All posts by Sherwin Lee

Yesterday, I had the chance to join members of the press in a media tour of South Bellevue Station, which will open for Link operations in just a matter of weeks when the East Link Starter Line begins service. As things currently stand, the ELSL will open to the public on April 27th, while the full extension across I-90 is still tentatively set for 2025.

At South Bellevue, the accompanying park-and-ride garage has been open for more than two years and the station itself has been finished for quite for time. However, only recently was tile replacement completed on the platform, which was necessary after quality issues surfaced during the initial installation. According to Jon Lebo, East Link Executive Director, Sound Transit placed full-time inspectors over the replacement work to avoid repeat mistakes.

Operationally, the ELSL has been undergoing pre-revenue testing at the scheduled headways of 10 minutes. Lebo indicated that operator staffing is already at desired levels, with well over 100 operators hired specifically to drive ELSL trains. When the line opens, two-car train service is expected to serve roughly 6,000 daily boardings.

Matt Sheldon, Deputy Executive Director of Planning & Integration, also gave some additional insight into the system-wide service impacts that are anticipated. No immediate service changes are planned for the ELSL opening but once the full cross-lake 2 Line opens, the 550 will be completely replaced, with its Bellevue Way market covered by the rerouted 554. Mike has previously written about the broader suite of changes.

According to Sheldon, Sound Transit is also continuing to look at paid parking options across the system, but the Board hasn’t given direction about specific locations to target. I asked if the agency had looked at updated park-and-ride utilization forecasts, given that many park-and-rides are much barer than they were pre-COVID. Sheldon indicated that no new forecasts have been done (Metro has not updated their publicly-available reports since 2017), but was optimistic that the ELSL will create new ridership markets and that South Bellevue Station parking will gradually fill in over time.

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

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.

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.

With Julie Timm’s departure as Sound Transit CEO, the Board today announced that they will be considering Goran Sparrman to serve in an interim capacity. The Board will hold a special meeting this Thursday, January 11th. From the press release:

“Goran is well-respected for his skill and knowledge in transportation and infrastructure projects,” said Sound Transit Vice Chair and Snohomish County Executive Dave Somers. “He’s a trusted regional leader who would bring a steady hand to an agency with which he is already familiar.”

“In my years of experience working with Sound Transit, I know the staff to be dedicated professionals committed to building and operating the transit system our region deserves,” Sparrman said. “I’m looking forward to collaborating with them as we build on the successes that are coming this year and look for solutions for the challenges that lie ahead.”

Sparrman is well known and has been around the block in local transportation circles. He is currently a VP at HNTB and previously worked both for Seattle and Bellevue in their respective transportation departments. Most notably, he directed BDOT during the Bellevue city council’s tussle with Sound Transit over East Link alignment planning.

Sparrman has a civil engineering background and is a licensed PE, which could bode well for an agency that has struggled from recent construction and engineering challenges.

Sound Transit CEO Julie Timm has announced her resignation, effective January 12th:

Sound Transit CEO Julie Timm announced today she will be leaving the agency in order to return to the East Coast to take care of family matters. Since joining Sound Transit in September 2022, Timm has overseen a renewed emphasis on the rider experience as Sound Transit approaches the opening of several new extensions, starting with East Link next spring. Her focus and leadership in centering current and future riders in the agency’s capital and operating programs will benefit the region for years to come.

Timm’s time as ST’s CEO was not long but saw its ups and downs. The Tacoma Link extension to Hilltop opened on her watch and her tenure was also characterized by working around East Link construction mishaps, Link service disruptions, and evolving fare policy. We wish her the best as she moves on and for Sound Transit to quickly find a qualified replacement.

Last Thursday, the Sound Transit Executive Committee heard a staff update on a potential restructure of Link fares, likely in 2024 if approved. Link fares haven’t been touched since 2015 and — given openings of new extensions on the horizon — are due for a refresh. Alex wrote about some of his ideas back in 2020, proposing to maintain the current distance-based scheme, but with fares increasing logarithmically rather than linearly.

Most of the Sound Transit staff analysis has come down to weighing a flat fare — as is the case with ST Express — versus retaining the distance-based fare. The full slate of ST2 stations, when open, will total 38 stations, resulting in a whopping 38×38 fare table.

When COVID hit in 2020, many transit agencies across the country paused fare collection for public health reasons. Even after fare collection resumed, much of it went unenforced, partly due to the socioeconomic complexities of the post-COVID world, and partly due to equity concerns raised after George Floyd’s murder. Since then, Sound Transit has implemented a Fare Ambassadors program, which is much more education-heavy than previous enforcement schemes.

However, some latent consequences of a non or low-enforcement policy continue to beleaguer transit systems. On the revenue front, diminished farebox recovery has led to revenue shortfalls, and on the rider experience front, an increased preponderance of safety and security issues has been linked to fare evaders.

Starting on November 14th, Sound Transit will once again begin enforcing fares on Link and Sounder, issuing citations for repeat offenses. The Seattle Times has the story ($):

The new system has many more steps. Now, riders receive two warnings. On the third time not paying, they will receive a $50 citation, followed by a $75 citation after the fourth. Only at the fifth time will passengers receive a civil infraction, which, if gone unpaid, could eventually result in a misdemeanor. King County is still in discussions with Sound Transit to process the infractions, said spokesperson Troy Brown, but a contract has not been signed yet.

It remains to be seen whether fare enforcement might propagate more broadly across other modes as well. Although Metro has not formally announced any changes to its fare enforcement policy, I’ve recently observed more operators begin to verbally request payment from fare evaders, a practice that was paused during the pandemic.

Now that Sound Transit has paved the way for an East Link Starter Line (ELSL) opening for next Spring, it’s worth deep diving into the projected ridership numbers. At the last Sound Transit Board meeting, early ridership estimates were pegged at a modest 6,000 average weekday boardings, reflecting limited demand until the 2-Line is fully connected to the main 1-Line spine via I-90.

The ELSL, which will run between South Bellevue and Redmond Technology Station, is not directly served by any single bus route currently. Rather, its sub-segments are served by various disparate routes that are a hodgepodge of local and express service:

• Between South Bellevue & Downtown Bellevue: 550/556 (Bellevue Way), 241 (108th), 249 (Enatai)
• Between Downtown Bellevue and Overlake Village: 226 (Bel-Red Rd), 249 (Northup, NE 20th), B-Line (NE 8th, 156th Ave NE)
• Between Downtown Bellevue and Redmond Technology Station: B-Line, 566

The ELSL does serve some existing commuter markets, namely the two corridors between South Bellevue, Downtown Bellevue, and Redmond Technology Station (Microsoft). But it is also serving entirely new markets that are difficult to forecast given the rise of remote work, lack of connection to the 1-Line, and absence of any single precursor service. More on each ELSL sub-segment below the fold.

At last Thursday’s eventful Sound Transit Board meeting, a large contingent of supporters of the 4th Avenue Chinatown-International District (CID) station showed up en masse, thanks to prompting from community activists and Seattle Subway. Although the Board did not make any further alignment decisions, they did authorize a contract modification to HNTB to extend EIS planning and preliminary engineering for the Ballard Link extension.

Back in March, the Board voted to approve the “North of CID” and “South of CID” station options as part of its preferred alternative. These were relative latecomers to the game: all previous options were centered around Union Station, either at 4th or 5th. Sound Transit Boardmembers cited lower costs and lower impacts from the North and South options, in spite of the loss of a station actually inside the Chinatown-International District and the connection opportunities it would provide.

Two big champions of the North/South CID options are King County Executive Dow Constantine and Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell. A key linchpin in Constantine’s station preference has been the new Civic Campus Initiative, which he announced as part of the State of the County address back in March.

There are sensible reasons for redeveloping the civic center area. Most of the city and county’s key offices are located there and a number of the buildings are dilapidated tokens of modernist architecture. In recent years, the neighborhood has also contended with a large homeless population and street-level crime, particularly around the King County Courthouse.

None of these are good enough reasons to shift a future Link station out of an existing high-traffic hub into other areas merely on the basis of development potential. Prospects for infill TOD opportunities are always tempting to think about, but they wouldn’t warrant the loss of a station that would serve the thousands of existing residents between both the CID and Pioneer Square neighborhoods.

It’s also worth reexamining whether master planning the civic campus redevelopment is even the right approach in the post-COVID world. Rather than concentrating the bulk of key government offices in a single location, newer ways of working might instead warrant decentralizing the city’s and county’s real estate assets. Incentivizing developers to build a variety of mixed uses can help accomplish some of the initiative’s goals while still avoiding an eggs-in-one-basket situation.

But should the Civic Campus Initiative become reality, its success doesn’t hinge on the presence of a Link station right underneath it, especially if it’s at the expense of a much higher-trafficked area. The neighborhood is already extremely walkable: between the original Midtown and Jackson Street locations and the existing Pioneer Square Station, the civic campus would be well served by Link anyway.

Even if the county is keen on ensuring proximity to an ST3 station for its employees, there is no better place than the Jackson Street hub, which is already home to Sound Transit and Metro employees. The substantial amount of buildable capacity in the area also offers plenty of excuses to scratch any development itches that might otherwise be satisfied by the civic campus redevelopment.