Seattle Transit Blog

Friday Roundtable: Race the L8 again… and lose?

Fix The L8 is organizing another race against Route 8, this time eastbound from Dexter to Stewart along Denny Way (Fix The L8) The L8 is not so late anymore since an eastbound traffic lane was converted to a bus lane in August. On Tuesday, September 8th, Fix the L8 is organizing another race against Metro's bus Route 8…...

Friday Roundtable: Race the L8 again… and lose? Fix The L8 is organizing another race against Route 8, this time eastbound from Dexter to Stewart along Denny Way (Fix The L8) The L8 is not so late anymore since an eastbound traffic lane was conv…

Pinehurst Station Opens September 30

Pinehurst Station in the final phases of construction on July 27, 2026. (Sound Transit) Today Sound Transit announced Pinehurst station will open September 30, 2026. Located between Shoreline South and Northgate stations, Pinehurst is the first ever Link infill station. The area around the station has been slow to develop as it is primarily occupied by Jackson Park Golf Course and I-5....

Pinehurst Station Opens September 30 Pinehurst Station in the final phases of construction on July 27, 2026. (Sound Transit) Today Sound Transit announced Pinehurst station will open September 30, 2026. Located between Shoreline South…

Sammamish and Renton Bus Trip

This article is brought to you by the numbers 269 and 111. Those were the first routes I wanted to try in the August 29th service change last Saturday. I'd never seen Sammamish except once or twice in a car because it had little bus access, and I'd never been to northeast Renton. So on the first day of the new service I did a bus trip to both those areas....

Sammamish and Renton Bus Trip This article is brought to you by the numbers 269 and 111. Those were the first routes I wanted to try in the August 29th service change last Saturday. I’d never seen Sammamish except once or…

Midweek Roundup: between the rails

News and commentary from the past week. Reminder: most transit agencies will be running Sunday service on Labor Day (Sept. 7). Check your local agency's rider alerts. News: A deep dive into how the 2 Line became world's first floating passenger train(The Seattle Times, $; free via SPL). Sound Transit Board Greenlights Targeted Fare Gate Retrofits (The Urbanist)...

Midweek Roundup: between the rails News and commentary from the past week. Reminder: most transit agencies will be running Sunday service on Labor Day (Sept. 7). Check your local agency’s rider alerts. News: A deep dive into h…

Last week, I attempted to ride every mode of fixed-route transit offered by each agency in the ORCA pod, as fast as possible. This includes every type bus service, rail service, and ferry service from each of the nine agencies. For example, King County Metro offers three types of bus service: local, express, and RapidRide. Likewise, Kitsap Transit has both Fast Ferries and Foot Ferries. In total, there are 21 different modes across the nine agencies. Despite extremely close transfers, very delayed buses, and crowded ferries, this attempt may have set a record.

The Ultimate ORCA Speedrun The ORCA speedrun requires taking at least 12 buses, 5 trains, and 4 boats throughout Puget Sound. At 9:59am last Friday, I boarded Everett Transit Route 29 at Everett Transit Mall Station. While t…

Link Ends Earlier, Starts Later

Several comments have raised concerns that the August 29th service change shortened Link's service day, so that it now ends earlier and starts later. This interacts with the launch of ST Express "Night Ride" routes between midnight and 4am. These theoretically can replace Link trips. But the ST Express routes bypass several high-ridership Seattle Link stations. This can force trips that were on Link in the midnight hour or 11 pm hour or 4 am hour to an ST Express or Metro route, turn a 1-seat ride into a 2-seat ride, and the bus routes are less frequent than Link was....

Link Ends Earlier, Starts Later Several comments have raised concerns that the August 29th service change shortened Link’s service day, so that it now ends earlier and starts later. This interacts with the launch of ST Expr…

Sunday Movie: 3 Lessons from The Netherlands

Three urbanist lessons from The Netherlands. (Alex Davis, 4 years ago) Musical interlude: Can't Stay with You Baby (I've gotta to find a car to drive me downtown) (Jimi Tenor). Ghost Town (The Specials, 1981). This is an open thread.

Sunday Movie: 3 Lessons from The Netherlands Three urbanist lessons from The Netherlands. (Alex Davis, 4 years ago) Musical interlude: Can’t Stay with You Baby (I’ve gotta to find a car to drive me downtown) (Jimi Tenor). Ghost To…

Fall 2026 Service Change Begins

Several transit agencies have their twice-yearly service change today or this week. South King County and Pierce County have the most extensive changes to coordinate bus service with Federal Way Link. East King County implements the almost-last phase of its East Link bus restructure. North King County and Snohomish County have some route restructures too. Two ST Express night owls start from downtown Seattle: a route 579 south to Lakewood, and a route 547 east to Bellevue and Redmond....

Fall 2026 Service Change Begins Several transit agencies have their twice-yearly service change today or this week. South King County and Pierce County have the most extensive changes to coordinate bus service with Federal Way Li…

Transit agencies around Puget Sound are updating their networks this weekend. This service change is more significant than most with restructures in south King County and Pierce County, east King County, and north King County and Snohomish County. In addition to the local transit agencies, Sound Transit is revising its ST Express routes to reflect the several Link extensions over the past few years. While the new routes and overall network are a better use of each agency's limited resources, Puget Sound transit passengers will be losing several routes that have transformed the region.

Friday Roundtable: Final Trips After 27 years, Route 550 will run its last trips across Lake Washington shortly after midnight tonight. Transit agencies around Puget Sound are updating their networks this weekend. This service c…

Midweek Roundup: isolated incident

Headlines from the past week. Wilson Order Tees Up Sweeping Traffic Safety Changes, Accelerating Projects (The Urbanist) No Cars in Pike Place Market > Cars in Pike Place Market (PubliCola) Wilson, Rinck Paint Bus Lane to Speed Up Route 8 (The Urbanist) Seattle's Route 8 is notoriously slow. Will Denny Way's new bus lane help? (KUOW) King County’s Metro Flex to launch in Auburn and Federal Way…...

Midweek Roundup: isolated incident Headlines from the past week. Wilson Order Tees Up Sweeping Traffic Safety Changes, Accelerating Projects (The Urbanist) No Cars in Pike Place Market > Cars in Pike Place Market (PubliCola) Wils…