Now to see if the rails will stay or if they will be torn up to make Ronnie happy.
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2004066094_webrailline12m.html
All posts by Brian Bundridge
Brian Bundridge focuses on heavy rail and the technical aspects of rail operations, and volunteers on the Mt. Rainier Scenic Railroad in his spare time as a conductor or engineer. Brian originally ran his own Washington State Transportation blog, which merged with STB.
South Lake Union Trolley – The Song!
That’s right.. first the T-Shirts by KaPow! Coffee 2 doors down from the Streetcar Operations and Maintenance Facility and now a local country singer came up with the song for the new Streetcar line in Seattle
http://blog.seattlepi.nwsource.com/thebigblog/archives/127380.asp :D
Mt. Rainier Scenic in the snow
Had an eventful time at Mt. Rainier Scenic Railroad on Sunday. I took time taking some photos but this one came out terrific!
Happy Holidays and stay dry out there!
Ron Sims: Rip up Tracks or No Deal.
Ron Sims is making life difficult not only for himself but everyone in King County….
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/341734_rail30.html
My Opinion will come later about this but some of it is located in the Sound Off at the bottom of the article….
Prop 1. too big, costly, but…..
The survey also showed 65 percent support to build 50 more miles of light rail, in response to a favorably-worded question.
But Sound Transit heard bad news, too. Only 23 percent thought sales taxes — the agency’s largest source of money — are a good way to pay for transportation. Car-tab fees, tolls and gas taxes were more acceptable.
More at http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2004041565_transpopoll29m.html
My thoughts:
I really don’t go off the results of these surveys anymore simply because the number of people are so low. If we went by these small polls each and every time, we wouldn’t need any real elections other than to make it “official” This is based on only 1,013 people…when I start seeing numbers of 5 to 6,000 people surveyed then I would take it a bit more creditable.
Yes, we are taxed out here to death in regards to sales tax. I would be comfortable paying a State Income Tax and reducing the Sales tax to say, 2.5% from it’s current 9.4% and I also would not mind using Toll or HOT lanes to fund transportation and maintenance projects.
We need leadership in this State however to get us moving and not crawling along on our knees. We should have had a light-rail system going by now and in the process of expanding it. We should have had plans to replace the trolley barn that was destroyed to make room for a park. It is a shame that our leaders are too self absorbed to not think ahead and let things go to waste before it’s time to replace them (86 year old ferries ring a bell?)
Something needs to change and I’m really starting to see that it isn’t the public attitude but our older leaders that no longer have a vision of keeping us going and what makes him/her look good to the people that support them. Look at Portland, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Salt Lake City, Phoenix, Dallas, Charlotte, New York, Washington DC, that all are in the process of great, huge transportation projects…then look at us…It’s a sad comparison.
Times Opinion: Passenger ferries
Here is a good opinion by Dow Constantine of the Seattle Times on the upcoming passenger ferry system. I wholeheartedly agree with this and glad to see more focus on it. I still am puzzled on why the State was going to sell the Chinook and the Snohomish when they are barely just out of ‘warranty’ One of the ferries is now on the Port Townsend – Keystone run.
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/opinion/2004040831_ferries29.html
Be the first to hop on Seattle’s modern streetcar on December 12!
A big thank you to CorryAnn for finding this information!
Ride the Streetcar!
Be the first to hop on Seattle’s modern streetcar on December 12!
Come celebrate the grand opening of Seattle’s first modern streetcar! Festivities begin at 11:30 a.m. on Wednesday, December 12, with music, refreshments, and opening remarks by Mayor Nickels. The mayor will then lead the streetcar inaugural run and “break” the ribbons, followed by the official start of passenger service. Streetcar rides will continue to be free for the rest of December, conveniently connecting downtown, the Denny Triangle, and South Lake Union.
The grand opening celebration will take place along the streetcar route. Starting from the Westlake Hub (Westlake Ave & Olive Way), passengers can pick up a fun South Lake Union Passport to explore the neighborhood and collect stamps from participating businesses.
Riders can turn in their completed passports to win fantastic prizes at the South Lake Union Discovery Center. Continue on to the Pan Pacific Station at 2200 (Westlake Ave & Denny Way) and stations along Westlake Ave for more festivities and giveaways.
During the entire weekend following grand opening day, passengers can also ride the streetcar down to the Lake Union Park station to experience a free ride on a classic sail or steamboat from the Center for Wooden Boats.
\
Don’t miss this momentous celebration of a Seattle milestone! To learn more about the Seattle Streetcar, visit: http://www.seattlestreetcar.org/about/
Or, to learn about the proposed city-wide streetcar network, visit: http://www.seattle.gov/transportation/streetcarnetwork.htm
All aboard!
Looking for 2 co-bloggers
Hey everyone.
I’m on a new computer and needless to say lost those that were interested in being a co-blogger.
The requirements for those wanting to be a co-blogger need to live in Washington State and cover transportation items within Washington State.
The topics that Washington State Transportation will cover is the following.
Rail transportation such as Short Line Railroads like Meeker Southern Railroad, Class 1 Railroads, like BNSF and Union Pacific railroads, Passenger Rail operations, Amtrak and Sounder Commuter Rail. Light Rail and Streetcar information and construction updates and news like LINK light-rail and Seattle Streetcar.
Air transportation that affects Washington, updates on Sea-Tac Airports 3rd Runway and construction in and around Sea-Tac airport. This also includes security, significant flight delays, etc.
Ferry news, like the construction of new ferries, updates on the Steel Electrics, etc.
Bus transportation all in Washington regions including Bus Rapid Transit.
Road news and construction updates like 520, the Alaskan Way Viaduct and other thoughts, etc.
You can respond to this via my e-mail – b.bundridge@gmail.com
A decision will be made by the end of the week.
Thank you!
Brian
Sea-Tac Airport third runway – 1 year to go
This year for Thanksgiving could be a first for the Puget Sound region – It won’t be raining and low chance of fog! This will mean minimal flight delays in and out of Sea-Tac Airport. Typically during the holiday season, Sea-Tac Airport is overflowing with people leaving and departing the Puget Sound region but flight delays has always been a huge issue because of heavy, dense fog, hard rain, windy, and just about every other year, power would go out thanks to these elements. The 3rd runway will be open about this time next year which will allow the use of 2 runways landing and departing without interruption. This will be a welcome site to all when it goes open. I’m not sure how things will be setup for landing and departures but I’m sure it will speed things up along nicely.
The other good tidbit is that the initial road work construction at Sea-Tac Airport, including the new loop should be completed by this point as well. The new roadway, which was needed for Sound Transit’s Central Link Light-Rail system will speed up getting into and out of the airport and the improvements on SR-518 will be a welcomed addition.
WSF Steel Electric Ferries pulled from service
With Thanksgiving coming up later this week, Washington State Ferries made a challenging decision to pull the 80-year old Steel Electric class ferries, the Quinault, Klickitat, Illahee and Nisqually, from operating service to examine the hulls of these ships. Hull pitting on the Quinault has officials concerned about weak hull structure and safety. The Steel Electric class ferries are the only boats that can navigate the shallow and narrow waterways of the Keystone harbor.
To help lessen the impacts of the loss of passenger-vehicle service on Port Townsend-Keystone, WSF will:
- Operate three vessels on the Edmonds-Kingston route from Wednesday, November 21 to Sunday evening, November 25 to handle the extra traffic expected over the Thanksgiving weekend. This route is the best detour for people traveling from the Olympic Peninsula to Whidbey Island.
- Operate the high-speed passenger ferry Snohomish between Port Townsend and Keystone. WSF is making every attempt to have the service up and running by Friday, November 23 to serve customers during their Thanksgiving travel. The passenger ferry will maintain the current schedule.
If you recall, the Snohomish and the Chinook were placed up for sale last week but due to this issue the vessels are in dry dock and will operate on the Port Townsend – Keystone route.
More at WSDOT – http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/News/2007/11/20_steelelectricferriesoutofservice.htm
Seattle Times – http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2004027510_webferry21m.html
Seattle Post-Intelligencer – http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/transportation/340508_ferry21.html