This morning, Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson announced two executive orders delivering on campaign promises: one will accelerate production of emergency shelter and affordable housing, and the other will quickly implement transit improvements starting on Denny Way. Executive Order 2026-01 directs SDOT to “design and install at least one dedicated bus lane on Denny Way, with the goal of significantly improving the reliability, speed, and performance of Route 8 and other transit services operating in the corridor.”

Route 8 has long suffered from chronic congestion on Denny Way in South Lake Union (SLU). The crosstown route uses the only east-west corridor that connects the Seattle Center and SLU with Capitol Hill. Unfortunately, this corridor is also a popular feeder street for I-5. In 2018, an eastbound bus lane was installed on Denny between Minor Ave and Steward St. Despite the one-block-long bus lane, Route 8 continued to flounder in traffic. As South Lake Union has grown, the route’s reliability has continued to suffer. In July 2025, the Fix the L8 campaign hosted a race during which people walked, danced, and paraded on Denny between Dexter and Stewart Avenues faster than a Metro Route 8 bus. Consequently, construction of more dedicated bus lanes on Denny became a significant promise of Wilson’s campaign for Mayor.

Update: The entire T Line will be replaced by buses from Tuesday January 20 at 6:12pm through Friday January 23 evening to replace broken rails. Saturday January 24 may also be affected if necessary. The shuttle buses will have the same schedule as Link and will be free.

Update 2: Metro is looking for part-time drivers. Apply by January 23.

Transportation:

• Op-Ed: How to Close Sound Transit’s 35-Billion-Dollar Gap Without Breaking the System (The Urbanist)
• Op-Ed: Sea-Tac Airport Transportation: Off the Road and Onto the Train (The Urbanist)
• Interstate Bridge Staff Hid Information About Ballooning Cost of Giant Highway Project (Oregon Journalism Project). Additional coverage by The Urbanist.
• Confirmed: Non-Driving Infrastructure Creates ‘Induced Demand,’ Too (Streetsblog USA)
• 27 Million Fewer Car Trips: Life After a Year of Congestion Pricing (New York Times, gift link)
• Alon Levy compared transit fare practices around the world (Pedestrian Observations)
• One Week In, Katie Wilson Charts the Path Ahead (The Urbanist)
• Transit Scheduling 101: Developing A Runtime (Thoughts About Cities)
• Reece Martin reflects on the difficulties of pragmatic transit advocacy (Next Metro)

On Monday, Sound Transit announced seats on all Link trains will be upgraded to use vinyl inserts instead of the current cloth covers. This change comes following feedback the agency received during a pilot of these seats in 2024. The vinyl inserts are similar to the vinyl seats that King County Metro first started using in its fleet in 2011.

During the pilot, Sound Transit solicited rider input on the cleanliness, comfort, appearance, and overall satisfaction of the vinyl seats vs the cloth seats. The vinyl seats ranked higher in every category. Additionally, maintenance data showed the vinyl seats are more durable and easier to clean.

When Toronto faced escalating cost on their relief line, instead of extending their existing subway network, they decided to build a separate Ontario line and use lighter and shorter automated trains rather than their prior subway trains. Lighter trains mean faster acceleration, allowing steeper climbs including from within a tunnel to shallow stations and even elevated portions and smaller tunnel diameters. Shorter trains mean smaller stations which can fit more easily into the existing urban landscape. A separate line minimized the impact on the rest of the transit system.

As Sound Transit ponders escalating construction cost, it may want to consider the same. It may not only save them money during construction and operation, it may also provide a better ridership experience.

Adam (aka AdamDoesNotExist) is at it again, traveling from Washington DC to Boston via only local buses, regional trains, and ferries. Previously we covered his San Francisco to Seattle trip. DC to Boston takes 3 days via local transit, vs 6 hours via Amtrak Acela.

Part 1: Washington DC to New York City:

Part 2: New York City to Boston:

This is an open thread.

On Friday, King County Councilmember and Sound Transit Boardmember Claudia Balducci shared a series of updates regarding the cross-lake connection of the Link 2 Line via BlueSky.

In a series of posts, Claudia Balducci shared she previewed the unopened section of the 2 Line with project partners from WSDOT, King County Metro, Sound Transit, and the Federal Transit Administration, saying “the ride was smooth and truly exciting.” The line is performing pre-revenue testing now, but will begin simulating full-time service between Lynnwood and Redmond in February. Answering a question long asked by transit afficionados: Sound Transit is planning to allow passengers to board 2 Line trains operating between Lynnwood and CID during simulated service.

This week Sound Transit announced another batch of work for which it will be “strategically closing” sections of the 1 Line for upgrades and complex maintenance. In summary:

Friday, January 9 to Sunday, January 11 (Now): Buses will replace trains between Capitol Hill and SODO each night from 10pm Friday to noon Saturday and 10pm Saturday to noon Sunday. This closure is for continued installation of advanced signals (ATP) in the former DSTT.

Tuesday, January 13 to Thursday, January 15: Buses will replace trains between Stadium and Mount Baker each night after about 9-10pm, with normal service resuming each morning. This work is part of ST’s monthly maintenance program.

Friday, January 16 to Sunday, January 18: Buses will replace trains between Capitol Hill and SODO each night from 10pm Friday to noon Saturday and 10pm Saturday to noon Sunday for continued ATP installation.

Friday, January 23 to Monday, January 26: Buses will replace trains between Capitol Hill and SODO from 10pm on Friday through the weekend with normal service resuming on Monday morning. This longer closure is for ATP installation and testing.

Check Sound Transit’s service alerts for up-to-the-minute updates. Sports fans will be enthused with a few additional updates ST included in Thursday’s press release:

King County Metro Route 50 travels inbound from Othello station to the Alki beach, via Columbia City, SODO, and Alaska Junction. Outbound trips travel in the reverse direction. In October 2025, Route 50 had 2,803 average weekday boardings.

Average Ridership Per Trip

The plots below show the average weekday ridership by stop in each direction, color-coded by time of day. For a more detailed breakdown of how the plots are set up, please refer to the How to Read the Plots section of the article discussing Route 70.

Route 50 is the primary east-west route in south Seattle. It connects numerous neighborhoods with three Link stations and two RapidRide routes. Route 50 is designed as a coverage route with 20 minute daytime frequencies and numerous detours to better serve specific locations. Some observations: