Seven Link disruptions in four days ($) last weekend. Five were from external causes (collision, blockage, shooting, two power outages), two from unknown causes. Five people were stabbed or struck by objects in 2023 on ST or Metro, while there have been seven unsolved shootings on King County freeways n the first seven weeks of 2024. (And more solved shootings?)
Somebody on Reddit posted that STB is anti-transit because we don’t unanimously support everything in ST3 without reservations, so we’re like the Koch brothers. The original message is deleted but the replies remain.
Federal Way Link will not only connect Federal Way with other Link destinations but it will make it much easier to provide regional transit. Unlike other stations south of downtown, Federal Way Link has an excellent interface to the I-5 HOV lanes. Buses will be able to easily serve it from both directions. The following is a proposal for a new network once that happens.
Current Regional Transit
Sound Transit provides most of the regional service for the South Sound, shown on their map. Sounder provides mostly peak service (i. e. to Seattle during morning rush hour, away from Seattle during evening rush hour). The buses are a mix of peak-only and all-day half-hour service. Sound Transit was planning on running the 594 and 577/578 every 15 minutes, but this fell victim to the driver shortage.
Federal Way Link
Federal Way Link will offer another way for riders to get to Downtown Seattle. Those who live south of Federal Way will be able to transfer to Link instead of taking a direct express bus (like the 594). Unfortunately, this would be slower than Sounder and considerably slower than a bus in the middle of the day (when Sounder is not running). By my calculations (shown below) it would be more than fifteen minutes slower to transfer to Link, not counting the wait time. I am proposing instead a combination of Sounder and express buses:
Sounder
Sounder provides a comfortable and consistent trip that is often faster than an express bus. It is also faster than taking a bus and transferring to Link. It only runs during peak, but for Tacoma (and places south) that is the only time it is faster than a bus. Sounder is also expensive to operate and unlike most transit, becomes increasingly expensive (per trip) the more it operates. BNSF owns the tracks and the more trips the train makes, the larger the burden on them (and the more they will charge us). Ridership during peak is down from before the pandemic, but remains reasonably good. In contrast, midday ridership and reverse peak ridership is low and has always been low. Improving frequency during peak (e. g. running trains every 15 minutes instead of 20) might very well be worth it. Outside of that period though, buses are a better option.
Proposed Bus Network
With that in mind, I propose something a bit unusual. During peak, the buses from Tacoma (and places to the south) would only go to Federal Way. Outside of peak the buses would stop at Federal Way but then continue to Seattle. Thus riders would take Sounder during peak and a direct express bus outside of peak (as they do today). They would have the opportunity to transfer in Federal Way if they are headed to the airport, Rainier Valley or some other Link destination. This is what I propose for the existing routes serving Federal Way, Tacoma, Lakewood and Dupont:
Peak only service now truncated in Federal Way: 590, 592, 595
The 594 (which does not run during peak) would stop at Federal Way but keep going. Frequency would increase to every 15 minutes all-day and evening.
For other South Sound destinations, it is a little trickier. While I’m sure several riders would love to see the 578 continue to run to Seattle, it is harder to justify given the relatively low ridership outside Federal Way. It is also worth noting that many of the Sounder Stations have little in the way of fast, direct connections to Downtown Seattle outside of peak. I propose a combination of service to Link and all-day service along part of the the Sounder corridor:
588 — New express bus connecting Auburn, Kent, Tukwila and Downtown Seattle. Runs when Sounder doesn’t.
This means riders from Puyallup and Sumner would have to transfer to get to Seattle, either via Link or the 588 express bus. The 578 and 588 could be timed to work together. Riders from Auburn would could get to Link via the 578, whereas riders from Kent and Tukwila would use Metro service to get to Link. I think fifteen minutes service on the 578 and half hour service on the 588 seems possible, and a big improvement over what they have now.
* Update: I forgot to mention that early morning trips to the airport would still be necessary. This is when the 574 gets the bulk of its riders and transferring to Link would not be an option at that hour (since it doesn’t operate that early).
Yesterday, I decided to pick up the Transit Capacity and Quality of Service Manual (TCQSM) for some light bedtime reading. Okay fine, it wasn’t bedtime reading, but I did read it! At least portions of it. For those who are uninitiated, the TCQSM is the authority on standards, metrics, and methods used for the evaluation of public transit service. It is published by the Transportation Research Board’s Transit Cooperative Research Program (TCRP) and a common reference for anyone who works in transit in a technical capacity.
I have been thinking a lot about transit recovery in the post-pandemic world. To sum up my previous thoughts:
The old peak-centric model of relying on the 9-5 five-day workweek is gone
Transit agencies can’t rely on employer return-to-office mandates and park-and-rides to save them
The new transit normal will focus more on decentralization but that doesn’t mean less density: stronger commercial and residential neighborhood centers with more corridor growth is warranted
Service reliability is key and requires reliable operator staffing and fleet availability
Metro’s final proposal on the East Link restructure is out. Only it’s not really final.
“Final Network review (January – March 2024): Due to delays with the opening of the East Link Extension, Metro is meeting with project partners to ensure the proposed East Link Connections network that it continues to meet community needs. Metro will engage its Mobility Board and Partner Review Board to address any changes in mobility needs that may have occurred since finalizing the network in 2022.”
So it’s asking the review boards and cities for any updates now. It doesn’t say it’s asking the public, but you can send feedback to Metro about anything anytime. The restructure will go into effect when the full 2 Line opens in 2025. A starter line will open in two months between South Bellevue and Redmond Tech, but Metro hasn’t announced any changes for that yet.
Metro’s page has four network maps, and links to the original route PDFs. Revisions since the phase 2 proposal are listed at the bottom of the network maps:
Proposed routing on All Day RTS [routes]: 111, 203, 222, 223, 224, 225, 226, 240, 245, 249, 251, 269 and Peak-Only RT 630 has changed between Phases 2 and 3. RT 111 is revised in Renton, RT 203 is revised in Issaquah and RT 630 is revised in Downtown Seattle. Rt 220 is new in Phase 3.
So let’s take a look at the routes. Link stations the routes serve are in bold. Frequencies are in this format: “peak, weekday, evening / weekend, weekend evening”. So “15, 15, 30 / 15, 30 / ends 9pm” is frequent daytime, infrequent evenings, and the last weekday run is at 9pm. (Weekend last runs maybe different.) Two numbers like “30-60” means a range within the time period.
On Saturday I went to see what the Redmond Link station areas and bus transfers are like. The 2 Line starter line will open in two months (April 28) as we reported, running from South Bellevue to Redmond Technology stations. The last two stations, Marymoor Village and Downtown Redmond, will open in a second phase. The full Line 2 to Seattle and Lynnwood is expected in 2025. So let’s take a look. You can follow along on Metro’s current Northeast area map.
Overlake Village
Bus transfer walks: B 1 minute, 221 14 minutes, 226 21 minutes, 245 14 minutes. Destinations: Safeway 10 minutes, ex-Sears (currently vacant lot) 15 minutes, Goodwill 15 minutes, Trader Joe’s 20 minutes. Fred Meyer and Crossroads are further.
Presidents’ Day transit February 19: Metro buses, Metro Flex taxis, ST Express, and Sounder are on Weekday schedules. Link is on Saturday schedule. The First Hill and SLU Streetcars are on Sunday schedule. The West Seattle and Vashon water taxis and shuttles have no service. The Monorail is open 8:30am to 9pm. Everett Transit is on weekday. Community Transit and Pierce Transit don’t say, so they’re probably weekday.
Metro has released their final plans for the bus restructure following the implementation of Lynnwood Link. Unlike the other phases, this time it is very similar to the previous proposal that we wrote about.
New or Modified Routes
There are only a couple changes in routing, both of them minor:
303, 322 — Now serve South Lake Union on the way to First Hill.
Modified Headways
This is the biggest change between now and the previous proposal. Several routes improved, with only the 28 getting worse. Here are the differences between Phase 3 (P3) and the current proposal (changes are in bold):
Numbers in commas are Peak, Midday, Evening, Night
All other routes remain the same as in P3.
Phases
As before, this will be implemented in phases, as described at the bottom of this letter from the county. Here is a summary:
Phase 1 — Link gets to Lynnwood. Most routes change.
Phase 2 — East Link goes over the lake and the 522 is sent to 148th Station*. This will result in a cascade of changes. Buses 45, 65, 75 and 331 will be altered. The 72 replaces the 372, while the new 77 will serve Lake City Way.
Phase 3 — 130th Station is complete, and the 77 is extended to serve it.
* The wording is actually vague, implying that Sound Transit might send the buses to Shoreline at this point. To quote the plans for the 522:
When ST Link 1 and 2 Lines are both in fully scheduled operation and trains can operate across Lake Washington , Sound Transit may also consider changes to ST Express service in the SR 522 corridor at that time.
The key word here being “may”. It is possible that Sound Transit may wait until the Stride 3 project is ready before removing service on Lake City Way.
East Link testing in Bellevue, photo via City of Bellevue
Earlier today, Sound Transit announced that Saturday, April 27th will be the official start date of the 2 Line, which will preliminarily run between South Bellevue Station and Redmond Technology Station. The opening of the shortened segment, also known as the East Link Starter Line (ELSL), is the result of a push by councilmember Claudia Balducci to get some portion of East Link operational after construction mishaps delayed the opening of the full line by two years.
The ELSL will run two-car trains at 10 minute headways from 5:30am to 9:30pm every day of the week. Although there’s not much to suggest there will be blockbuster ridership until the 2 Line is connected to the main spine in 2025, this presents an opportunity to build up an Eastside Link ridership market in the interim.
We’ll be there to cover the festivities on opening day, which will commence with a ribbon cutting:
Everyone is invited to celebrate opening day with Sound Transit and its partners on Saturday, April 27. The festivities will start with a ribbon cutting ceremony at Bellevue Downtown Station at 10 a.m. Link service will begin operating after the ribbon cutting at approximately 11 a.m.
Following the ribbon cutting and throughout the day, all eight of the new stations will feature different activities, exhibits and entertainment. Anyone who participates in a Discover.Stamp.Win activity and visits all eight stations will be eligible to enter a prize drawing.
Last week German local public transit came to a stop while the union demanded better working conditions for transit operators. They asked for fewer working days and hours, to mitigate increased traffic stress and increase the attractiveness of transit jobs again. Operator availability and pay has put a limit on service recovery and expansion since the pandemic. I have written about automated metro trains and gondola lifts before, to reduce this dependency and offer higher frequency and longer operating hours. In this article I want to focus on automated shuttles and buses and how it may affect Metro’s plans for the next few decades as recently discussed.
The south portal at Westlake Station, photo by Oran
One of the major features of the recent 1-Line maintenance was the replacement of the northbound track between University Street and Westlake stations. This segment boasts the sharpest curve in the system, and as a result, the most worn down rails. The resulting wear-and-tear meant a fairly bumpy ride in that section, even at slow speeds.
Long-time transit enthusiasts will remember that the rails in the tunnel are not that old. The original track from when the tunnel first opened was not compatible with Link’s modern specs and was stripped out during the 2005-2007 tunnel closure. Although it’s generally recognized that rails in segments with lower-radii curves have reduced lifespans, the northbound University Street-Westlake curve did not even make it to twenty years.
A month-long reduced service period every 15-20 years is not the worst disruption a system can face, but according to Sound Transit spokesperson John Gallagher, this came earlier than anticipated and should not be an example for the future:
The original rail was installed in 2005/2007 as part of the tunnel retrofit for light rail. While the tracks met specs, there were some issues at the time of the installation. For example, during pre-revenue grinding, the rail grinder derailed and gouged the rail. We welded it to repair it, but this was a problem section of track for a long time. The new section was installed without any problems, so we anticipate that it will have a normal life span of about 25 years.
For now, no other extended Link closures or disruptions are expected in the near-term. With any luck, the new tracks will make it to a quarter-century before the next major maintenance disruption.
