Midweek Roundup: A Better Billion

Seattle Transit Blog 2/3 11:00P Nathan Dickey

Two teenagers were shot and killed at bus stop on Rainier Ave near South Shore PreK-8 on Friday (KUOW). Both were students at Rainier Beach High School . Students and community members including Mayor Wilson and new SPS Superintendent Ben...

Autonomous Buses

Seattle Transit Blog 2/2 11:00P Martin Pagel

Autonomous vehicle (AV) technology is maturing from what I reported two years ago. While Waymo, Zoox (Amazon), and Tesla compete to replace taxis in the U.S., China (Baidu, Pony.ai, WeRide) is already a bit further along . The rollout has shown...

Tap-to-pay soft launches on RapidRide G

Seattle Transit Blog 2/2 2:00A Nathan Dickey

ORCA readers along the RapidRide G line now accept any tap payment (info.myorca.com). A long-awaited ORCA feature is finally available to (some) transit riders: Open Payments . Riders of the RapidRide...

Sunday Movies: Tacoma tunnel, Seattle 1980 & 2035

Seattle Transit Blog 1/31 11:00P Mike Orr

Tacoma s abandoned railroad tunnel. (Pretty Gritty Tours) 1980 Seattle bus and walking tour. A short KCTS documentary. (Tom Speer) A realtor looks at Seattle in ten years. (Living in Seattle with Sean McConnell) Best taken with a grain of salt,...

Midweek Roundup: Fascists in the Streets

Seattle Transit Blog 1/27 11:00P Nathan Dickey

There Are No Safe Streets under Fascist Occupation (streets.mn) Transportation: Sound Transit Board Abruptly Removes Key Committee Chair Ahead of Pivotal Year (The Urbanist) New Seattle bikeways coming to Space Needle ahead of World Cup (The...

Early Look at Federal Way Link Extension Ridership

Seattle Transit Blog 1/26 12:00A Michael Smith

On December 6, 2025, Sound Transit s Link extension to Federal Way (FWLE) welcomed its first passengers. This 1 Line extension added three new stations along eight miles of new track south of Angle...

Sunday Movies: Link & Finch West

Seattle Transit Blog 1/24 11:00P Mike Orr

Praise for Link from a British perspective. (CityMoose) Toronto s Finch West light rail, which opened in December, is slower than Link s surface segments. (Not Just Bikes) This is the gray line in the top left of Toronto s subway map . It s not...

Friday Roundtable: First Hill Streetcar Turns 10

Seattle Transit Blog 1/23 12:00A Michael Smith

Today marks the 10th anniversary of the First Hill Line streetcar in Seattle. The 2.5 mile, 10 station line connects Pioneer Square, the International District, Yesler Terrace, First Hill and Capitol...

Midweek Roundup: like it’s 1999

Seattle Transit Blog 1/20 11:00P Nathan Dickey

Reminder: From 10pm on Friday, Jan. 23, until Monday, Jan. 26, the DSTT is scheduled to be closed between Capitol Hill and SODO stations for signal upgrades. Sound Transit says the 1 Line will reopen in time to serve the NFC Championship game at...

Learn from Paris: Gondola line over Ship Canal

Seattle Transit Blog 1/19 5:50A Martin Pagel

As ST3 construction cost has skyrocketed, Sound Transit is considering truncating the Ballard line at Smith Cove for now. Ballard riders would need to continue on the bus as very few people live...

Sunday Movie: South Jersey & Anti-Transit Comedy

Seattle Transit Blog 1/17 11:00P Mike Orr

Evan Edinger tries the buses in suburban southern New Jersey. That video got a lot of comments saying why public transit can t work in the US. So Evan made another video refuting these claims. It s a comedy. The second video also refers to his...

Friday Roundtable: Sound Transit to Pilot Night Owl Bus to Sea-Tac Airport

Seattle Transit Blog 1/16 12:00A Michael Smith

Sea-Tac/Airport shuttle bus at Tukwila International Blvd station in 2009 ( Oran Viriyincy ) Yesterday, Sound Transit s Rider Experience and Operations Committee shared an update on the agency s 2026...

Midweek Roundup: induced demand

Seattle Transit Blog 1/13 11:04P Nathan Dickey

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...

Learn from Toronto: Automate Ballard Line

Seattle Transit Blog 1/11 11:00P Martin Pagel

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...

DC to Boston by Local Transit

Seattle Transit Blog 1/10 11:00P Mike Orr

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...