“Seattle: Picture of a Young City”, 1976, a collection of vintage video clips by the Seattle Engineering Department.

Part 1: 1860s to 1910s.
Part 2: 1920s to 1970s.

This is an open thread.

61 Replies to “Sunday Movie: Seattle History”

  1. When the full 2 Line opens, which lake crossing direction will generate more ridership? Will it be riders on the west side of the lake traveling to the east side, or be riders on the east side of the lake traveling to the west side? I’m just looking at one direction of travel, I’m not considering the round trip. In other words, will more Seattleites be traveling to Bellevue and Redmond on a typical weekday, or will more Bellevue and Redmond residents be traveling to Seattle?

    1. In terms of home locations, I think it will carry more Eastside residents. That’s because parking is more difficult and expensive in Seattle — and UW is in Seattle.

      The only good way to tell is with a survey. Looking at trips by time of day can also give a qualitative answer. Trips before 10 or 11 am almost always begin at home. ST does not disclose time of day info but first Orca taps of the day is something that they should be able to analyze so they probably could easily find out.

      However, daily boardings cannot tell you the location of home residence. Most people make round trips on transit during a day.

      It’s worth noting that 2 Line ridership will be lots more than Eastside trips. Every other train between Lynnwood and CID will be a 2 Line train. Plus Judkins Park will also be a 2 Line stop (with a new second entrance off of 23rd Ave). The 1 Line will thus “lose” many riders to the 2 Line — and since the branches will seemingly have similar boarding totals in the aggregate, I expect each line to carry about the same daily boardings.

      ST never says how many extension riders are already in the train and will be station switching (Northgate today; Shoreline North next month). Plus they have generally stuck with pre-COVID forecasts in the extension PR releases. When Lynnwood opens, I’m expecting 100K to 115K weekdays on the 1 Line. By late 2026, I’m expecting 65K to 80K weekdays for each line or 130K to 160K total. (A handful of riders will board both lines when making one trip.)

      It will be interesting which line gets the most riders in 2027. Anyone want to speculate on that?

      1. I think Eastside will almost certainly have more – more major destinations, more stations, and generally more density around stations.

      2. Looking at trips by time of day can also give a qualitative answer.

        ST used to release that data. For example here is the chart for the 550 from back in the day: https://www.soundtransit.org/sites/default/files/documents/2020-service-implementation-plan.pdf#page=135. It looks pretty even. But look closely and you can see that ST is adding buses (in peak direction) because of the crowding. An eastbound bus never ran more than every ten minutes in the morning. A westbound bus ran every five minutes. This wasn’t bias, it was simply responding to the crowding.

        Unlike trip data (e. g. how many go from Northgate to Capitol Hill) this doesn’t require “tapping off”. They use the same system they do now (readers at the door) for the ridership estimates (of every bus and every train). But for whatever reason, ST no longer releases that information. For example, they list how many people take the train from Capitol Hill, but not which direction (even though they gathered that data). They used to, but not anymore.

    2. My guess is it is overwhelmingly east to west. There are several reasons for this:

      There was a strong reverse-peak ridership with buses like the 550 back in the day. But peak ridership (east to west in the morning) was still higher. There were also plenty of buses that only went east to west, and some of those still operate (e. g. the 218). If anything, the high proportion of tech jobs on the East Side would suggest that reverse-peak ridership has been hurt harder than peak ridership. For example you might go to your job at Microsoft once a week, but you commute to your job on First Hill every day.

      Not counting employment, Seattle has bigger attractions. The East Side has some interesting areas, but nothing compared to Seattle. It reminds me of a conversation I had a bar once. I was talking to a guy from New York and I mentioned that one of the cool things about being on the East Coast is that you can visit other interesting cities fairly easily. He gave me a look that basically said “I suppose, but I live in New York City. Why would I visit another city on the East Coast?”

      I feel like the situation is similar here. I’m sure I’ll take the train at least once (just for giggles) but I don’t see anything on the East Side that I can’t find in Seattle. It isn’t like Capitol Hill or the UW. I suppose there is Bellevue Community College, but I don’t think that is enough to tip the balance. Speaking of colleges, UW is an interesting destination. From Downtown Bellevue there is the 270. From a few places in Redmond there is the 542. But if you boarded the train at a different station, chances are you stay on the train and just loop around. Likewise if you are coming from Issaquah, you take the bus to South Bellevue or Mercer Island. All of this adds up.

      Of course you might cross the lake for personal reasons, but that is likely to be split evenly 50-50, or maybe with an edge to the west. Again because there are more attractions to the west. For example getting together for lunch at Pike Place if one person works in Downtown Bellevue and the other works at the UW.

      3. Good point Al, our downtown retail unfortunately is lacking. A shell of what it was 20 years ago :( . Looking at old photos from the 2000s with crowded sidewalks by Westlake Park I want to cry. As someone who neither works nor lives downtown, yet a daily transit rider who lives on Capitol Hill, I am loyal to Downtown Seattle and refuse to step foot in Bellevue Square. Even have a hard time going to UVillage.

      4. The fact that you can even ask this question shows how even travel patterns are. On the 512, 522, 577, 578, and 594 there’s no question: the overwhelming majority of people are going toward Seattle. The Eastside is different in three ways: it has large high-paying employers, Bellevue and Redmond have added the most retail and culture of any of the suburbs, and they’re the place to be seen for affluent chic. That generates middle-class people reverse-commuting to posh Eastside jobs, working-class people commuting to Eastside service jobs, lots of people going to Bellevue Square, and people going to unique Eastside art presentations and restaurants and events.

        I assume the current proportion of trips will continue. I could see it tipping either way, but still close to 50/50 rather than 80/20. Seattle has lost some of its attractiveness (hopefully temporary). And the Eastside has never been as transit-accessible as it will be. Suddenly it will be easy to go to Bellevue Square or Redmond trails, or the arts festival or jazz festival, or Snowflake Lane and ice skating. That will attract people who’ve never gone there, or never gone on transit. Seattle’s population is larger, so there are more people who can go east.

        At the same time, it’s too easy to forget that Seattle’s total number of jobs and attractions dwarfs the Eastside’s, and new ones are constantly popping up. They may not be of interest to those who’s only visits to Seattle are U Village or ballgames, but they’re of interest to other suburbanites. There’s nothing equivalent in the Eastside to the U-District, Capitol Hill, Ballard, the International District, or Rainier Valley. When people have out-of-town visitors, they take them to the Space Needle, Pike Place Market, the waterfront (when the renovation is finished), the Ballard Locks, Greenlake, the ferries, etc. They don’t take them to the Bravern, the Bellevue Botanical Gardens, the Spring District, Factoria, Marymoor Park, especially if they live in the west side. Many Seattlites probably don’t even know those places exist.

      5. I agree there is little that is available on the Eastside that is not available in Seattle, except maybe Macy’s and Nike which really goes to a much bigger issue: public safety.

        But of course when it comes to ridership on EAST LINK (not Lynnwood to CID Link) that misses the entire point.

        Which is today there is nothing available in Seattle not available on the Eastside. That didn’t use to be the case. The massive drop off in riders on the 550 and 554 is eastsiders no longer going to Seattle, not the other way around, especially with 12,000 Amazon workers moving from the Seattle office to Bellevue.

        Current Link ridership is around 70,000 to 80,000/day. Lynnwood will add around 25,000 (or half ST’s estimate) but 5000 or so will simply shift from Northgate. So 20,000 net from bus truncation. We are talking boardings, which often means two boardings per rider so 10,000 riders doing a round trip.

        East Link across the bridge will also be around 20,000 to 25,000/day boardings based on bus ridership, probably closer to 20,000. According to The Census Bureau the Eastside is losing population and Seattle is flat. I don’t see Eastsiders taking Link to Seattle for the fun of it unless it is a sporting event. What fun is there in Seattle?

        So all said and done Lines 1 and 2 will average around 110,00 to 120,000/ boardings/day, although I think ST manipulates ridership. The 15% farebox recovery has to do as much with actual vs published ridership as it does to fare non-payment. ST over claims boardings and riders who obviously don’t pay a fare because they don’t exist.

      6. “Macy’s!”

        Right, Seattle doesn’t have suburban mall-type retail anymore, except Nordstrom. And U Village. And Bloomies in U Village. (Has anyone been there? Are the ads at Link stations right that “this little store is going to be big”?) A lot of people don’t care because they don’t shop in those kinds of stores anyway. Or maybe they go once or twice a year to Macy’s or Southcenter for something they want that isn’t available in Seattle.

      7. “Looking at old photos from the 2000s with crowded sidewalks by Westlake Park I want to cry. ”

        The crowds are back on Pine Street around 5th. They’re not so thick you have to slow down to walk in the opposite direction, but they’re substantial, especially some days. The place to see thick crowds is Pike Place Market. And 1st Avenue south of it doesn’t have the stigma 3rd Avenue has: the restaurants are busy. It’s ironic when you think about what 1st Avenue was like in the 70s, with 200 prostitutes lined up every night.

      8. “there is little that is available on the Eastside that is not available in Seattle, except maybe Macy’s and Nike which really goes to a much bigger issue: public safety.”

        You remember why Macy’s downtown closed, right? It was corporate problems. It closed in February 2020, right before the pandemic got big. The later increase of druggies, homeless, and stolen-goods salesmen hadn’t happened yet.

      9. “I don’t see Eastsiders taking Link to Seattle for the fun of it unless it is a sporting event. What fun is there in Seattle?”

        What you’re missing is there are hundreds of thousands of Eastsiders, and they don’t all think like you, or think the same things are fun.

      10. Good point Al, our downtown retail unfortunately is lacking. A shell of what it was 20 years ago.

        I don’t think it is smaller, it is just more spread out. It has spread to Capitol Hill, Uptown, South Lake Union and everything in between. Back in the day there was basically nothing between Westlake and South Lake Union. Capitol Hill had activity, but it was way smaller. Same with Belltown. The waterfront was a po-dunk. First Avenue was super sleazy. Basically if you visited “downtown” you stayed with a fairly small area. That particularly area has maybe shrunk a little bit, but the rest of it has grown quite a bit.

        I don’t see Eastsiders taking Link to Seattle for the fun of it unless it is a sporting event. What fun is there in Seattle?

        Let’s see you have the waterfront, Pike Place, Chinatown, Capitol Hill, Pioneer Square. These are areas that just don’t have an equivalent on the East Side. There isn’t the history or the geography (i. e. Puget Sound). At best the East Side is similar to South Lake Union — shiny and new, but not really unique. I mean I really admire the architecture around the Cascade neighborhood and visiting the REI flagship store is great, but it really doesn’t attract me like any of the neighborhoods I mentioned. There are events on the East Side on occasion, but I think there are probably several times as many in Seattle.

        The one thing Seattle has is more transit riders. Seattle has more population density, so there there are likely more places where people don’t have a car, or greatly prefer taking transit. They might go to a specialty shop on the East Side and take transit, whereas someone on the East Side is more likely to drive some place in Seattle (unless parking is difficult).

      11. I didn’t mean to imply that Macy’s store closing was a happy event. I always preferred a giant downtown flagship department store. It saddens me that it’s gone.

        IIRC, the closure was partly because Amazon wanted the space for offices.

        And let’s not forget that Northgate Macy’s also closed.

      12. “The 15% farebox recovery has to do as much with actual vs published ridership as it does to fare non-payment. ST over claims boardings and riders who obviously don’t pay a fare because they don’t exist.”

        Every time I’ve taken Link, it’s reasonably busy, from Northgate to SeaTac. I’ve seen nothing that suggests the riders aren’t really there.

        As far as the fare recovery goes, another problem Link has is the revenue sharing methodology with the other agencies. Link has few stations that are usable on their own, so a bunch of the revenue is split with other agencies using the Byzantine orca fare distribution system.

        Other cities have lots of bus transfers too, but not many have two different agencies to split the revenue between modes. When TriMet or LA Metro or CTA gets a local rider, it doesn’t matter that much which modes that rider uses as it all goes to the same agency.

        Link expenses are also fairly high. It’s cheaper than the buses per passenger mile, but more than MAX. This may change with the extensions, as fixed costs get distributed among more riders.

      14. “[Macy’s] closure was partly because Amazon wanted the space for offices.”

        Amazon bought the building and took over the upper floors. The first 2-3 floors were still a department store. That left an awkward elevator situation (only a couple of the five elevators running, and only to the first 2-3 floors). Amazon never did take the ground-floor retail space even after Macy’s vacated: it’s now Uniqlo (Japanese clothing chain) and Victrola cafe.

        Macy’s closed several stores because its profits were in the doldrums and it had spent too much in expansion. Naturally it targeted the lower-performing stores. In the months before it closed, maintenance neglect was obvious: the escalators squeaked and looked dingy.

      15. Macy’s closed its downtown Portland store, but both Nordstrom stores are still there.

        The stuff they used to advertise struck me as being completely impractical for the typical northwest lifestyle and weather patterns.

  3. I just ran into a couple of Sound Transit “Rail Supervisors” along the Link line and had a long and detailed conversation with them. I told them I would consider most of the conversation to be “privileged info” and not post about it, but I did learn a few things.

    One of the real positive things i learned is that apparently ST simulated interlining a few weeks ago. They ran 4-minute headways on Lynnwood Link and everything apparently worked well. Apparently there was one operator who did not read the briefing memo and was late 3 times, but once that was corrected everything worked perfectly.

    So kudos to ST for taking the opportunity to get ahead of some of the issues with Full ELE and start working toward it now. That is really planning ahead.

    And I must say, after some of the negativity you hear about LR operations and extensions, it was really nice to have a positive and technical conversation with people who are in the know and are technically knowledgeable.

    And they were really positive about all the extensions that are about to come on line. They continually used terms like “game changer” and “transformational”.

    I had to smile.

    2. It’s good news that there aren’t hidden problems with the operations. I don’t think others have been particularly critical of the ST2 rail operations. Most criticism is about design choices for tracks and stations (including station access and circulation) or ST3 planning or opening day delays.

      I’m guessing that it was an overnight test.

      The simulation news does open a host of questions about the upcoming Lynnwood Link operation though:

      How was ST was able to reverse half of the trains south of CID?

      Is ST considering running a different service pattern until trains can cross Lake Washington (like some trains only running from CID north)?

      Were the info signs and ATC tested or just the operations?

      I sufkect others have more questions, too.

      2. @Al S,

        The reason you test is to uncover problems before you have the general public onboard. It would be totally unrealistic to assume that no problems have been uncovered either in verification testing or simulated service. That’s why you test.

        My comments were directed at the simulated 4-minute headways. I’m pretty sure they only ran the simulation north of NGS. That would be the easiest to do and wouldn’t involve the general public or sweeping trains.

        @WL,

        Judkins is not available due to the plinth problem.

      3. @Al S,

        Also, they plan on running gap trains to alleviate crowding until Full ELE opens. I believe they will turn them at NGS and Stadium, but I have not confirmed. I do know that they can quick turn the gap trains though.

        It’s a decidedly bus-like approach, but what can you say. ST ops staff are Metro employees after all.

        I was pushing for a scheduled overlay that would mimic part of the eventual 2-Line. The idea was considered, but eventually they went with response type gap trains. What can you say.

        So the big question, if you quick turn gap trains, then why not just run a scheduled overlay and have a more reliable and predictable system?

      4. “ I was pushing for a scheduled overlay that would mimic part of the eventual 2-Line. The idea was considered, but eventually they went with response type gap trains.”

        I would agree that a train overlay service (I call it a “Westside 2 Line”) for the peak hours is ideal. The big benefit is that most trains in the current scenario run the full trip to Angle Lake. If half of the peak trains don’t run the whole way ST can run more North Seattle train service with fewer trains.

        I could however see that gap trains have a benefit:
        They can be eliminated if not needed. We still don’t know if Lynnwood Link will create overcrowding in North Seattle.

        So — like ST 515 — ST has options that begin with service for a more worst case crowding problem, and can reduce things if the problem isn’t there.

      5. @Lazarus

        I meant the section from cid ramps south towards east link are partially complete. They could have the train go down there briefly to not block the next train continuing onto sodo if they need some time for a change over. And then heading back up then switch using the cid crossover tracks.

        They could also just change over at the main central base in sodo and use those crossover tracks to head back up.

      6. @Al S,

        You can’t just eliminate gap trains and then have them magically reappear as soon as crowding starts. You basically have to have that operator there and ready to go the whole time. So you might as well run the service, the costs are about the same.

        @WL,

        The ramps leading out of IDS are about the last to get fixed. There isn’t even any catenary installed. So just not possible.

        And again, I don’t think the 4-min headways simulation went south of NGS. So no need to worry about anything that far south.

      7. > And again, I don’t think the 4-min headways simulation went south of NGS. So no need to worry about anything that far south.

        Sorry I didn’t notice that clarification in your second comment to Al, that makes sense then they’re just using the crossover and extra track at northgate to turn around.

        > So the big question, if you quick turn gap trains, then why not just run a scheduled overlay and have a more reliable and predictable system?

        I’ll go check the documents but I’m pretty sure it’s only 2 or 3 gap trains not enough trains to run an entire overlay of service. It’d be a random train that is 5 minute frequency though. Like say it’d be trains going 2:00, 2:10, 2:20, then *2:25, 2:30, *2:35, 2:40, 2:50, 3:00 and then shows up again whenever running the turning back.

        > You basically have to have that operator there and ready to go the whole time

        You can’t quite time the extra frequency like how you can with the gap trains to be used right at the peak time.

      8. i think the overlay option was to turnaround at northgate, though sound transit didn’t like it for the complexity of turning around early

      9. @ Lazarus:

        “ You can’t just eliminate gap trains and then have them magically reappear as soon as crowding starts. ”

        I agree. I never said that they would be eliminated on a whim. I only suggested that by not specifying a predictably fixed schedule, ST could quietly eliminate them if they find them superfluous after running them for several weeks to a few months.
        Because there are work schedules involved, ST is on the hook to pay for the drivers.

        And I would expect ST to drop ST 515 first. They get more carrying capacity (both capacity and travel speed) per driver on a train versus on a bus.

    3. Have the considered trucking some LRVs from the 2 line over to the 1 line (and running 1 car “trains” on the 2 until full opening)?

      1. ST has already put some old Kinkisharyo cars on a truck and is running them on the 2 Line. I’ve ridden a few.

      2. Yeah but to deal with the shortage of cars and forecasted overcrowding on the 1 when Lynnwood opens.

        Was surprised to ride on opening day of the 2 one of the 2009 cars but makes sense.

      3. It’s not a shortage of cars, it’s a shortage of overnight storage capacity.

  4. Sound Transit Transit Development Plan 2024-2029

    https://www.soundtransit.org/st_sharepoint/download/sites/PRDA/FinalRecords/2024/Report%20-%20Sound%20Transit%20Transit%20Development%20Plan%202024-2029%20-%2008-01-24.pdf

    couple days ago. Most of the timelines are the same but just to recap:

    2024: lynnwood link
    2025: east link cross lake washington (though seems to be late 2025 and they are warning about delays)
    2026: federal way
    2027: S1 brt renton to bellevue
    2028: S3 brt shoreline to woodinville
    2029: S2 brt lynnwood to bellevue

    2025 service plan was discussed as well:
    https://www.soundtransit.org/system-expansion/planning-future-service/serviceplan

    Passenger impacts this year:
    * : Tile repair on Sunday August 18th to repair tile rescheduled from June 2nd due to weather at columbia city. 10-minute headways between Northgate and Stadium stations, with 20-minute headways in the remainder of the 1-Line
    * they will need to close down the train tunnel again in november for east link, ” Full downtown tunnel closure with bus bridge in November 2024.”
    https://www.soundtransit.org/st_sharepoint/download/sites/PRDA/FinalRecords/2024/Presentation%20-%20Passenger%20Impact%20Portfolio%20Plan%20-%2008-01-24.pdf

    2. This sounds promising: “Major Accomplishments Q2 2024
      • Secured resources to help manage service disruptions
      • Complete draft Passenger Impact Program norms and
      documentation. Expect final workshop and publication in early fall
      2024.
      • Continuing work to define accountability for:
      • Setting agency targets (KPIs) for service during disruptions (bus and rail)”

      I hope we’ll see some improvements on the ground and this isn’t just vaporware. I wonder how much of this was Julie Timm’s hand. Her interest in customer experience may have been fruitful.

      But please, when is Link going to stop having “mechanical problems” every couple days? The number of times it’s single-tracked or half-frequency outside a planned maintenance period is amazing.

  5. I just saw a post from Metro Transit on Facebook outlining the changes on September 14th and noticed that the #372 is not listed as being deleted and be replaced by the #72 which would go to the Light Rail Station at NE 148th.

    I know that I have read that was going to happen on September 14th so did something change and I missed it.

    1. Yeah, it is bizarre. It is definitely different than what they said it was going to be (https://kingcounty.gov/en/dept/metro/programs-and-projects/lynnwood-link-connections). Here is the service change page: https://kingcounty.gov/en/dept/metro/routes-and-service/service-change. There is nothing about the 372/72. So this basically means the 372 is the same (just as the 522 is the same). The 65 will be extended to the station along 145th (https://kingcounty.gov/en/dept/metro/routes-and-service/-/media/king-county/depts/metro/schedules/pdf/09142024/rt-065.pdf) which is different than the previous plan. It will also run every 15 minutes (instead of every half hour).

      I’m not sure why they made the last second changes. Maybe because of the work on 145th? That still seems odd. They are no longer sending the 72 on 145th all the way to 5th. Fair enough. But instead they are rerouting the 65 so that it follows that pathway, instead of going the back way (as previously proposed). Why not reroute the 72 around the mess (up 15th, then on 155th, then south on 5th). Or modify the 65 (slightly) by having it continue on 145th a little bit longer (all the way to 15th) and then go around. If we don’t want to send the 72 into the mess, why send the 65 there?

      It also begs all sorts of questions: Will the network change when they get the work done on 145th? What about when ST sends the buses to 148th station? The 77 seemed to designed to isolate the churn, and yet now there could be changes to a lot more routes — what exactly is the plan after September?

      1. 372 is deleted in 2025 not 2024.

        Sound transit isn’t adjusting their routes until the full east link and then (I think) is when 372 will then be truncated and the new 77 and others will appear.

        Though it is a bit hard for me to follow the changes spread across multiple documents

      2. Metro is probably waiting until Stride starts. Also not implemented now is the extension of 331 to Bothell, since the 372 is not changing now.

      3. I don’t think it is related to Stride. WL is right in that the change to the 522 is related to East Link. Once the train goes across the water, the 522 will go to 148th Station, even though it won’t be Stride.

        It just seems weird to me that they are waiting for that before making several other changes. To be clear, I get the deal with the 77. There is no need for the Lake City portion of that route until the 522 goes to 148th. But I don’t get the other changes. The 372 and 522 both go on SR 522 quite a ways. So as soon as the 522 leaves the highway, the 72 will as well. If anything that seems backwards. For that matter, why alter the 65 instead?

        Why not just change everything now, and then add the 77 when East Link is done? Wasn’t that the whole point of the 77? I didn’t like the way they were doing it, but at least it had something going for it (minimal churn). It basically meant three simple phases:

        1) Lynnwood Link — Everything is implemented in the restructure except the 77 and 522 (which clearly go together).

        2) East Link — The 522 goes to 148th. The 77 (a new bus) goes from Lake City to the U-District.

        3) 130th Station — The 77 extends to Bitter Lake.

        Now it appears that several buses will change once East Link comes on board — including buses that are changing now! WTF? If you are willing to accept that much churn, that you should develop a network for after the 130th Station that makes sense (instead of the ridiculous 77). Just send the 65 to Bitter Lake (as suggested earlier).

      1. Yes. 145th is currently closed on the west side of I-5. No traffic can pass through either westbound or eastbound on 145th.

        But the project isn’t scheduled to end until September of 2025, so there will be over a year more of various closures and construction impacts,

        It’s a lot more than just a few more weeks.

      2. Yes, it will take a while before the construction is done. As I mentioned though, nothing in this suggests that is why they are delaying some of the changes. Quite the opposite.

        The 72 won’t go along 245th to the station, but the 65 will. So you are basically just sending the 65 into the traffic mess, but not the 72. Not only that, but the 65 route is only temporary. Eventually the 65 will go up and over, using 155th (https://kingcounty.gov/~/media/depts/metro/programs-projects/link-connections/lynnwood-link/pdf/routes/route65.pdf). So why not split the difference and continue on the current pathway of the 65 (along 145th between 30th and 15th) then go north to 155th and loop around to the station? That way you avoid the construction mess going on, and create a route that is remarkably like what you will eventually have.

        It is just a bizarre set of changes. I have lost so much faith in Metro’s planning department. They are like the Detroit Pistons. They used to be great, now I have no idea what they are doing, but I know it isn’t good.

    3. Of note:

      * RapidRide G (Madison): 6 minute frequency until 7pm weekdays, then 15 minutes. This is the first schedule I’ve seen that took three columns to list all the runs.

      * Route 61 (LCW, Northgate, N 85th) has 15-minute service until 10pm every day. That’s better than just weekday/Saturday daytime as we feared.

      * Route 333 (Mountlake Terrace stn, 185th, Shoreline CC, 145th, Shoreline South stn) has 15 minutes until 7pm every day.

      * Route 3 Summit extension: Half-hourly 7am-7pm every day. (No evening service.)

      * Route 11 (Madison Park): Golly gee wow! My favorite route in east Seattle is getting more trips and is not losing its Seattle TBD funding after all. 20 minute service weekdays until 10pm, weekends until 7pm. I can go to the Arboretum and Trader Joe’s on weekends and weekday evenings!

      * Route 12 (Pine, 19th): Keeping Seattle TBD funding, not as much of a cut. 20 minutes until 7pm every day.

      * Route 49 (Pine, Broadway, U-District): Losing some service. Did Seattle’s TBD reverse itself? 20 minutes until midnight weekdays, until 10pm weekends. This was the route that once reached 12 minute frequency. I think Metro/SDOT deemphasized it in favor of the 11 and 12? Hooray for me at least.

      * Route 60 (Broadway, Beacon Hill, South Park, Westwood Village): Still getting its influx of TBD funding. The economy must be getting better. Weekdays 12 minutes until 7pm, 12 minutes until midnight. Saturdays 12 minutes until 7pm, 15 minutes until 10pm. Sunday 15 minutes until 7pm.

      * Route 125 (16th Ave SW): Still getting an increase. Weekdays 20 minutes peak hours, 30 minutes midday and evenings. Weekends 30 minutes (end of service 7pm).

      * Routes 131/132 (4th Ave S, two different middles, Burien): “Trip times will be adjusted to better match rider demand.” Dare I hope it might be more punctual?

      * Routes 101, 102, 150: Leaving Pike/Union Streets for Olive/Stewart Streets.

      * RapidRide E (Aurora): More trips to match March 2022 level.

      * Route 73 (15th Ave NE): Deleted. (Use routes 45, 67, 348.)

      1. RapidRide G (Madison): 6 minute frequency until 7pm weekdays, then 15 minutes. This is the first schedule I’ve seen that took three columns to list all the runs.

        Yeah, it is an abrupt change. It would make more sense to run every ten minutes between 7pm and 10pm (or something similar). I think it is basically following the letter of the law, not the intent. They promised a certain level of frequency — and the federal funds were based on it — so now they have it. I’m sure they planned on running more often (after 7pm) but lack of funding and an inefficient network leaves them with this.

        The three columns is an interesting look. The bus is pretty fast and short, so only three stops are listed. Lots of runs throughout the day (probably the most in our system) so three columns it is.

        Route 11 (Madison Park): Golly gee wow!

        What a sad state of affairs though. You are excited that they are running an essential bus on Capitol Hill every 20 minutes! Not just late at night, but midday. The 10/12 combo is decent, although still not as good (or as long) as it should be. Meanwhile, the 11 runs every 20 minutes, while the 3-spur runs every half hour. That means they don’t combine very well at all. They branch, but not the way that routes should branch. Oops.

        Route 333 (Mountlake Terrace stn, 185th, Shoreline CC, 145th, Shoreline South stn) has 15 minutes until 7pm every day.

        Route 333 is interesting. It is basically two routes squished into one. The section south of the college is essential. It will be the main way to get from Link to Shoreline Community College. The other one is not. It is basically a coverage route that connects poorly to Link. Up north — especially in Snohomish County — it connects well to Mountlake Terrace. But south of there folks are left with two (very bad) choices. Either ride the bus all the way to Mountlake Terrace (even though most will be heading south to Link) or ride it across 175th to the college, and then south to 145th and back the other way to Link. It would not surprise me if 80% of the ridership ends up being between the college and Link.

      2. “What a sad state of affairs though. You are excited that they are running [the 11] an essential bus on Capitol Hill every 20 minutes!”

        My joy is the 11 has never had such a broad semi-frequent span. I’ve said several times that I think the 11 is the most useful route on Capitol Hill and it should be the most frequent. The 11 connects Pike Place Market, 3rd Avenue transfers, the Westlake retail district, Pike-Pine, Broadway, 15th (the top of the hill), Madison Valley, the Arboretum, and Madison Park. The entire commercial area is within 5-10 blocks of an 11 stop. So make that the most frequent route.

        But instead in 2016 Metro doubled down on the 49, with 12-minute daytimes and night owl. That was clearly to compensate for the lack of U-District station, to connect the two villages. But Metro continued it in 2022, and SDOT said it would shift STB funding from the 10, 11, and 12 to the 49, 60, 125, and 128.

        But, surprise, in the end the 11, 12, 60, 125, and 128 are getting boosted, and the 49 isn’t. Maybe SDOT/Metro listened to me for once.

        The long story of the 11 is this:
        * Historically it had 30-minute service.
        * In 2016 with the first TBD it got 15-minute weekday and Saturday until 7pm, and 30 minutes at other times.
        * In 2020 with the covid reduction it went down to 20 minutes weekday until 7pm, 30 minutes other times.
        * Later with the recovery but the TBD reduction, it got 20 minutes Satuday daytime. It’s still 30 minutes Sundays and evenings.

        Now it will get 20 minutes until 10pm weekdays, and until 7pm Saturdays AND SUNDAYS until 7pm. I’d rather have 15-minute service, but 20 minutes is better than 30. And this is the first time it has ever had more than 30 minute Sunday service.

        Yes, the frequencies on Capitol Hill are too low for the density and ridership potential in the area, but that’s true everywhere in Seattle and King County. Except for lucky 3rd Avenue and Jackson Street.

      3. “the 11 runs every 20 minutes, while the 3-spur runs every half hour. That means they don’t combine very well at all.”

        What I want is an east-west bus every 5 minutes. If it doesn’t go exactly to my stop, I’ll walk from there, or walk to the trunk stop if my route isn’t coming soon. Metro has never evenly spaced the headways, and I don’t think it can, because even if a route is scheduled it’s often late. But if there’s enough buses per hour, it can reach the 5-minute standard or at least approach it.

        Weekdays and Saturdays Metro does reach the 5-minute standard more or less. In the evening for some inexplicable reason it doesn’t: the 10, 11, and 49 all come within a minute of each other, and then there’s a 15-minute wait until the next pulse? Why? Nobody is going to transfer between them; they’re not like the Bellevue TC routes. Sundays there are also larger gaps between them, although not a full 15 minutes.

        The problem is that the 10/11/49 overlap only to Bellevue Ave, and the 11/49 to Broadway. Beyond that there’s only the 11, so it makes a big difference whether it’s frequent. Crucially, there’s a 6-block gap to the top of the hill. The 10 goes to 15th on another street, but that’s another street, and it doesn’t go east of 15th.

        In the restructure, Pine Street weekdays will increase from 10/hour to 18/hour to Bellevue Ave, 6/hour to 12/hour to Broadway, and 3/hour to 6/hour to 15th.

      4. Well the 11 (when it shifts) will be overlapped by the chronically late 8 for that east-west corridor. This John/Thomas Corridor is a big last mile connection from the density on East Capitol Hill to Capitol Hill Station. Agree, would be nice to have very frequent and reliable service in this corridor.

  6. Anyone know why the Metro real time arrival goes down very frequently? I’m always getting alerts about it via email and find a real PITA using transit locally given the traffic impacts to transit schedules. Are there plans to upgrade the system to a newer more reliable system?

    When I lived in SF, Transit App was big (vs OneBusAway here) and it allows riders to provide the location which is helpful especially those less frequent traffic-prone routes.

    1. Today was the first email alert I’ve seen about real-time information. It must be something unusually major. Or it may be because I subscribed to more Metro lists a month ago.

  7. Went down Madison Ave… I see a bunch of brand new unused poles, comparable to those on 23rd Ave/Route 48. Is there a plan underway to reinstall some/all of the overhead wires now for future trolley bus use (like with an order for the 7, 36, 44 as RR?)

    1. You mean Madison Street?

      Segments of ETB Routes 2 and 12 run on Madison. There may need to be some wire for out of service trips too.

      Good question!

      1. Yes Madison Street. Sorry I should have clarified, I saw these poles on Madison by Boren. I know further east wires are going back up for the #2 crossing at Union St and the #12 from 16th Avr to 19th Ave.

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