All posts by Nathan Dickey

Borrowing a phrase from Kirk Hovenkotter (Executive Director of Transportation Choices Coalition), today’s Roundtable is about tourist use of Seattle’s mass transit system.

On Monday, Seattle held its first FIFA Men’s World Cup match at “Seattle Stadium” (Lumen Field). Sound Transit, King County Metro, Community Transit, and Pierce Transit each boosted transit service to get tourists and match attendees in, out, and around Seattle as smoothly as possible with the massive influx of international football fans. Sound Transit was the first to announce almost record-setting ridership, estimating that June 15, 2026, was the third-highest ridership day in Link light rail history with 210,000 combined boardings on the Link 1 and 2 Lines, representing an over 37% boost from Link’s quickly-growing rider count.

Reminders: Seattle is hosting 5 more FIFA World Cup games over coming weeks. Keep an eye on your transit agency’s service alerts and be aware there may be crowds at unusual times. Bikes and scooters are banned from Link trains on game days.

This Friday, June 19, is Juneteenth, and Seattle hosting a match between the USA and Australia at noon. Despite the federal holiday, most transit services will operate on normal weekday schedules. Sound Transit offers ways to celebrate freedom, resilience, and the beautiful game.

Transit & Streets:

• Seattle World Cup’s biggest win: Pioneer Square pedestrian zone (KUOW).
• Meet the artist behind the limited-edition World Cup ORCA transit card (The Seattle Times, $)
• Sound Transit launches several upgrades as ‘Summer of Soccer’ begins (The Platform)
• Zahilay Rolls Out Updated Transit Plan, as Budget Woes Cloud Metro’s Future (The Urbanist). Also on Metro Matters.
• Op-Ed: Help Seattle Get the Frequent Transit Network We Deserve (The Urbanist; MASS Coalition op-ed cosigned by STB).
• Amtrak Cascades Speeds Up Trips from Vancouver, BC with Preclearance (The Urbanist).
• Sound Transit Says Reports of Ballard Link’s Demise Have Been Greatly Exaggerated (The Urbanist).
• King County Transportation District approves new sales tax in close vote (The Kent Reporter, soft $).
• Sound Transit is setting up a pop-up merch shop at International District Station Plaza during World Cup game days (The Platform).
• Tell SDOT what you think about the Pike Place Market vehicle barriers (SDOT Blog). Survey open until June 30.

Reminder: The FIFA World Cup starts tomorrow and the first match in Seattle is Monday, June 15, at noon. Plan for busy buses, trains, roadways, and lots of tourists. SDOT has travel tips. Metro has an SEA26 transit guide. Community Transit offers ways to Ride to Summer Fun. Pierce Transit is running a “Fan Zone Express” shuttle to Puyallup Tribe events.

Local Transit:

• The Gig Harbor Waterfront Connector will run from June 12 to August 23 (Pierce Transit)
• Bus Network Boost from Wilson’s Seattle Transit Measure Comes Into Focus (The Urbanist)
• Op-Ed: It’s Time to Reform Sound Transit (The Urbanist)
• SDOT offering free e-cargo bike permits for Seattle businesses through 2026 to reduce truck traffic (SDOT Blog)
• WA ferries ups service for World Cup in Seattle (The Seattle Times, $; free via SPL)
• King County Metro’s public bathroom pilot has started at the Aurora Village and Burien Transit Centers (Mass Transit Magazine). Also on Metro Matters.
• Sound Transit study suggests fare gates at 14 busy stations by 2030 (The Seattle Times, $); additional coverage by The Urbanist.
• Community Transit wants your input on its 6-year Transit Development Plan by July 2.
• King County Metro’s Behavioral Health Support Program supports riders in crisis and helps create a safer transit environment (Metro Matters).
• Join Sound Transit’s Community Oversight Panel (The Platform)
• Sound Transit Loses Megaproject Head in Wake of Major ST3 Update (The Urbanist)

Local News:

• Wilson Proposes Doubling Transit Measure to Beef Up Seattle’s Frequent Network (The Urbanist). Also on the SDOT Blog.
• Tap into Seattle summer: ORCA releases limited-time promotional 3-day pass (Metro Matters). This pass has been in the works since last year.
• Kitsap Transit is piloting a new fare-free shuttle in downtown Bainbridge starting June 13 (KT Headways).
• Behind the Scenes of the Limited-Edition SEA26 ORCA Card (Metro Matters).
• Sound Transit Board OKs Major ST3 Update, Casting Ballard into Limbo (The Urbanist); also on PubliCola.
• Supporting an electric future: University Bridge Trolley Pole Replacement Project (Metro Matters).
• Bellevue Set to Expand ‘Supercharger’ Building Incentive Program to More Neighborhoods (The Urbanist).
• U District event canceled, but some businesses deny having been opposed to the two-day “block party” scheduled for last weekend despite signing a petition to cancel it (The Seattle Times, $; free via SPL).
• Coal Creek Trail reveals hidden history of Eastside’s mining towns (The Seattle Times, $; free via SPL).
• What’s next for Federal Way theme park Wild Waves? (The Seattle Times, $).

Service Alerts:

• Sound Transit’s Monthly Maintenance program comes to South King County this week, with Link 1 Line service between Angle Lake and Federal Way being replaced by buses from around 9pm to end of service the nights of May 25 to May 27.
• Dual disruption coming to Link this weekend, May 30-31: buses replace all trains between Capitol Hill and Stadium, and replace the 2 Line between South Bellevue and CID.

Local Headlines:

• Community Transit is retiring its last Seattle route, Route 424, on June 13 (CT News)
• Bellevue Poised to Stop Giving Away Curbside Parking for Free (The Urbanist)
• Seattle Times opinion piece on Vision Zero is dangerously misleading (Seattle Bike Blog)
• Hundreds of happy people ride with Mayor Wilson to open Bicycle Weekends (Seattle Bike Blog). Additional coverage by The Urbanist.
• Op-Ed: South King County Deserves the Light Rail Stations It Was Promised (The Urbanist)
• Dan Strauss Restarts Downtown Tunnel Debate on Eve of ST3 Plan Update (The Urbanist)
• West Coast Cities Turn to Vacancy Taxes to Grapple with Housing Crisis (The Urbanist)
• “City Erased” exhibit at UW’s Gould Hall highlights the buildings destroyed by I-5 (Seattle Now & Then)
• Seattle Advances Zoning Package Spurring Towers, Mass Timber, and Passive House (The Urbanist)
• Seattle Social Housing Developer Acquires First Building (The Urbanist)
• Seattle has the No. 1 big city school district. We should act like it (The Seattle Times, $; free via SPL)
• Seattle is giving out 100 free Seasonal Café permits for Seattle businesses (SDOT Blog)
• $8.4M in Federal funding to enhance transit service during the FIFA World Cup (PSRC)

Local News:

• With a fresh new name, the Seattle Streets Alliance plans street party to celebrate 15 years (Seattle Bike Blog)
• Reversing Harrell cuts, Parks is now installing the remaining Lake Washington Blvd safety compromise plan (Seattle Bike Blog)
• Op-Ed: Trailhead Direct Transit Is Great. It Can Be Even Better. (The Urbanist)
• New County Transportation Funding Measure Could Shortchange Seattle (The Urbanist)
• Deaths on Washington roads drop again (KUOW)
• Amid light rail money crunch, what now for West Seattle, Ballard, Everett? (The Seattle Times, $; free via SPL)
• After TDLE: How Pierce Can Pivot to Harness the Benefits (Transportation Matters)
• Op-Ed: Renton needs commitment from Sound Transit (The Seattle Times, $; free via SPL)
• Join SDOT’s Transportation Funding Task Force (SDOT)
• Sound Transit officials chase more money to close $35B funding gap (The Seattle Times, $; free via SPL)
• RapidRide I Construction Update (Metro Matters)
• The Not-So-New Kids on the Block: Sound Transit’s staff ambassadors are here to help you ride (The Platform)
• First Amtrak Cascades ‘Airos’ Arrive in Seattle for Testing (The Urbanist)
• UW and Challenge Seattle released “Gridlock 2050: A Call to Action” and created new interactive transportation visualization platform (UW Mobility Innovation Center)
• Wilson Rolls Out Four New Public Bathrooms in Pioneer Square (The Urbanist). Also on the SDOT Blog.
• Katie Wilson’s ‘Taller Denser Faster’ Plan Starts to Get Fleshed Out (The Urbanist)
• An elected Sound Transit board would ensure accountability (The Seattle Times, $; free via SPL)

This is an Open Thread. Uncivil comments will be moderated.

Reminder: TCC is hosting the Sound Transit South King County Town Hall tonight, 6-7:30pm, at Highline College in Des Moines.

Local News:

• Op-Ed: Urging Transit Officials to Join the 2026 Week Without Driving (The Urbanist)
• The free Waterfront Shuttle will start circulating downtown Seattle on May 21 (Metro Matters)
• Sound Transit Board Grapples with Plan to Rebalance ST3 (The Urbanist) while Seattle city leaders call for both WSLE and BLE to be finished on time.
• Tell Sound Transit what you’d like to see at the Tacoma Dome Link Extension’s stations (ST Project Update)
• Bellevue Gets Regional Buy-in for Grand Connection Crossing Plan (The Urbanist)
• Mayor Wilson says the Mayor Says KCRHA’s Initial Response to Audit Findings “Did Not Adequately Address My Concerns” (PubliCola)
• Discord brewing at City Hall as City Council staff complain that the Mayor’s staff is ordering them around (PubliCola)
• The art deco sign bridge over the former Alaskan Way Viaduct now spans Bell Street at Western Ave in Belltown (Seattle Now And Then)
• Roadside Chat with SDOT’s head of construction & mobility discussing the city’s preparation for the FIFA World Cup this summer (SDOT Blog)
• Seattle finally legalized “Shared Streets” where speed limits can be set as low as 10 mph and prioritize pedestrians while still allowing general traffic (Seattle City Council Blog)

Yesterday, the Sound Transit Board Executive Committee reviewed a proposal assembled by the three county executives to realign ST3 for the second time. Although much of the hubbub since has focused on certain decisions presented in that proposal, including plans to temporarily truncate the Ballard Link Extension to Seattle Center and indefinite deferral of the south Seattle infill stations, an understated assumption of the plan includes discontinuation of the Sounder N Line beginning in 2033.

Upcoming Link service impacts: Buses replace 1 Line trains between Rainier Beach and SeaTac/Airport this weekend for track and power work on the Tukwila Curve. Link service reductions after 8pm resumed this week as construction of Pinehurst Station continues.

Local News:

• Light Rail Will Reach Tacoma Dome ‘Come Hell or High Water’, Pierce County Leaders Say (The Urbanist).
• Help SDOT make Seattle streets more accessible by completing their ADA survey (SDOT Blog). Survey is open until September.
• Outside Seattle, paid parking starts at some light rail garages (The Seattle Times, $; free via SPL).
• SDOT Advances Upgrades for SoDo’s Fourth Avenue To Handle Busway Closure (The Urbanist).
• Op-Ed: Three Proven Strategies for a People-Centered Puget Sound from Barcelona to Bogotá (The Urbanist).
• Northgate’s slow evolution from parking lots to a walkable Seattle neighborhood (KUOW)
• Washington State Gives Bainbridge Island Marching Orders on Housing Changes (The Urbanist).
• Stories from Dr. Wes’ time as a cab driver in Seattle in the 1980s (Real Change News)
• Seattle front of the pack for bike commuting in U.S. cities (The Seattle Times, $; free via SPL).
• Bellevue’s Transportation Director Wants to Ramp Up Spending on Cars (The Urbanist)
• The newly-opened section of the 2 Line across Lake Washington experienced its first operational hiccup on Monday morning, when an eastbound train lost power for about 45 minutes on the approach to Mercer Island (The Seattle Times, $; free via SPL).

New post on Page Two: Reader Jack Valko proposes The Burke-Gilman Subway

Monthly maintenance continues on the Eastside: Buses replace Link 2 Line trains between South Bellevue and Overlake Village stations after ~10pm tonight and tomorrow.

Local News:

• ST Board Chair Somers wants to finish the Spine at all costs (The Urbanist).
• Seattle CM Rob Saka wants to “audit” vision zero to an unclear end (The Urbanist).
• The embattled KCRHA is facing calls for dissolution after a scathing forensic audit (PubliCola). Regional leaders appear to nearing consensus on “winding down” the agency.
• Broken steel closes lanes of aging Tacoma Narrows Bridge (The Seattle Times, $).
• ST is expanding its paid parking permit program (Sound Transit)
• Crucial Ballard Link Deadline Pushed Back Yet Again by Feds (The Urbanist)
• Everett Transit and Community Transit Restart Annexation Talks (The Urbanist)
• Crosslake Explained: tracking wind and wave conditions on a floating bridge (The Platform)
• Pioneer Square to be walkable pedestrian zone for 6 FIFA matches (SDOT Blog)
• A rare “rave” review of Link from a Seattle Times reader ($).