watson-bot programmed by IBM to ask questions about transit. It’s sort of like ELIZA for New Urbanists.
Strange how most of the express lane on/off ramps and tunnels are staying put. I will be interested to see how they block off the two Island Crest Way tunnels that will no longer be needed.
Some will be connected to the outer roadway HOV lanes and some will be used for maintenance access.
Do any of you know any bicyclists who were ticketed in Kenmore along the Burke-Gilman Trail over the past several weeks? If so, I’d like to hear about the circumstances surrounding the citation. So far I’ve only heard the police’s side of the issue but would like to hear from anybody who got a ticket.
I know that a bicyclist was killed in a Kenmore crosswalk by a pickup that didn’t stop for him. Could Kenmore misguidedly be ticketing bicyclists in the name of “safety awareness?” I hope they are also targeting vehicles that don’t stop for people in crosswalks.
I’m aware of that incident. It’s one of several that led to the creation of the pedestrian & bicycle safety committee that I am on.
I’m still waiting to hear about a single ticket being written enforcing the Vulnerable User bill that was passed a few years ago. This law allows fines of thousands of dollars to be assessed when driving behavior causes harm to walkers or bike riders.
Down here in Portland (actually in Washington County), a motorist who had a diabetic attack, ran over and killed a child, and then lied to police about his condition and management thereof–just got four years in prison and permanent revocation of this license–the sort of sentence usually reserved for drunks who kill people.
Sending diabetics to prison under these circumstances is probably rare–but apparently he had one prior MVA due to his condition (which he denied to the cops–and almost got away with, until a local reporter did some digging that apparently the police screwed up on); and was not following recommended practices concerning management of diabetes.
It may well be the case that the reporter’s discovery embarrassed law enforcement, causing them to throw the book at the fellow.
There were some folks in the Seattle family biking group on Facebook that were ticketed recently.
Thanks for the tip, I will look them up and ask for some info.
To escape the heat in the Willamette Valley, I took the bus out to Cannon Beach a few days ago.
I was able to successfully read the Seattle Transit Blog on the bus WiFi, but I found that the touch screen was driven mad by the inverter noise (I presume). Many random characters attempted to appear in the response box and post themselves.
Anyone else have this sort of problem on other bus lines?
Android device or iOS? I’ve heard there are certain cheaper touchscreen implementations that are more susceptible to interference.
If you took the Amtrak bus then I’m surprised you got much WiFi at all. I take that bus all the time and never get Internet access between Banks and the 101/26 junction.
While on the subject, has anyone had a good experience with Amtrak Cascades and/or Bolt WiFi? Both are mediocre at best.
iOS, but it is one of the older phones.
Other than the usual dead spots, I’ve not had a problem with Cascades between Portland and Seattle. There were times that it was pretty slow but they are enforcing the no videos part of the agreement more severely, so things weren’t so bad as of a week ago.
The two times I have taken BoltBus, the WiFi agreement required that you sign up for some program or other, so I used a non-wifi entertainment hardback device I borrowed from the library instead.
If we are going to be accurate, it isn’t exactly Amtrak’s bus. It is MTR Western, paid for by Oregon DOT. You just use Amtrak to buy the tickets.
Yeah, tell me about it. Before they started electronic ticketing a few months ago, I would never receive my Amtrak points for that run without sending them my ticket information. Some how, between MTR Western and Amtrak my ticket number/Amtrak points information would always disappear. Better now that they scan the barcode.
I never had that problem, but I do remember the points being very slow (over a month) to arrive.
Are the public records on the internet about old metro routings? For example, I was out jogging the other day and saw a sign for Metro route 220 (on 112th ave NE in Bellevue). I’m curious what the 220 was and where is was going (esp. Becuase the xx0 or xx5 routes tend to be more important — though not always). However, a google search can’t seem to turn anything up.
Was it on 112th Ave SE? Metro used to have a peak hour express that ran Overlake P&R>NE 8th St.>140th Ave NE>Lake Hills Connector>Wilburton P&R>S. Bellevue P&R>I-90>Downtown. Four trips in each direction Monday-Friday. I know the 220 was operating through most of the 1990s but I don’t have any idea when it started or ended.
This was actually 112th Ave NE. It was at the 14th St and 112th Ave NE intersection. The 232 serves that stop today, but it also had a 220 label.
Oran Viriyincy has some old maps of Metro routes on his Flickr page. There’s one for circa 1983 and another circa 1997 that both have some form of the 220.
I found it! The 220 started at the Redmond P&R > 140th NE > NE 20th > Northup Way to S. Kirkland P&R > 112th NE to Bellevue TC. It ran 6am – 6pm, approximately every 30 minutes during peak hours, hourly during midday. The 220 was discontinued in the February 2008 Eastside reorganization.
Interesting! So it was like the 249 (eg Bellevue > S Kirkland > Northrup), but then turned north on 140th to go to Redmond rather than continuing East and terminating at OTC like the 249. Yeah — sounds like a good thing they killed the route, there’s nothing on 140th for a very long stretch.
The 220 was on 140th. The south end may have had a stop on 112th, It was one of the lowest-ridership routes and was deleted several years ago.
I’m considering starting a Wikia to hold this sort of information. History of companies, agencies, projects, routes, weird operational minutia (e.g. the “when do the 7[123] run on I-5?” discussion above). I think it would be a “strictly no editorializing allowed” sort of deal. If I did that would people contribute?
Haha, I hadn’t realized before just now that Wikia specifically had such a pronounced fandom/fictional world/social media bent. There are other Wiki hosts out there… though maybe Seattle transit information really is a fantasy/AU sort of deal.
If you saw a 220 sign at NE 14th & 112th, it likely means two things. Either Metro truncated the route and rerouted it to BTC for a while and then deleted it; or they deleted the route, reused the number for a different route, and then deleted that route too.
Question: eventually the additional lines will mean the removal of the buses from the downtown transit tunnel, correct? When that happens will the trains go much faster? I know the Link train sets are capable of much faster speeds and acceleration (ride through the Baker tunnel to see what I mean) but they go so damn slow in downtown.
The short answer is yes, buses will be removed from the tunnel. Exactly when, however, is still being debated. The best date right now is 2019, following construction of the turn-back track that will be necessary in order to run the East Link line.
https://seattletransitblog.wpcomstaging.com/2013/07/24/turnback-to-be-added-at-ids-for-east-link-buses-removed-from-tunnel-in-2019/
As for tunnel speeds, I’m with you, I expect improvements from ID station on up. I can see where there could potentially be delays entering or leaving the tunnel system between the south entry on Royal Brougham and the ID platforms for switching and traffic. The occasionally-interminable delays caused by bus traffic should (theoretically) be eliminated from the tunnel. (I sure hope Metro is figuring out ways to handle the dramatic increase in bus traffic downtown…)
Took my bike from Kent East Hill up 108th (one of the Google recommended routes) to get to Renton’s Coulon Park as I wanted to see the Blue Angels.
They’ve been doing some nice work turning 108th into a bike friendly route to get down the hill.
Although curvy it’s a bit less breakneak and trafficky than Benson. And it lets you right into downtown Renton. Getting through Renton to Larkspur mall — where I ate lunch — and then to Coulon — was a breeze and although very commercialized had good riding.
I took a route that led me to the Interurban for the way back and treated myself to a 168 up the hill for completion. One day I might try biking back up 108th as it’s grade is probably one of the least severe for climbing the 500 ft.
Nice post, John. Sounds like a fun ride. Very perspicacious of you to use the bike rack for the climb up…..
If the video is to be believed, Sound Transit does’t think the new Embassy Suites hotel next to King Street Station will get built by 2023.
http://seattle.curbed.com/archives/2014/07/stadium-places-grand-vision-for-sodos-future-begins-with-an-embassy-suites-hotel.php#more
Lol at the gratuitous mention of “passing the home of the Super Bowl Champion Seattle Seahawks.” Everyone wants to bask in the reflected glory. No love for the Mariners, Sound Transit?
Also, “International District Chinatown Station” is such a mouthful. Has any transit patron ever used that name? Ridiculous. I wish ST would just settle on “ID Station” and call it a day.
It used to be International District Station, until the King County Council changed it in 2004.
I think it’s worth noting that both new stations here have two entrances – one to the east and one to the west. This “barbell” station layout is great! It’s what the DC Metro uses in many of its stations.
I’d just point out that the trains run past the stadium but don’t stop! LOL! If they mentioned the Mariners the missing stop would be a more glaring problem because that stadium is further from the International District-Chinatown Station. I sure wish there was a way to have an event-only tail track station off of East Link for stadium goers but it’s probably too late for that. Getting to and from East Link to stadium events is sure going to be crowded and confusing.
It would be more confusing to have trains from the eastside either not go downtown, or to go to the Stadium station then backtrack in, just on game days.
IDS, at Jackson, is not that far from the stadiums, and it isn’t hard to find. It’s close enough for route 550 and it’ll be close enough for East Link. I think some people heading south already use IDS today just to get on before the big crowds board at Stadium.
For Sounders games people actually use Pioneer Square to avoid the crowds at IDS.
Such a “tail track” would be fifteen to thirty feet in the air and run smack into the other aerial structures along Royal Brougham and Fourth Avenue South.
Does anyone know if ST3 could include infill stations? I’m specifically thinking of Graham St. and Bellevue Ave & E Pine St.
You can count Bellevue Ave. and E. Pine right out. Building a new underground station would be very expensive and maybe not even feasible. I think there is a significant grade between the PSST and CHS.
Graham St. being at the surface would be much easier.
Infill stations in the U-Link tunnel are impossible. The station platforms must be very nearly flat, and the tunnel sections between 9th and Pine and Capitol Hill Station and CHS and the deepest point underneath the Montlake Cut are on as nearly constant grades as are possible to achieve.
Such infills would have had to be “roughed in” by the TBM’s at the time of tunnel construction. That train has left the station.
Criminal.
I often wonder if thee could be an infill stop just south of Dearborn Street under the 12th Avenue bridge. It would be less than 1000 feet from both Yesler Terrace and the First Hill Streetcar (and a shorter distance than between some baggage claim and Link at the airport).
Yes but a station at Bellevue and Pine is not likely due to the curve and slope of the track.
I noticed that Sound Transit was testing 4-car Link trains this weekend. I took this pic at the Mt Baker Station.
Is that the right link? I saw only one car…
and it was a BMW.
Oops. try this one:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/22217290@N07/14811667545/in/photostream/
More likely that sea-fair extras were sent out as a single train to be split up later.
It was an out of service train. It stopped at the station for about a minute and a half, didn’t open the doors then continued on.
A 24-Year-Old Transport Engineer Is About To Free Her City From Car Ownership
http://www.businessinsider.com/interview-with-helsinki-transport-engineer-2014-7#ixzz39R3KSosY
I really hate freeway light rail alignments and stations. Completely worthless for almost all pedestrians.
If you’re going back that far, this should be run in a tunnel under Jackson St or further north, to serve the southern side of the Central District. But that ship sailed long ago.
I read a lot of interesting posts here. Probably you spend a lot of time writing, i know how to save
you a lot of time, there is an online tool that creates readable, google friendly
articles in minutes, just type in google – laranitas free content source