Midweek Roundup: Urbanist Mayor

Seattle Transit Blog 1/6 11:00P Nathan Dickey

On January 2, Katie Wilson was sworn in as Mayor of Seattle by the Transit Fairy. Coverage of the ceremony: The Urbanist called her Seattle’s Unabashed Urbanist Mayor . The Stranger thought she came in strong [good]. The Seattle Times ($) quotes...

Sunday Movie: Most Improved Cities

Seattle Transit Blog 1/3 11:00P Mike Orr

Top 10 US cities that have become more city-like since 2010. This isn t the most urban cities, but the ones that have improved the most. (CityNerd) This is an open thread.

Friday Roundtable: ORCA Wrapped 2025

Seattle Transit Blog 1/2 12:00A Michael Smith

ORCA cards were used over 75 million times in 2025. (Dennis Budell/Sound Transit) ORCA Wrapped is back this year with both system-wide and individualized reports. Throughout 2025, ORCA recorded...

Annual Roundup: 2025

Seattle Transit Blog 12/30 11:00P Nathan Dickey

This year the Federal Way Link Extension opened earlier than expected. Photo by Alex Kvenvolden. The past year was another tumultuous and exciting one for transit and land use in the central Puget...

Free and Extended Transit for New Year’s Eve 2025

Seattle Transit Blog 12/29 11:00P Nathan Dickey

Seattle Center rang in 2025 with the Alaska Airlines New Year s at the Needle 2025 show around the Space Needle. Image from the Space Needle s official video of the event (Vimeo). Transit agencies...

Sunday Movies: Geary Subway & Misbehaving Toys

Seattle Transit Blog 12/28 1:00A Mike Orr

Alternatives for a Geary Street subway in San Francisco with BART, MUNI Metro, or automated Skytrain technology. (Tomo Tawa Linja) Wordless 1900-era dream drama. MrWhippler combines Klovn s ambient song McKlaren with a silent movie In the Land of...

Seattle’s Transit Lanes in 2025

Seattle Transit Blog 12/25 11:00P Michael Smith

As 2025 comes to a close, let s take a look at the current state of transit lanes in Seattle. Since the SODO Busway opened in 1991, the City has built over 55 miles of transit lanes for buses and...

Movie Break: Woods

Seattle Transit Blog 12/24 8:00P Mike Orr

Nate O Brien moves to a tiny house off the grid on his own rural timber land. A subway entrance in the woods. (Ambient soundscape by Miracle Forest) This is an open thread.

New ORCA features next year: Open Payments and 3-Day PugetPass

Seattle Transit Blog 12/22 11:00P Nathan Dickey

ORCA cards came to Google Wallet in 2024, but there is no update on when the cards will come to Apple Wallet. Image courtesy of ORCA. More fare payment options are coming to ORCA in 2026, both...

The Fremont Bridge Should be Car-free

Seattle Transit Blog 12/21 11:00P Michael Smith

The Fremont Bridge is a double-leaf bascule bridge that connects Fremont and Queen Anne. Opened in 1917, the bridge served as the sole link across the Fremont Cut for 15 years. When the George...

Trains Per Hour in the Downtown Tunnel

Seattle Transit Blog 12/20 8:46P Mike Orr

How many trains per hour can fit into one downtown tunnel, both currently and with tunnel upgrades? Sound Transit s current ceiling is 20 trains per hour, or one every 3 minutes. With capital upgrades this could be increased to 30-45 trains per...

Light rail work Jan-Feb 2026

Seattle Transit Blog 12/19 11:00P Nathan Dickey

Transit ridership in the Seattle area typically reaches its seasonal low in early months of the year as tourists avoid the Big Dark and locals hunker down after the holidays. Sound Transit often uses...

Angela Brady is Wilson’s Pick for Interim SDOT Director

Seattle Transit Blog 12/17 11:00P Michael Smith

Yesterday, Mayor-elect Katie Wilson announced Angela Brady will be the next Interim Director of the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT). Since 2022, Brady has served as Director of Seattle s...

Midweek Roundup: Unfinished Metropolis

Seattle Transit Blog 12/16 11:00P Nathan Dickey

Reminder: Link service in Downtown will close early on Friday. Discussion about the Ballard Link Extension continues on yesterday s article . Op-Ed: It’s Time to Imagine a Safer, More Connected Rainier Avenue (The Urbanist) Op-Ed: Seattle...

No New Tunnel Downtown? Sound Transit Explores Ballard Link Alternatives

Seattle Transit Blog 12/15 1:22A Wesley Lin

Earlier this year, Sound Transit revealed updated cost estimates for its major ST3 projects  totalling $14 to $20 billion (in 2025 dollars) more  than its current long-range financial plan can afford....