203-475: The 2 Line , also known as the East Link Extension , is a light rail line serving the Eastside region of the Seattle metropolitan area in the U.S. state of Washington . It is part of Sound Transit 's Link light rail system and runs for 6.6 miles (10.6 km) in the cities of Bellevue and Redmond . The initial segment serves eight stations between South Bellevue and Redmond Technology stations and opened on April 27, 2024. The full line
406-593: A falsework constructed under the arches for the bridge. During installation of girders near Overlake Village in late May, a construction worker was killed after falling from a column near State Route 520 and 148th Avenue. Excavation of the Bellevue tunnel was completed in July 2018, approximately five months ahead of schedule, and substantial finishing work on the structure was declared complete in August 2020. Construction on
609-724: A "light rail" vehicle (it is a heavy rail vehicle), and is only included for comparison purposes. Low-floor LRVs have the advantage of a low-floor design, allowing them to load passengers directly from low-rise platforms that can be little more than raised curbs. High-floor light rail systems also exist, featuring larger stations. Historically, the track gauge has had considerable variations, with narrow gauge common in many early systems. However, most light rail systems are now standard gauge . Older standard-gauge vehicles could not negotiate sharp turns as easily as narrow-gauge ones, but modern light rail systems achieve tighter turning radii by using articulated cars . An important advantage of
812-589: A 0.1% sales tax raise and a $ 60 annual car-tab fee to add King County Metro bus service within the City of Seattle. Collaborating with several local jurisdictions, Metro was an early adopter of Transit Signal Priority (TSP), a system that can extend green lights to allow buses to get through. The system can boost average speeds as much as 8% and is in use on several of the city's busiest corridors, including Aurora Avenue North, Rainier Avenue S and Lake City Way NE. The system uses RFID tags that are read as buses approach
1015-554: A TSP equipped intersection. In 1998, the fleet was updated with an Automatic Vehicle Location (AVL) system that utilizes battery-powered beacons that read the RFID tags and communicate the buses' location to Metro. In 2010, the AVL system was replaced with a GPS-based system as part of a system-wide radio update. As a part of the radio update Metro also added automated next stop signs and announcements to all buses. In 2010, Metro rolled out
1218-458: A bus, there will be even more capacity when there is a combination of cars and light rail. Table 3 shows an example of peak passenger capacity. The cost of light rail construction varies widely, largely depending on the amount of tunneling and elevated structures required. A survey of North American light rail projects shows that costs of most LRT systems range from $ 15 million to over $ 100 million per mile. Seattle's new light rail system
1421-403: A chaotic breakdown inflow and a dramatic drop in speed (a traffic jam ) if they exceed about 2,000 vehicles per hour per lane (each car roughly two seconds behind another). Since most people who drive to work or on business trips do so alone, studies show that the average car occupancy on many roads carrying commuters is only about 1.5 people per car during the high-demand rush hour periods of
1624-738: A combined frequency of four minutes at peak and five minutes off-peak on the Lynnwood–Seattle section shared with the 1 Line. The 2011 final environmental impact statement had initially assumed three-car operations with a headway of eight minutes during peak, twelve minutes during the day on weekdays and weekends, and fifteen minutes during early morning and late evening service. 2 Line trains are anticipated to carry 50,000 daily passengers by 2030, and take 20 minutes to travel from International District/Chinatown station to Downtown Bellevue, and 10 minutes from Downtown Bellevue to Redmond Technology station . Sound Transit's current bus service on
1827-1142: A common right-of-way (however, Link converted to full separation in 2019). Some systems, such as the AirTrain JFK in New York City, the DLR in London, and Kelana Jaya Line in Kuala Lumpur , have dispensed with the need for an operator. The Vancouver SkyTrain was an early adopter of driverless vehicles, while the Toronto Scarborough rapid transit operated the same trains as Vancouver, but used drivers. In most discussions and comparisons, these specialized systems are generally not considered light rail but as light metro systems. Around Karlsruhe , Kassel , and Saarbrücken in Germany, dual-voltage light rail trains partly use mainline railroad tracks, sharing these tracks with heavy rail trains. In
2030-488: A cost-savings analysis for the Bellevue segments to find elements where project costs could be reduced. The analysis was released for public comment in April, proposing $ 60 million in savings by moving the downtown station out of the 110th Avenue tunnel, removing trenches from the 112th Avenue section, and moving the historic Frederick W. Winters House out of the planned guideway. Bellevue proposed an additional design change for
2233-541: A fixed-guideway system in the future. The Puget Sound Council of Governments (PSCOG), a regional planning organization, determined in a 1981 study that light rail would be a feasible way to relieve traffic on the Interstate 90 corridor and recommended that Metro include it in their long-term plan. A joint study by Metro and the PSCOG in 1986 explored several alternative routes for an Eastside light rail system, recommending
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#17327871750362436-526: A high-capacity fixed transit system on Interstate 90 to supplement a new floating bridge carrying State Route 520. While the Trans-Lake Washington Study was underway, Sound Transit formed a steering committee in 1998 to assess configuration options for Interstate 90 and its existing reversible express lane. The committee recommended the addition of high-occupancy vehicle lanes (HOV lanes) to both directions of Interstate 90 by narrowing
2639-506: A hybrid rail and bus system, with rail serving as the primary form of high-capacity transit on the Interstate 90 corridor. Later that year, the Central Puget Sound Regional Transit Authority, later renamed Sound Transit , was established and began planning a package of transit projects for a public referendum. The committee's plan was downsized to 69 miles (111 km) of light rail, including
2842-416: A light rail train may have three to four cars of much larger capacity in one train under the control of one driver, or no driver at all in fully automated systems, increasing the labor costs of BRT systems compared to LRT systems. BRT systems are also usually less fuel-efficient as they use non-electrified vehicles. The peak passenger capacity per lane per hour depends on which types of vehicles are allowed on
3045-407: A line from Seattle to Bellevue and Overlake , and submitted to voters on March 14, 1995. The $ 6.7 billion transit package was rejected by voters, in part due to an opposition campaign funded by Bellevue developer Kemper Freeman . A smaller, $ 3.9 billion system was proposed the following year, with a light rail line serving Seattle and Seattle–Tacoma International Airport instead of a system spanning
3248-435: A live rail. In outer areas, the trams switch to conventional overhead wires . The Bordeaux power system costs about three times as much as a conventional overhead wire system and took 24 months to achieve acceptable levels of reliability, requiring the replacement of all the main cables and power supplies. Operating and maintenance costs of the innovative power system still remain high. However, despite numerous service outages,
3451-543: A longer distance. Light rail cars are often coupled into multiple units of two to four cars. Light rail systems may also exhibit attributes of heavy rail systems, including having downtown subways, as in San Francisco and Seattle . Light rail is designed to address a gap in interurban transportation between heavy rail and bus services, carrying high passenger numbers more quickly than local buses and more cheaply than heavy rail. It serves corridors in which heavy rail
3654-570: A lower capacity and speed than a long heavy rail passenger train or rapid transit system. Narrowly defined, light rail transit uses rolling stock that is similar to that of a traditional tram, while operating at a higher capacity and speed, often on an exclusive right-of-way. In broader use, it includes tram-like operations mostly on streets. A few light rail networks have characteristics closer to rapid transit or even commuter rail , yet only when these systems are fully grade-separated are they referred to as light metros . The term light rail
3857-642: A more diverse range of design characteristics than LRT, depending on the demand and constraints that exist, and BRT using dedicated lanes can have a theoretical capacity of over 30,000 passengers per hour per direction (for example, the Guangzhou Bus Rapid Transit system operates up to 350 buses per hour per direction). For the effective operation of a bus or BRT system, buses must have priority at traffic lights and have their dedicated lanes, especially as bus frequencies exceed 30 buses per hour per direction. The higher theoretical of BRT relates to
4060-562: A non-profit organization. Since 2003, Metro has contracted with senior charities to operate the Hyde Shuttle system, which provides free rides to elderly or disabled passengers in Seattle and other cities. Metro formerly funded a shuttle system named Ride2 that served West Seattle and Eastgate using contracted private buses, which ended in 2019. A set of three shuttle van services contracted out to private operators, including Via in
4263-526: A program entitled "Transit Now" that provided for a 20 percent increase in transit service by the end of 2016 over 2006 service levels, measured in annual operating hours. In order to realize this growth, Transit Now proposed an increase in the local option sales tax for transit of one-tenth of one percent. The Transit Now ordinance, passed by the King County Council on September 5, 2006, and signed by Executive Sims on September 11, 2006, forwarded
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#17327871750364466-479: A reduced number of drivers and workers. Several routes were also split between trunk routes using articulated buses and shuttles to serve hillier areas with smaller buses. The network plan was first implemented during the February 2019 snowstorm. In August 2019, the King County Council voted to waive transit fares during snow emergencies. An earlier plan from the 1980s replaced Seattle–Eastside commuter routes with
4669-622: A regional rapid transit system, it was authorized to operate a regional bus system in 1972. The bus system was known as Metro Transit and began operations on January 1, 1973. Its operations subsumed the Seattle Transit System, formerly under the purview of the City of Seattle and the Metropolitan Transit Corporation, a private company serving suburban cities in King County. In the early 1970s,
4872-460: A regional bus interchange at Mercer Island station was in violation of the 2017 agreement. The city council agreed to cease litigation in December 2022 in exchange for a new agreement with Sound Transit with a $ 2.1 million payment to fund additional traffic mitigation for the interchange. The Sound Transit 2 package did not include a specific route for East Link in Bellevue and Redmond, due to
5075-469: A result of the investigation. In the November 2011 city council election, Freeman and other anti-light rail developers funded challengers to Balducci and Chelminiak (themselves funded by Spring District developer Wright Runstad ), as well as opposition messages and advertisements. Balducci and Chelminiak were re-elected and joined by newly elected councilmember John Stokes, replacing Degginger, in continuing
5278-407: A result, has many of the operating characteristics of a metro system rather than a light rail system. A capacity of 1,350 passengers per train is more similar to the heavy rail than light rail. Bus rapid transit (BRT) is an alternative to LRT and many planning studies undertake a comparison of each mode when considering appropriate investments in transit corridor development. BRT systems can exhibit
5481-520: A route across the Interstate 90 bridge and branching from Downtown Bellevue to Kirkland and Bothell , via the Eastside railway , and Downtown Redmond, via State Route 520 . While the light rail plan was left unfunded, provisions were made to accommodate a future Eastside light rail connection in the Downtown Seattle bus tunnel that opened in 1990. In 1990, the state legislature called for
5684-470: A route following Interstate 405 on the east side of Mercer Slough Nature Park. In Downtown Bellevue (Segment C), three alternatives called for tunnels, while two were elevated guideways along 110th or 112th avenues, and a sixth alignment consisted of an at-grade line split between 108th and 110th avenues. In the Bel-Red area (Segment D), the alignments traveled above or along new east–west streets proposed by
5887-878: A set of routes that exclusively served predetermined park and ride lots. King County Metro operates RapidRide, a network of limited-stop bus lines with some bus rapid transit features. All RapidRide routes have frequent service with frequencies of 10 minutes or better during peak commuting hours and 15 minutes during most off-peak hours and on weekends. Most lines (except the B and F lines) have late night and early morning service. Stops are placed farther apart than typical Metro service to increase speed and reliability. Stops with heavier ridership have "stations" with an awning, seating, lighting, real time information signs to communicate estimate arrival times of RapidRide buses. Most stations and some stops in Downtown Seattle have ORCA card readers that allow passengers to pay before
6090-641: A shouting match, and accusations of conflicting interests in decisions related to the light rail project. In April 2011, the city council hired an independent investigator to probe for possible conflicts of interest related to the East Link decision. Balducci, through her involvement on the Sound Transit Board, and councilmember Grant Degginger, whose law firm represented Sound Transit in disputes over other projects, were investigated and cleared of any wrongdoing under state laws. Wallace himself became
6293-598: A station at the center of the city's central business district. After traversing the East Channel Bridge , the light rail tracks leave I-90 and cross over to the east side of Bellevue Way, traveling north on an elevated guideway through South Bellevue station . The tracks descend into a trench running along the west edge of Mercer Slough Nature Park, with lids near the historic Frederick W. Winters House and other intersections. The 2 Line then turns northeastward to follow 112th Avenue Southeast, crossing under
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6496-492: A station northeast of Marymoor Park. The extension then turns west, crossing under the freeway, and terminates at Downtown Redmond station near the intersection of Cleveland Street and 166th Avenue Northeast. The initial starter line, opened in 2024, serves eight stations between South Bellevue and Redmond Technology. Trains run every 10 minutes for 16 hours a day on weekdays and weekends between 5:30 a.m. and 9:30 p.m. It takes 20 minutes to travel between
6699-405: A surcharge of 10 cents per zone crossing. The fare system was overhauled in 1977 and simplified to two zones: one within Seattle and one for the rest of the county. The fare change also introduced a one-hour pass for free transfers—either within the same hour or for a return trip on the same route—and monthly passes. One-way fare (Peak, 1 Zone), with year of rate change: A major Metro facility
6902-478: A surprise to the City of Bellevue, who had hoped to use it for transit-oriented development , and also attracted an offer from the Mars Hill Church to share the site, which was later rejected. After negotiations with the city, the design of the facility was amended to add 1.6 million square feet (150,000 m) of commercial and residential development on part of the shrunken yard, and Sound Transit
7105-419: A time. As of 2011, 100 of Metro's 223 routes are peak-only. These routes require significant deadheading (particularly on the one-way routes), as well as a very large part-time labor force, both of which drive up costs. Metro's lowest-cost route overall, route 4 (East Queen Anne to Judkins Park), had a cost per boarding of only $ 0.46 during peak hours in 2009. By way of contrast, Metro's peak-only route with
7308-534: A top speed of 55–71.5 miles per hour (88.51–115.1 km/h) depending on the system, while the trains on the all-underground Montreal Metro can only reach a top speed of 72 kilometres per hour (44.74 mph). LACMTA light rail vehicles have higher top and average speeds than Montreal Metro or New York City Subway trains. Many light rail systems—even fairly old ones—have a combination of both on- and off-road sections. In some countries (especially in Europe), only
7511-481: A tramway, a light metro, and, in a narrow sense, rapid transit. This is especially common in the United States, where there is not a popularly perceived distinction between these different types of urban rail systems. The development of technology for low-floor and catenary-free trams facilitates the construction of such mixed systems with only short and shallow underground sections below critical intersections as
7714-474: A trench with a station at 120th Avenue , in the center of the Spring District development. The tracks cross over Kelsey Creek and return to street level at BelRed station , traveling northeast in the median of Northeast Spring Boulevard and 136th Place Northeast. After crossing Northeast 20th Street, trains ascend onto an elevated guideway that follows the south side of State Route 520, crossing over
7917-584: A tunneled line. A group of fourteen business executives representing Boeing , Microsoft, T-Mobile USA , and Symetra , among others, sent a letter to the Bellevue city council in May requesting it to cooperate with Sound Transit and expedite the planning process. The divided opinions of the Bellevue city council, led by B7 supporter Kevin Wallace and B2M supporter Claudia Balducci (also a Sound Transit Boardmember) resulted in heated debates, one of which devolved into
8120-445: Is Metro's main transit hub, transit centers act as smaller regional hubs and are served by many bus routes. Some transit centers also offer a park and ride facility. Metro operates out of several transit centers located throughout King County, some of which are shared with Sound Transit and other county agencies. In King County, Metro has 132 park and ride facilities containing a total of 24,524 parking stalls as of 2009 . Half of
8323-565: Is a form of passenger urban rail transit that uses rolling stock derived from tram technology while also having some features from heavy rapid transit . The term was coined in 1972 in the United States as an English equivalent for the German word Stadtbahn , meaning "city railway". Different definitions exist in some countries, but in the United States, light rail operates primarily along exclusive rights-of-way and uses either individual tramcars or multiple units coupled together, with
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8526-470: Is a generic international English phrase for types of rail systems using modern streetcars/trams, which means more or less the same thing throughout the English-speaking world . Light rail systems can range from trams runnig in streets along with other traffic, to semi-metro systems having portions of grade separated track. People movers are even "lighter", in terms of capacity. Monorail
8729-575: Is a separate technology that has been more successful in specialized services than in a commuter transit role. The use of the generic term light rail avoids some serious incompatibilities between British and American English . The word tram , for instance, is generally used in the UK and many former British colonies to refer to what is known in North America as a streetcar , but in North America tram can instead refer to an aerial tramway , or, in
8932-602: Is a significant amount of overlap between the technologies; similar rolling stock may be used for either, and it is common to classify streetcars or trams as a subcategory of light rail rather than as a distinct type of transportation. However, some distinctions can be made, though systems may combine elements of both. Low-floor light rail lines tend to follow a reserved right-of-way and with trains receiving priority at intersections, and tend not to operate in mixed traffic, enabling higher operating speeds. Light rail lines tend to have less frequent stops than tramways, and operate over
9135-412: Is assigned to Blue, Yellow, Red or Green stop groups and each bus stop has two color designations; in the northbound direction, every other bus stop is a Red/Yellow or Green/Blue stop, while in the southbound direction they are Green/Yellow and Red/Blue. On 2nd and 4th Avenues, routes are grouped into Orange and White stops. The bus stop color groupings are identified by a colored plate installed above or on
9338-563: Is by far the most expensive in the US, at $ 179 million per mile, since it includes extensive tunneling in poor soil conditions, elevated sections, and stations as deep as 180 feet (55 m) below ground level. This results in costs more typical of subways or rapid transit systems than light rail. At the other end of the scale, four systems (Baltimore, Maryland; Camden, New Jersey; Sacramento, California; and Salt Lake City, Utah) incurred construction costs of less than $ 20 million per mile. Over
9541-413: Is designed to connect neighborhoods with major transportation hubs including downtown Seattle, Sea–Tac Airport, park & ride lots, transit centers, and Link stations (providing service during the hours when trains are not in service). The City of Seattle's transportation benefit district funds service on Night Owl routes that operate entirely within the city limits. Routes with Night Owl service include
9744-426: Is especially important for wheelchair access, as narrower gauges (e.g. metre gauge) can make it challenging or impossible to pass the tram's wheels. Furthermore, standard-gauge rolling stock can be switched between networks either temporarily or permanently, and both newly built and used standard-gauge rolling stock tends to be cheaper to buy, as more companies offer such vehicles. Overhead lines supply electricity to
9947-459: Is expected to open in 2025, several months later than the original late 2024 schedule. Sound Transit filed a lawsuit against Microsoft in March 2020 for access to land in the future right of way on State Route 520, after a dispute over payment for the property and easement. As of February 2024, the project is 85 percent complete and scheduled to open in early 2025. The 2 Line diverges from
10150-502: Is expensive. Similarly, the most expensive US highway expansion project was the " Big Dig " in Boston, Massachusetts, which cost $ 200 million per lane mile for a total cost of $ 14.6 billion. A light rail track can carry up to 20,000 people per hour as compared with 2,000–2,200 vehicles per hour for one freeway lane. For example, in Boston and San Francisco, light rail lines carry 9,600 and 13,100 passengers per hour, respectively, in
10353-741: Is followed by extensions in 2025; or a full opening of the initial line and Downtown Redmond extension in early 2025. The 6.3-mile (10.1 km) "starter line" would run with 10-minute frequencies and would require service on the Lynnwood Link Extension to be halved until early 2025. On August 24, 2023, the Sound Transit Board approved a new operating plan for the 2 Line that included the starter line. The line would debut with two-car trainsets that run at 10-minute frequencies for 16 hours per day between South Bellevue and Redmond Technology stations. The remaining sections to Seattle and Downtown Redmond are planned to open in 2025, along with
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#173278717503610556-575: Is hard to distinguish between what is called light rail, and other forms of urban and commuter rail. A system described as a light rail in one city may be considered to be a streetcar or tram system in another. Conversely, some lines that are called "light rail" are very similar to rapid transit ; in recent years, new terms such as light metro have been used to describe these medium-capacity systems. Some "light rail" systems, such as Sprinter , bear little similarity to urban rail, and could alternatively be classified as commuter rail or even inter-city rail. In
10759-559: Is impractical. Light metro systems are essentially hybrids of light rail and rapid transit. Metro trains are larger and faster than light rail trains, with stops being further apart. Many systems have mixed characteristics. Indeed, with proper engineering, a rail line could run along a street, then go underground, and then run along an elevated viaduct. For example, the Los Angeles Metro Rail 's A Line "light rail" has sections that could alternatively be described as
10962-484: Is one of the highest capacity ones, having been upgraded in a series of expansions to handle 40,000 passengers per hour per direction, and having carried as many as 582,989 passengers in a single day on its Line 1 . It achieves this volume by running four-car trains with a capacity of up to 1,350 passengers each at a frequency of up to 30 trains per hour. However, the Manila light rail system has full grade separation and as
11165-592: Is scheduled to open in 2025 and is planned to include 18 miles (29 km) from west to east and serve twelve stations in Downtown Seattle , Mercer Island , Bellevue, and Redmond. The 2 Line will continue through the Downtown Seattle Transit Tunnel and share stations with the 1 Line through to Lynnwood City Center station . The East Link project was approved by voters in the 2008 Sound Transit 2 ballot measure, with construction costs projected at $ 3.7 billion. The line will use
11368-493: Is the Downtown Seattle Transit Tunnel (DSTT), a 1.3-mile-long, four-station tunnel that allows Central Link light rail trains to travel under the heart of downtown Seattle. It formerly carried bus traffic alongside light rail trains, stopping at a fifth station in the north and connecting to the SODO Busway in the south. The tunnel was completed in 1990, at a cost of $ 455 million, to carry commuter buses. While it
11571-709: The Blue Streak express bus service running between Northgate Park & Ride and Downtown Seattle. Special stops called "freeway flyers" or freeway stations were constructed to allow efficient transfer between local and express buses. The first freeway flyer stop opened in 1975 at Montlake Boulevard and State Route 520 . Metro also takes advantage of new HOV direct-access ramps and freeway stations constructed by Sound Transit to improve speed and reliability of its commuter routes. Metro uses skip-stop spacing on 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Avenues in Downtown Seattle, whereby buses skip every other bus stop. On 3rd Avenue, each bus route
11774-407: The 1 Line at International District/Chinatown station , located near the end of the Downtown Seattle Transit Tunnel . The tracks ascend on an existing ramp, used by buses leaving the tunnel, and turn east to follow Interstate 90 over Interstate 5 . The line will use the freeway's former express lanes, which weave under the westbound lanes and onto the roadway's median as I-90 passes around
11977-553: The 200s , areas in North King County (from Bothell to Shoreline ) are served by routes numbered in the 300s . The Metro-operated Sound Transit Express routes are numbered in the 500s. Route numbers in the lower 900s (901–931) are used for Dial-a-Ride services, while shuttles connecting to the King County Water Taxi are numbered in the 700s . The dial-a-ride system is contracted to Hopelink ,
12180-542: The Cádiz TramBahia , where trams share track with commuter and long-distance trains from the main terminus in the city and curve off to serve cities without a railway connection. Some of the issues involved in such schemes are: There is a history of what would now be considered light rail vehicles operating on heavy rail rapid transit tracks in the US, especially in the case of interurban streetcars . Notable examples are Lehigh Valley Transit trains running on
12383-416: The Downtown Seattle Transit Tunnel project in 1990, attention was drawn again to developing a regional rail system. This interest led to the formation of the Central Puget Sound Regional Transit Authority (more commonly known as Sound Transit ) which holds primary responsibility for planning and building high capacity transit in the counties of King, Pierce and Snohomish, in western Washington state . Metro
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#173278717503612586-554: The Eastside Rail Corridor . Trains reach Wilburton station , on the north side of Northeast 8th Street, and follow the Eastside Rail Corridor while descending to ground level near Lake Bellevue . At Northeast 12th Street, the tracks turn east, while the Eastside Rail Corridor continues north along another set of tracks leading to Link's East operations and maintenance facility. Trains continue into
12789-521: The Homer M. Hadley Memorial Bridge , one of the Interstate 90 floating bridges , which was constructed in 1989 with the intent to convert its reversible express lanes to light rail. Early transit plans from the 1960s proposed an Eastside rail system, but preliminary planning on the system did not begin until Sound Transit's formation in the early 1990s. The proposed alignment of the East Link project
12992-758: The London Underground and the New York City Subway . Conventional rail technologies including high-speed , freight, commuter , and rapid transit urban transit systems are considered "heavy rail". The main difference between light rail and heavy rail rapid transit is the ability for a light rail vehicle to operate in mixed traffic if the routing requires it. The world's first electric tram operated in Sestroretsk near Saint Petersburg , Russia , invented and operated on an experimental basis by Fyodor Pirotsky in 1880. The first tramway
13195-637: The Netherlands , this concept was first applied on the RijnGouweLijn . This allows commuters to ride directly into the city center, rather than taking a mainline train only as far as a central station and then having to change to a tram. In France, similar tram-trains are planned for Paris, Mulhouse , and Strasbourg ; further projects exist. In some cases, tram trains use previously abandoned or lightly used heavy rail lines in addition to or instead of still in use mainline tracks. In 2022, Spain opened
13398-874: The O-Train Trillium Line in Ottawa, Ontario , Canada, the River Line in New Jersey , United States, and the Sprinter in California , United States, which use diesel multiple unit (DMU) cars. Light rail is different from the British English term light railway , long-used to distinguish railway operations carried out under a less rigorous set of regulations using lighter equipment at lower speeds from mainline railways. Light rail
13601-703: The Philadelphia and Western Railroad high-speed third rail line (now the Norristown High-Speed Line ). Such arrangements are almost impossible now, due to the Federal Railroad Administration refusing (for crash safety reasons) to allow non-FRA compliant railcars (i.e., subway and light rail vehicles) to run on the same tracks at the same times as compliant railcars, which includes locomotives and standard railroad passenger and freight equipment. Notable exceptions in
13804-619: The Seattle Street Railway . In 1918, the city of Seattle bought many parts of the Seattle Street Railway, on terms which left the transit operation in financial trouble. In 1939, a new transportation agency, the Seattle Transit System, was formed, which refinanced the remaining debt and began replacing equipment with "trackless trolleys" (as they were known) and motor buses. The final streetcar ran on April 13, 1941. The Municipality of Metropolitan Seattle
14007-530: The medians of roads . If run in streets , trains are usually limited by city block lengths to about four 180-passenger vehicles (720 passengers). Operating on two-minute headways using traffic signal progression, a well-designed two-track system can handle up to 30 trains per hour per track, achieving peak rates of over 20,000 passengers per hour in each direction. More advanced systems with separate rights-of-way using moving block signaling can exceed 25,000 passengers per hour per track. Most light rail systems in
14210-689: The $ 47 billion Roads and Transit package, which combined Sound Transit projects with highway expansion. Under the plan, light rail service from Seattle to the Overlake Hospital Medical Center east of Downtown Bellevue would begin in 2021, followed by an extension to the Microsoft campus in Overlake by 2027; the segment between Overlake and downtown Redmond would be prioritized for future extension using additional funding, with engineering and property acquisition work covered by
14413-481: The 1 Line) would continue on to Downtown Everett. Sound Transit plans to expand light rail service to Kirkland and Issaquah by 2044, as part of the Sound Transit 3 program. The preliminary design for the 4 Line includes tracks shared with East Link through Downtown Bellevue, between East Main and Wilburton stations. Light rail Light rail (or light rail transit , abbreviated to LRT )
14616-483: The 112th Avenue alignment, along with a tunnel in Downtown Bellevue under 106th Avenue, in February 2009. Microsoft voiced its opposition to the tunnel alignment, which the company believed would jeopardize funding for the segment of the line serving its corporate headquarters in Overlake; the tunnel was estimated to add $ 600 million in costs to the project's budget. On May 14, 2009, Sound Transit Board chose
14819-472: The 112th Avenue corridor, moving the planned elevated flyover for trains into a trench under the raised road, after Surrey Downs residents complained of the potential visual and noise impacts. A shortlist of design modifications was approved for further study by the Sound Transit Board in late June, with an endorsement from the city council. After the publication of the final cost-savings analysis in September,
15022-470: The 148th Avenue Northeast interchange and stopping at Overlake Village station . The 2 Line then descends to ground level and turns north along the freeway and approaches its initial terminus at Redmond Technology station , located at Northeast 40th Street on the Microsoft Redmond campus. The Downtown Redmond Extension will continue along State Route 520 towards downtown Redmond, stopping at
15225-520: The 18th amendment of the state constitution prohibited the use of the gas tax-funded bridge for non-road uses. The case was argued before the state supreme court , who ruled in April 2011 that the case should be heard in a lower court first. Days later, Freeman re-filed the lawsuit in the Kittitas County Superior Court, naming Governor Christine Gregoire and Secretary of Transportation Paula Hammond as defendants. A judge in
15428-624: The 1970s was proven to have been a technical failure by the following decade. After World War II, the Germans retained many of their streetcar networks and evolved them into model light rail systems ( Stadtbahnen ). With the exception of Hamburg , all large and most medium-sized German cities maintain light rail networks. The concept of a "limited tramway" was proposed by American transport planner H. Dean Quinby in 1962. Quinby distinguished this new concept in rail transportation from historic streetcar or tram systems as: The term light rail transit
15631-458: The 2000s, Metro opened its first park and ride garages as well as several lots that were integrated with housing and retail developments. Metro stores and maintains buses at seven bases (garages), spread throughout its 2,134-square-mile (5,530 km ) operating area. In addition to the bases, maintenance of the fleet and operation of the system are supported by several other facilities. In April 2006, King County Executive Ron Sims announced
15834-555: The 2012 analysis. Days later, Sound Transit approved the same final alignment and design modifications. Public open houses on final design and property acquisitions began in May, and an amended transitway agreement was signed by the City of Bellevue in June. In July 2014, Sound Transit selected a former rail yard located west of the Spring District and its station as the site of the project's 25-acre (10 ha) satellite operations and maintenance facility. The proposed site initially came as
16037-455: The 4–3 makeup of the council. The preliminary Bellevue city council report was released in May 2011, finding that the B7 alternative would be feasible, but cost up to $ 140 million more than Sound Transit's B2M alternative. The study received a mixed reaction from the council and members of the public, and the final version was cut after the cost of the study increased to $ 730,000. After the release of
16240-589: The 7, 36, 48, 49, 124, 160, 161, and the RapidRide A, C, D, E, G and H Lines. King County Metro contracts with Hopelink to operate a weekend express shuttle between Seattle and hiking areas in the Cascade foothills called Trailhead Direct from April to October. The service, operated in partnership with the county's park and recreation department and private companies, is intended to relieve parking issues at popular trailheads at peak times. It debuted in 2017 and
16443-618: The 7, traveling from downtown through the International District to the Rainier Valley ; the 40, traveling from downtown through South Lake Union, Fremont, and Ballard to Northgate; the RapidRide C Line from South Lake Union and downtown to West Seattle's Alaska Junction and Westwood Village; the 36, traveling from downtown through the International District to Beacon Hill ; the 5 from downtown via
16646-716: The 90s, with the South Lake Union Streetcar numbered 98 and the former bus replacement for the Waterfront Streetcar numbered 99. The suburban system is more numerically organized. Roughly speaking, areas in South King County (from Burien and Des Moines through Renton and Maple Valley ) are served by routes numbered in the 100s , areas in East King County (from Renton to Bothell ) are served by routes numbered in
16849-489: The B7 alternative to provide an even comparison to Sound Transit's proposed 112th Avenue alignment. The three councilmembers who voted against the study called it a hypocritical move, in the face of financial conservation during the Great Recession , and feared that it would extend the planning period by several years. Sound Transit released its supplemental draft environmental impact statement in November, finding that
17052-418: The B7 alternative would be costlier to construct and require more wetland mitigation and displace more businesses. A public hearing on the document later that month in Bellevue was filled by supporters of the B7 alternative, who outnumbered those arguing in favor of B2M. The delays in deciding the Bellevue route moved the projected opening date for East Link from 2021 to 2022 for an at-grade alignment and 2023 for
17255-545: The Bellevue City Council voted 4–3 to reject Sound Transit's six proposed South Bellevue options, in favor of its preferred alternative ("B7") using the Eastside Rail Corridor. The Sound Transit Board voted to continue studying the 112th Avenue alignment and identified the corridor as its preferred route ("B2M"), drawing criticism from Bellevue mayor Don Davidson, who spoke before the board. The city council responded by approving $ 670,000 in funds towards study into
17458-484: The East subarea of King County. At the end of 2008, the systemwide cost per boarding was $ 3.70. King County Metro has had a flat rate fare structure for all riders since July 2018. The flat rate of $ 2.75 for adults and $ 1 for senior, disabled and qualified low-income passengers replaced a previous system with two zones—divided between Seattle and the rest of the county—and peak period surcharges. A separate rate of $ 1.50
17661-598: The Eastside, funded by Sound Transit, began operating in 1999. In the late 1990s, Sound Transit and the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) co-led a study into congestion-relief measures on the State Route 520 corridor, including the use of light rail on either of the floating bridges. The final Trans-Lake Washington Study, published in 2002, recommended further development of
17864-495: The French city of Bordeaux , the tramway network is powered by a third rail in the city center, where the tracks are not always segregated from pedestrians and cars. The third rail (actually two closely spaced rails) is placed in the middle of the track and divided into eight-metre sections, each of which is powered only while it is completely covered by a tram. This minimizes the risk of a person or animal coming into contact with
18067-554: The Issaquah Alps was suspended for the 2022 and 2023 seasons but returned in 2024. The cost per boarding for Metro was $ 4.10 in 2005, compared to $ 2.50 among the country's 15 largest transit agencies and $ 2.97, the national average. Metro's cost per boarding is 38% above the national average. Metro's higher-than-average cost per boarding can be at least partially attributed to its high percentage of commuter routes, which run at peak hours only, and often only in one direction at
18270-483: The Kittitas court issued a summary judgement in favor of Sound Transit and WSDOT, effectively halting the lawsuit. A third lawsuit was filed by Freeman in the state supreme court, where a 7–2 decision in September 2013 deemed that the conversion of the express lanes for light rail was not unconstitutional. The city of Mercer Island sued Sound Transit and WSDOT in February 2017 over the loss of HOV lane access following
18473-687: The Mercer Slough and the Winters House, but the lawsuit was rejected by the U.S. District Court in March 2013. A supplemental environmental impact statement was released in late March, incorporating the Bellevue design modifications and requesting further design of pedestrian bridges over State Route 520 near Overlake Village station in Redmond. The Bellevue city council unanimously approved a final alignment for East Link on April 22, 2013, including up to $ 53 million in cost savings identified in
18676-678: The RFA itself, buses that traveled through the Ride Free Area to other destinations generally did not benefit. It also found that unloading outbound coaches once outside the RFA took additional time, though not entirely quantified vis-à-vis time saved within the RFA. On September 29, 2012, the Ride Free Area was eliminated. All riders boarding in downtown must now pay as they board. Metro has 237 bus routes that combine service patterns typical of both city and suburban bus networks, carrying over 400,000 daily passengers as of 2019 . The city network
18879-536: The Rainier Valley, Community Ride, and Ride Pingo in Kent, were launched starting in 2019. They were merged in 2023 under the "Metro Flex" brand with a shared livery. Metro is contracted to operate special custom buses. Custom routes that serve schools in Bellevue and on Mercer Island are numbered in the 800s (823, 824, 886–892) and routes serving the private Lakeside School and University Prep numbered in
19082-535: The Roads and Transit package. The package attracted opposition from environmentalists, developer Kemper Freeman, and Eastside elected officials, and failed to pass in the November 2007 election. Sound Transit continued to hold public hearings and open houses on the design of East Link after the rejection of the Roads and Transit package as part of the environmental review process. A smaller, transit-only package named "Sound Transit 2" with 34 miles (55 km) of light rail
19285-572: The Seattle–Bellevue section is anticipated to begin in late 2025. Balducci, several Eastside mayors, and other leaders endorsed a plan in 2022 to open a truncated Bellevue–Redmond version of the 2 Line in 2023 to serve local trips while awaiting the completion of the Seattle–Bellevue section with its extended timeline. Sound Transit presented two operational scenarios in December 2022: a truncated 2 Line between South Bellevue and Redmond Technology stations that begins service in early 2024 and
19488-518: The Sound Transit Board and Bellevue city council voted to endorse the proposed design modifications to the downtown station, 112th Avenue crossing, and Winters House trench. The design modifications to Bellevue Way and 112th Avenue were opposed by residents of the Enatai and Surrey Downs neighborhoods, who claimed that the changes would restrict road access and lower property values and quality of life. After threatening to block property acquisition and delay
19691-465: The South Bellevue area using the east sides of Bellevue Way and 112th Avenue, along with the city covering the cost of street reconstruction and utility relocation, was also proposed in order to save $ 75 million in costs. The Sound Transit Board made the revised tunnel and South Bellevue alignment its new preferred route in April and requested further study into the impacts of rail construction in
19894-498: The South Bellevue area. The city council considered routing trains through the Mercer Slough and on the Eastside Rail Corridor until the National Park Service spoke out against the plan. In March 2010, the city council unanimously endorsed the 110th Avenue tunnel alternative, which would cost an additional $ 285 million, and drafted a cost savings plan that would levy a local tax to pay for the tunnel. A new alignment in
20097-693: The Surrey Downs area. Sound Transit also approved the exploration of alternative designs for the Overlake Hospital station, the alignment through the Bel-Red area, and the Overlake Village station in Redmond. An additional downtown option, using a shorter tunnel beginning at Northeast 2nd Street and an at-grade crossing of Main Street, was also proposed by Sound Transit to help reduce costs amid an expected shortfall in revenue. In July,
20300-662: The US are the NJ Transit River Line from Camden to Trenton and Austin's Capital MetroRail , which have received exemptions to the provision that light rail operations occur only during daytime hours and Conrail freight service only at night, with several hours separating one operation from the other. The O-Train Trillium Line in Ottawa also has freight service at certain hours. With its mix of right-of-way types and train control technologies, LRT offers
20503-455: The US as a whole, excluding Seattle, new light rail construction costs average about $ 35 million per mile. By comparison, a freeway lane expansion typically costs $ 1.0 million to $ 8.5 million per lane mile for two directions, with an average of $ 2.3 million. However, freeways are frequently built in suburbs or rural areas, whereas light rail tends to be concentrated in urban areas, where right of way and property acquisition
20706-666: The United States and in North America . In Britain, modern light rail systems began to appear in the 1980s, starting with the Tyne and Wear Metro from 1980 and followed by the Docklands Light Railway (DLR) in London in 1987, continuing into the 1990s including the establishment of the Manchester Metrolink in 1992 and the Sheffield Supertram from 1994. Due to varying definitions, it
20909-590: The United States are limited by demand rather than capacity (by and large, most American LRT systems carry fewer than 4,000 persons per hour per direction), but Boston's and San Francisco's light rail lines carry 9,600 and 13,100 passengers per hour per track during rush hour. Elsewhere in North America, the Calgary C-Train and Monterrey Metro have higher light rail ridership than Boston or San Francisco. Systems outside North America often have much higher passenger volumes. The Manila Light Rail Transit System
21112-472: The United States, "light rail" has become a catch-all term to describe a wide variety of passenger rail systems. Light rail corridors may constitute a fully segregated corridor, a dedicated right-of-way on a street, an on-street corridor shared with other traffic, a corridor shared with other public transport, or a corridor shared with pedestrians. The most difficult distinction to draw is that between low-floor light rail and streetcar or tram systems. There
21315-656: The Woodland Park Zoo and Greenwood/Phinney Ridge to Shoreline Community College; the 44, a crosstown route connecting the University District and Ballard ; the 8, a crosstown route connecting Uptown/Seattle Center and South Lake Union with Capitol Hill, the Central District and Mount Baker; and the 70, connecting downtown to South Lake Union, Eastlake, and the University District. The Metro-operated Seattle Streetcar routes are numbered in
21518-415: The ability of buses to travel closer to each other than rail vehicles and their ability to overtake each other at designated locations allowing express services to bypass those that have stopped at stations. However, to achieve capacities this high, BRT station footprints need to be significantly larger than a typical LRT station. In terms of cost of operation, each bus vehicle requires a single driver, whereas
21721-486: The agency's Sound Transit Express bus routes along with the Seattle Streetcar lines owned by the City of Seattle. Metro's services include electric trolleybuses in Seattle, RapidRide enhanced buses on six lines, commuter routes along the regional freeway system, dial-a-ride routes, paratransit services, and overnight “owl” bus routes . A horse-drawn streetcar rail system debuted in Seattle in 1884 as
21924-429: The bus arrives and board at any of the buses' three doors. All lines use new, low-floor, articulated buses that are painted with a distinct red and yellow livery and have onboard Wi-Fi. The RapidRide corridors are: Metro operates many peak-hour commuter routes serving park and rides that use 244.52 miles of the region's network of High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes . This practice was pioneered at Seattle Transit as
22127-866: The case of the Disney amusement parks , even a land train . (The usual British term for an aerial tramway is cable car , which in the US usually refers to a ground-level car pulled along by subterranean cables .) The word trolley is often used as a synonym for streetcar in the United States but is usually taken to mean a cart, particularly a shopping cart, in the UK and elsewhere. Many North American transportation planners reserve streetcar for traditional vehicles that operate exclusively in mixed traffic on city streets, while they use light rail to refer to more modern vehicles operating mostly in exclusive rights of way, since they may operate both side-by-side targeted at different passenger groups. The difference between British English and American English terminology arose in
22330-470: The city, transitioning into an at-grade and retained cut alignment along State Route 520 to Overlake Transit Center. The Overlake to Redmond segment (Segment E), studied by the project but not funded for construction, diverged at West Lake Sammamish Parkway, generally serving stations at the Redmond Town Center mall and on the east side of Marymoor Park . The Bellevue City Council endorsed
22533-421: The closure of Glasgow Corporation Tramways (one of the largest in Europe) in 1962. Although some traditional trolley or tram systems continued to exist in San Francisco and elsewhere, the term "light rail" has come to mean a different type of rail system as modern light rail technology has primarily post-WWII West German origins. An attempt by Boeing Vertol to introduce a new American light rail vehicle in
22736-607: The closure of the South Bellevue Park and Ride , which was replaced with several temporary parking lots around the Eastside. By the end of the year, site grading and preparation was underway in Mercer Island and along State Route 520 in Overlake. The first segment of elevated guideway was erected at the future Bellevue Downtown station in December 2017 and in Bel-Red in March 2018. Work on the line's crossing over Interstate 405 in Bellevue began in early 2018, with
22939-469: The construction of a rapid transit system for the Seattle metropolitan area was explored by municipal and regional governments. The initial system, serving the city of Seattle, would be extended east to Bellevue via Mercer Island and an additional floating bridge in a later phase, to be built by 1990. The state government amended its plans for a parallel floating bridge to Mercer Island to include exclusive right of way for rapid transit. The Eastside section of
23142-498: The creation of a regional transit authority to fund the construction of a light rail system serving the Seattle metropolitan area. A work group, known as the Joint Regional Policy Committee, drafted a transit plan in March 1993 that conceived of a 105-mile (169 km) rapid rail system with a line between Seattle, Bellevue, and Redmond served by through-trains from Snohomish County . The plan recommended
23345-415: The day. This combination of factors limits roads carrying only automobile commuters to a maximum observed capacity of about 3,000 passengers per hour per lane. The problem can be mitigated by introducing high-occupancy vehicle ( HOV ) lanes and ride-sharing programs, but in most cases, policymakers have chosen to add more lanes to the roads, despite a small risk that in unfavorable situations an extension of
23548-448: The demolition of homes in the Surrey Downs area. The tunnel was excavated using sequential mining , as opposed to tunnel boring machines used for Sound Transit's other light rail projects. To prepare for East Link construction on the express lanes of the Interstate 90 floating bridge, which began in June 2017, WSDOT added HOV lanes to the outer lanes of the freeway between Rainier Avenue in Seattle and Bellevue Way. The $ 283 million project
23751-755: The direct translation, which is city rail (the Norwegian term, by bane , means the same). However, UMTA finally adopted the term light rail instead. Light in this context is used in the sense of "intended for light loads and fast movement", rather than referring to physical weight. The infrastructure investment is also usually lighter than would be found for a heavy rail system. The American Public Transportation Association (APTA), in its Glossary of Transit Terminology, defines light rail as: ...a mode of transit service (also called streetcar, tramway, or trolley) operating passenger rail cars singly (or in short, usually two-car or three-car, trains) on fixed rails in
23954-592: The downtown Redmond segment, which was later restored in 2016. The Sound Transit Board studied several alternative alignments in the downtown Redmond area and selected a route through Marymoor Park and on a disused railroad, terminating at the Redmond Town Center mall. The project was included in the Sound Transit 3 ballot measure, passed by voters in 2016, and preliminary design work began the following year. The project began construction in 2019 and
24157-551: The downtown tunnel after signing an updated memorandum of understanding in 2015. The new line was initially named the Blue Line in documents until Sound Transit halted its rollout of color-based line names in 2019 after controversy over the use of the Red Line name. It was designated as the 2 Line in 2020. Sound Transit broke ground on the project's Downtown Bellevue tunnel on April 22, 2016, beginning its construction with
24360-492: The downtown tunnel with a $ 100 million contribution from the city. After the signing of an agreement with WSDOT to use the Interstate 90 floating bridge, Sound Transit received a Record of Decision for the East Link project issued by the Federal Transit Administration (FTA), formally ending the environmental review process. Sound Transit initiated design work on East Link in early 2012, commissioning
24563-520: The entire metropolitan area; express buses from Seattle to the Eastside would be funded by the package in place of light rail service. The removal of the Eastside light rail line was opposed by politicians and business groups in the area, with prominent developers funding an opposition campaign. The package was approved by the Puget Sound region's voters on November 5, 1996, earning a majority of votes in Eastside cities. Express buses between Seattle and
24766-513: The entire project reached the halfway milestone in April 2019, including 2.86 miles (4.60 km) of elevated guideway and 1 mile (1.6 km) of tracks. Construction of the line's operations and maintenance facility adjacent to the Spring District began in April 2018 and was completed in May 2021. It includes space for 96 light rail vehicles, 14 service bays, public art, offices, and on-site affordable housing. The Rainier Freeway Station
24969-549: The existing Bellevue Transit Center and the 12th Street corridor. The composition of the Bellevue City Council was changed later in the year, with candidates backed by light rail opponent Kemper Freeman winning a majority in the November election. New councilmember Kevin Wallace proposed the "Vision Line", an elevated alignment that followed Interstate 405 and the Eastside Rail Corridor , with its downtown station connected by skybridges and moving walkways. Bellevue continued to consider four new downtown alignments, as well as options in
25172-496: The existing lanes, leaving the reversible lanes ready for future transit use. The lane conversion, coupled with additional HOV ramps on Mercer Island, was approved by Sound Transit, WSDOT, and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) in 2004. An amendment to the 1976 memorandum signed by Metro and municipal governments to build the Interstate 90 bridge was drafted and signed, authorizing the conversion of
25375-514: The floating bridge segment in 2011, contracting out to a team led by Parsons Brinckerhoff and Balfour Beatty . Preliminary design on the track bridge system to be used over the bridge's expansion joints was completed in early 2012, following the development of computer models and prototypes tested at the University of Washington. A 5,000-foot-long (1,500 m) replica of the bridge's light rail tracks, complete with an electrified overhead line,
25578-579: The formation of a combined transportation, sewage, and planning authority in 1957, but the countywide referendum was rejected by a majority outside of Seattle. Metro, as the authority came to be called, was restricted to sewage management and given a smaller suburban jurisdiction ahead of the successful September referendum. By 1967, the agency had completed its $ 125 million sewage treatment system, which diverted 20 million gallons (76 million liters) that had previously contaminated Lake Washington . After two failed attempts to enable it to build
25781-596: The full length of the 2 Line to Lynnwood. Pre-revenue service testing on the starter line began on November 1, followed by a 40-day period of simulated service that began January 22, 2024. Regular passenger service began on April 27, 2024, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at Bellevue Downtown station and launch parties at all eight stations. The event had a total cost of $ 370,000 that was fully covered by private sponsorships in addition to $ 152,500 contributed by Amazon to produce commemorative ORCA cards with preloaded fares. An estimated 35,000 boardings were counted on
25984-706: The higher 900s (980–995). Metro also operates custom routes to major employment sites (like Group Health Cooperative in Tukwila and the Boeing Everett Factory ). Custom routes are also occasionally established to serve as shuttles for large local events, including Seattle Seahawks and Washington Huskies football games. Since 2008, Metro has maintained an Emergency Snow Network plan to be implemented during major snowstorms and other periods of inclement weather. The network uses only 67 routes on high-frequency corridors with flat topography to compensate for
26187-464: The inaugural day of service. The line had an average of 3,900 boardings on weekdays and 4,300 boardings on Saturdays during May, its first full month of service. The 3.7-mile (6.0 km) Overlake to downtown Redmond segment of East Link was granted engineering and design funding in Sound Transit 2, passed by voters in 2008, leaving a future ballot measure to fund construction. During a funding shortfall in 2010, Sound Transit suspended engineering work on
26390-458: The late 19th century when Americans adopted the term "street railway", rather than "tramway", with the vehicles being called "streetcars" rather than "trams". Some have suggested that the Americans' preference for the term "street railway" at that time was influenced by German emigrants to the United States (who were more numerous than British immigrants in the industrialized Northeast), as it is
26593-524: The latter is described as light rail. In those places, trams running on mixed rights-of-way are not regarded as a light rail but considered distinctly as streetcars or trams. However, the requirement for saying that a rail line is "separated" can be quite low—sometimes just with concrete "buttons" to discourage automobile drivers from getting onto the tracks. Some systems such as Seattle's Link had on-road mixed sections but were closed to regular road traffic, with light rail vehicles and buses both operating along
26796-462: The light rail concept was the "Shaker Heights Rapid Transit" which started in the 1920s, was renovated in 1980-81 and is now part of RTA Rapid Transit . Many original tram and streetcar systems in the United Kingdom , United States , and elsewhere were decommissioned starting in the 1950s as subsidies for the car increased. Britain abandoned its tram systems, except for Blackpool , with
26999-508: The lots are leased from other property owners such as churches. Metro began developing its park and rides in the 1970s using various funding sources, including federal grants. By 1988, it had 37 lots across King County, mostly concentrated on the Eastside, and monitored property crimes with a team of four police officers and hired guards. In the 1980s, Metro proposed co-locating its park and rides with commercial developments to encourage transit-oriented development and attract more riders. In
27202-528: The lowest cost per boarding was route 206 (Newport Hills to International School), at $ 2.04. Metro's highest cost route by this measure, route 149 (Renton Transit Center to Black Diamond), had a peak time cost of $ 34.47 per boarding. Route 149 serves the rural southeastern corner of King County. In 2007 it cost $ 3.64 per boarding to deliver service in the West (Seattle) subarea, $ 4.79 in the South subarea and $ 7.27 in
27405-476: The memorandum was originally set for October, but it was extended into November while awaiting additional public comments solicited by the city council. The city council also asked for a grade-separated overpass for light rail trains crossing 112th Avenue at Southeast 15th Street. An umbrella memorandum of understanding between Sound Transit and the City of Bellevue was approved unanimously by the city council on November 15, placing East Link on 112th Avenue and funding
27608-434: The motion of the bridge deck. Trains would be halted from the bridge in the event of a major windstorm, with gusts of 40 miles per hour (64 km/h) from the north or 50 miles per hour (80 km/h) from the south. The design of the system, which would make East Link the first railway over a floating bridge ever constructed, was recognized by Popular Science magazine in their 2017 "Best of What's New" awards. The design of
27811-414: The multi-directional movement of the floating bridge, with special design considerations and speed restrictions. In 2008, the state legislature's Joint Transportation Committee commissioned an independent review of potential issues that would arise with light rail operations on the floating bridge. The panel identified 23 issues, including stray currents from the electrical system that could cause corrosion,
28014-485: The municipal Seattle Transit System opted not to extend its routes. The 1963 opening of the Evergreen Point Floating Bridge fueled further growth, leading to traffic congestion on both bridges during peak periods. By 1965, more than 150,000 people lived on the Eastside; the King County government predicted in 1965 that up to 550,000 people would live in Eastside cities by 1990. In the 1960s,
28217-639: The municipality's roles and authorities were assumed by the government of King County. The municipality's transit operations was a stand-alone department within the county until 1996, when it became a division of the newly created King County Department of Transportation. In August 2018, the county council approved legislation to separate Metro from the Department of Transportation, creating the King County Metro Transit Department effective January 1, 2019. After completion of
28420-481: The north side of Beacon Hill . The 2 Line then stops at Judkins Park station near the freeway's interchange with Rainier Avenue before entering the Mount Baker Tunnel . The tracks travel onto the Homer M. Hadley Memorial Bridge , a floating bridge that will be renovated to accommodate light rail, towards Mercer Island . On the island, the 2 Line travels under Aubrey Davis Park and stops at
28623-465: The old and new systems. Since the 1980s, Portland, Oregon , has built all three types of system: a high-capacity light rail system in dedicated lanes and rights-of-way, a low-capacity streetcar system integrated with street traffic, and an aerial tram system . The opposite phrase heavy rail , used for higher-capacity, higher-speed systems, also avoids some incompatibilities in terminology between British and American English, for instance in comparing
28826-455: The operating cost savings that offset the fare revenues in the calculation of the annual charges to the City of Seattle for the city's Ride Free Area" and that some assumptions in the methodology Metro used to calculate the amount of lost fares were "questionable" and have not been updated to reflect changes to the fare structure and fare collection methods. A 1975 study found that while the Ride Free Area generally reduced bus travel times within
29029-527: The peak direction during rush hour. King County Metro Transit King County Metro , officially the King County Metro Transit Department and often shortened to Metro , is the public transit authority of King County, Washington , which includes the city of Seattle . It is the eighth-largest transit bus agency in the United States. In 2023, the system had a ridership of 78,121,600, or about 277,400 per weekday as of
29232-472: The private Metropolitan faced bankruptcy because of low ridership. King County voters authorized Metro to buy Metropolitan and operate the county's mass transit bus system. Metro Transit introduced its new services in September 1973, including a ride-free area in downtown and express routes on freeways (known as "Flyer" routes), and a unified numbering scheme in 1977 that replaced named routes. The agency introduced its first paratransit service in 1979, which
29435-438: The project further, a group representing Enatai residents agreed to changes in the city code that were approved by the city council in February 2013, giving homeowners a larger setback from the tracks and more time to negotiate property sales to Sound Transit. The city council also approved a streamlined permitting process that would expedite planning within Bellevue. The Enatai group had previously sued Sound Transit over impacts to
29638-629: The rapid transit system was expanded to include branches to Eastgate and the Bel-Red area, with provisions to extend the system to Redmond. Intermediate stations would be located at Rainier Avenue in Seattle, on Mercer Island, and in Downtown Bellevue. The proposal, funded with federal grants, was put to a public vote as part of the Forward Thrust referendums in 1968 and 1970, requiring a 60 percent majority in order to use increased property taxes. During both referendums, voters were unable to meet
29841-556: The required clearance height can be reduced significantly compared to conventional light rail vehicles. Reference speed from major light rail systems, including station stop time, is shown below. However, low top speed is not always a differentiating characteristic between light rail and other systems. For example, the Siemens S70 LRVs used in the Houston METRORail and other North American LRT systems have
30044-405: The required majority to approve the rapid transit plan; the first earned a simple majority, while the second failed due to local economic conditions. Metro Transit was created by a 1972 referendum to operate a countywide bus system and resumed planning work for a Seattle–Eastside transit system to be built using the new Interstate 90 floating bridge. A transit element for the new floating bridge
30247-477: The reversible lanes for high-capacity transit. Sound Transit added the Eastside high-capacity transit project to its preliminary long-range plan in 2004, exploring several conceptual corridors and modes that branched out from a main line on Interstate 90. The Bellevue–Overlake corridor was chosen as the preferred routing of the Eastside line, which would be either light rail trains or a bus rapid transit system that could be converted to rail, in July 2005. Light rail
30450-432: The right-of-way that is often separated from other traffic for part or much of the way. Light rail vehicles are typically driven electrically with power being drawn from an overhead electric line via a trolley [pole] or a pantograph ; driven by an operator onboard the vehicle; and may have either high platform loading or low-level boarding using steps." However, some diesel-powered transit is designated light rail, such as
30653-415: The road network might lead to increased travel times ( Downs–Thomson paradox , Braess's paradox ). By contrast, light rail vehicles can travel in multi-car trains carrying a theoretical ridership up to 20,000 passengers per hour in much narrower rights-of-way , not much more than two car lanes wide for a double track system. They can often be run through existing city streets and parks , or placed in
30856-401: The roads. Typically roadways have 1,900 passenger cars per lane per hour (pcplph). If only cars are allowed, the capacity will be less and will not increase when the traffic volume increases. When there is a bus driving on this route, the capacity of the lane will be higher and will increase when the traffic level increases. And because the capacity of a light rail system is higher than that of
31059-519: The roadway to match the height of Central Link's low-floor light rail vehicles, replaced the overhead trolley wire with catenary wire, and built a stub tunnel where trains could reverse direction and allowed for construction of the University Link extension to the north (which was completed in 2016). The tunnel finished its retrofit and returned to service on September 24, 2007 and light rail trains began service on July 18, 2009. Bus service in
31262-618: The same as the German term for the mode, Straßenbahn (meaning "street railway"). A further difference arose because, while Britain abandoned all of its trams after World War II except in Blackpool , eight major North American cities ( Toronto , Boston , Philadelphia , San Francisco , Pittsburgh , Newark , Cleveland , and New Orleans ) continued to operate large streetcar systems. When these cities upgraded to new technology, they called it light rail to differentiate it from their existing streetcars since some continued to operate both
31465-475: The scattershot evolution of the system, there is no easily discernible pattern to the route numbers, although there are clusters in certain neighborhoods. Suburban routes follow a numbering system: 100–199 for South King County, 200–299 for the Eastside, 300–399 for North King County, and 900–999 for dial-a-ride and custom routes. The in-city routes with the highest ridership are the RapidRide D Line from downtown to Crown Hill via Uptown/Seattle Center and Ballard;
31668-440: The seismic system and steel frames to be installed inside the floating pontoons added $ 225 million in construction costs, increasing the construction budget by 46 percent, and was paid for using contingency funds. The use of the floating bridge for light rail service remained controversial after the passage of Sound Transit 2 in 2008. Bellevue developer Kemper Freeman filed a lawsuit against the state government in 2009, arguing that
31871-445: The side of the bus stop sign. On 3rd Avenue only, there are additional colored markers one block ahead of each bus stop on the trolley overhead wires, to help bus drivers identify the colors of the upcoming bus stop. Metro operates a network of 13 routes with late-night "Night Owl" service, which is defined as having regular service between midnight and 5 am. The Night Owl network is made up of some of Metro's most popular routes, and
32074-636: The south and east at 6th Avenue to the waterfront on the west. Until 1987, the zone was in effect 24 hours a day, but in October of that year Metro began requiring fare payment within the zone during night-time hours, between 9 p.m. and 4 a.m., to reduce fare-related conflicts that sometimes led to assaults on drivers; in February 1994, the RFA's hours were reduced further, with fare payment required between 7 p.m. and 6 a.m. A King County Auditor's Office report released in September 2009 found that Metro "can neither fully explain nor provide backup documentation for
32277-408: The standard gauge is that standard railway maintenance equipment can be used on it, rather than custom-built machinery. Using standard gauges also allows light rail vehicles to be conveniently moved around using the same tracks as freight railways. Additionally, wider gauges (e.g. standard gauge) provide more floor clearance on low-floor trams that have constricted pedestrian areas at the wheels, which
32480-478: The street to its west side near Surrey Downs Park, and stops at East Main station before turning sharply westward into a tunnel. The 1,985-foot-long (605 m) tunnel travels under 110th Avenue Northeast in Downtown Bellevue and makes a sharp turn to the east at Bellevue Downtown station , adjacent to Bellevue Transit Center at the eastern edge of Downtown Bellevue . The tracks continue onto an elevated viaduct that travels over Interstate 405 and turn north over
32683-407: The study, high-level talks with Sound Transit were initiated by a delegation of Bellevue officials, including city manager Steve Sarkozy and councilmembers Degginger and Wallace. The negotiations moved into public sessions in mid-July, focusing on design modifications to Sound Transit's B2M alternative on 112th Avenue that would lessen impacts on nearby homeowners. A final environmental impact statement
32886-486: The subject of a separate investigation by the City Attorney's Office after court documents revealed that his real estate company had negotiated with a freight railroad looking to use the Eastside Rail Corridor; he was later cleared by the independent investigator, having not sought to profit from city council activities. The City of Bellevue adopted an ethics code in 2013 that banned specific conflicts of interest as
33089-413: The suspension, which was believed to be unlawful. A settlement was reached in June that allowed for the permits to be unsuspended in exchange for a Sound Transit payment of $ 10 million to mitigate traffic congestion and parking shortages expected to be caused by the closure of South Bellevue Park-and-Ride . A second lawsuit was filed by Mercer Island in 2020 that alleged Sound Transit's plans to develop
33292-551: The system was a success with the public, gaining up to 190,000 passengers per day. Automatic train operation is employed on light rail networks, tracking the position and speed of a train and hence adjusting its movement for safety and efficiency. One line of light rail (requires 7.6 m, 25' right of way) has a theoretical capacity of up to 8 times more than one 3.7 m (12 foot) lane on a freeway, excluding busses, during peak times. Roads have ultimate capacity limits that can be determined by traffic engineering , and usually experience
33495-434: The tax proposition to the voters and identified the programs to which operating revenue generated from the sales tax increase could be appropriated. The measure was approved by 56.62% of King County voters in the November 2007 general election. The service programs identified in the ordinance are as follows: In November 2014, Seattle voters passed Proposition 1 with 59% support. It uses $ 45 million in new annual funds from
33698-473: The termini at South Bellevue and Redmond Technology stations. When fully opened in 2025, the 2 Line is planned to operate between Lynnwood and Redmond, serving all stations on the East Link Extension and sharing tracks with the 1 Line from Lynnwood to Downtown Seattle. The Seattle–Redmond section would have trains every eight minutes at peak and ten minutes mid-day and on weekends, with
33901-439: The then-planned closure of the reversible express lanes on I-90. The city government expressed concerns over increased congestion, while Sound Transit and WSDOT stated that an exception for single-occupancy vehicles to use the lanes would violate federal regulations. The city council voted to suspend development permits for light rail construction during the dispute; Sound Transit responded by seeking their own legal action to prevent
34104-522: The third quarter of 2024. Metro employs 2,477 full-time and part-time operators and operates 1,540 buses . King County Metro formally began operations on January 1, 1973, but can trace its roots to the Seattle Transit System , founded in 1939, and Overlake Transit Service, a private operator founded in 1927 to serve the Eastside . Metro is also contracted to operate and maintain Sound Transit 's 1 Line Link light rail line and eight of
34307-493: The time needed to evaluate alignment options. The Sound Transit Board divided the line into five segments and identified 19 total potential alignments, including tunnel routes in Downtown Bellevue favored by the city's government, that were studied in the project's draft environmental impact statement in 2008. In southern Bellevue (named Segment B), the alternatives considered included an at-grade line along Bellevue Way, an at-grade or elevated alignment on 112th Avenue Southeast, and
34510-430: The tracks on the 4-mile (6.4 km) Interstate 90 segment, were found in early 2022 to be in need of replacement or reinforcement. Demolition of the faulty plinths began in September 2022 after repairs were deemed infeasible and was followed by rebuilding over several work zones. Testing on the Mercer Island section began in October 2024 after the repaired plinths were installed and met quality-control standards. Service on
34713-428: The tracks, connected to the railroad ties by pivoting bearings that move independently of the tracks, allowing them to remain parallel; the pivoting bearings would also stabilize the railroad ties during an earthquake, moving slightly apart to accommodate the seismic waves. Under the steel platforms, a series of flexible bearings would allow for the tracks to rise and fall by up to 3.6 inches (9.1 cm) while following
34916-479: The tracks. The Bellevue city council approved a preliminary agreement in August in support of the 112th Avenue alignment, and continued its negotiations with Sound Transit ahead of a memorandum of agreement due later in the year. Further modifications in September eliminated a retained-cut trench favored by the city council and moved the planned crossover from the east side of 112th Avenue to the west side from Southeast 6th Street to Southeast 15th Street. The deadline for
35119-503: The trams, making it safe on city streets. Several systems in Europe and a few recently opened systems in North America use diesel -powered trains. When electric streetcars were introduced in the late 19th century, conduit current collection was one of the first ways of supplying power, but it proved to be much more expensive, complicated, and trouble-prone than overhead wires . When electric street railways became ubiquitous, conduit power
35322-566: The tunnel ended on March 23, 2019, as part of the demolition of Convention Place station to prepare for an expansion of the Washington State Convention Center . The project severed access to the north portal of the tunnel, while an upcoming light rail construction project in 2020 will also cause other disruptions. The tunnel is now exclusively used by light rail trains, and its ownership is planned to be transferred to Sound Transit in 2022. While Downtown Seattle
35525-460: The two-street surface alignment on 108th and 110th avenues as its preferred alternative, but indicated that it would prefer a tunnel under 108th Avenue if $ 500 million in additional funding could be found. In September, the Bellevue City Council requested further review of the options in Downtown Bellevue, and together with Sound Transit proposed a short tunnel under 110th Avenue with one station that would be cheaper to construct and avoid disruptions to
35728-460: The vast majority of light rail systems. This avoids the danger potentially presented by an electrified third rail . The Docklands Light Railway uses an inverted third rail for its electrical power, which allows the electrified rail to be covered and the power drawn from the underside. Trams in Bordeaux , France, use a special third-rail configuration where the power is only switched on beneath
35931-401: The weight of light rail trains and test its performance. Using the results, which matched those from an earlier computer simulation, WSDOT concluded that the bridge could carry the weight of light rail trains after minor changes to sections of the transition spans were made during construction. Sound Transit later determined in an engineering study that rail joints could be designed to accommodate
36134-407: The weight of the tracks and catenary on top of the deck, the design of the expansion joints , and a needed seismic upgrade for the bridge. The panel recommended several mitigation measures for the identified issues, which were accepted for consideration by Sound Transit, and gave the preliminary go-ahead on the project. Sound Transit authorized a $ 53 million budget for preliminary engineering work on
36337-496: The west half of the corridor, Sound Transit Express Route 550, carries over 10,000 daily passengers and takes 35 minutes to travel from Seattle to Bellevue. King County Metro's RapidRide B Line operates on the east half of the corridor, traveling between Bellevue and Overlake at a frequency of 10 to 15 minutes. The 2 Line is planned to be extended to the Mariner area of Everett by 2037, while 3 Line trains (replacing
36540-434: The widest range of latitude of any rail system in the design, engineering, and operating practices. The challenge in designing light rail systems is to realize the potential of LRT to provide fast, comfortable service while avoiding the tendency to overdesign that results in excessive capital costs beyond what is necessary to meet the public's needs. The BART railcar in the following chart is not generally considered to be
36743-536: The world's first railway constructed on a floating bridge and is expected to carry 50,000 daily riders by 2030. The Eastside suburbs underwent rapid development into bedroom communities after the 1940 opening of the first Lake Washington floating bridge , which replaced a cross-lake ferry system as the main connection to Seattle. While private bus operators ran routes over the Lake Washington Floating Bridge from Seattle to Eastside towns,
36946-411: Was asked to improve nearby pedestrian and bicycle connections. In 2015, Sound Transit adopted a $ 3.7 billion budget for the East Link project, funded primarily by tax revenue and bond proceeds from the Sound Transit 2 package. The FTA agreed to contribute a $ 1.33 billion loan for the project, as well as $ 88.7 million in grants. The City of Bellevue also contributed $ 100 million towards the construction of
37149-569: Was built for field testing at the Transportation Technology Center in Pueblo, Colorado , using two light rail vehicles from Central Link . The track bridge system was designed to accommodate the bridge's six ranges of motion, changes in lake level, and allow for trains to operate at the full speed of 55 miles per hour (89 km/h). The 43-foot-long (13 m) track bridges consist of curved steel platforms placed under
37352-508: Was chosen as the preferred mode by Sound Transit in July 2006, after receiving endorsements from the city councils of Bellevue, Kirkland, and Redmond. The $ 3.9 billion light rail project, named "East Link", would be part of the next regional transit ballot measure and run from Seattle to Bellevue, the Microsoft campus , and downtown Redmond. A 15-mile (24 km) segment of East Link was included as part of 50 miles (80 km) of light rail in
37555-489: Was closed in September 2018 and work on the Judkins Park station began shortly thereafter with the demolition of a freeway overpass. By mid-November, installation of rails and ties began on Mercer Island had begun and work on the elevated guideway near South Bellevue had transitioned towards girder installation using a traveling form system. Construction was originally scheduled to conclude across all segments in 2020, but
37758-459: Was coined in 1972 by the U.S. Urban Mass Transportation Administration (UMTA; the precursor to the Federal Transit Administration ) to describe new streetcar transformations that were taking place in Europe and the United States. In Germany, the term Stadtbahn (to be distinguished from S-Bahn , which stands for Stadtschnellbahn ) was used to describe the concept, and many in UMTA wanted to adopt
37961-440: Was completed in stages from 2008 to 2012, reducing lane and shoulder widths on the floating bridge to accommodate the new lanes. The bridge's express lanes were closed to traffic on June 5, 2017, and will be rebuilt for light rail trains. Construction was scheduled to move from the pontoons to the bridge deck in 2019. Demolition work in the South Bellevue, Bel-Red, and Overlake segments of the line also began in early 2017, including
38164-484: Was contracted to operate Sound Transit's major light rail line, now the 1 Line of the Link light rail system, and several routes on its Sound Transit Express network. The transit tunnel was owned and operated by Metro until it was transferred to Sound Transit in 2022. Metro also operates two streetcar routes in Seattle under contract with Seattle Streetcar . For almost 40 years, until 2012, most of downtown Seattle
38367-407: Was created by a local referendum on September 9, 1958, as a regional authority tasked with management of wastewater and water quality issues in King County. The authority was formed after civic leaders, including those in the Municipal League , noted that solutions to regional issues were complicated by local boundaries and a plethora of existing special districts. The state legislature approved
38570-457: Was debated by the Bellevue city council in the early 2010s, with members split on two different routes south of Downtown Bellevue ; city funding for the downtown segment's tunnel was also debated and ultimately included in the final agreement. The alignment was finalized in 2013, after more than two years of debate, and delayed the beginning of construction to 2016 and the completion of the project several years beyond 2021. The full line will include
38773-439: Was delayed by a work stop during the COVID-19 pandemic . Train testing on the section between Downtown Bellevue and Redmond Technology station began in November 2021. Live wire tests at full speed with trainsets began between Bellevue Downtown and Spring District stations in February 2022. Light rail service was anticipated to begin in June 2023, but was delayed after a series of concrete structures, mainly over 5,455 plinths under
38976-436: Was descended in large part from the Seattle Transit system of converted streetcar routes. Most service is operated in a hub-and-spoke pattern centered either on downtown Seattle or the University of Washington , with lesser amounts of crosstown service. The suburban network typically operates on major streets between the regions employment and population centers. Routes in the city network are numbered from 1 to 99. Because of
39179-423: Was designated as a zero-fare zone, an area in which all rides on Metro vehicles were free, known as the "Ride Free" Area. Intended to encourage transit usage, improve accessibility and encourage downtown shopping, the zone was created in September 1973 and was originally called the "Magic Carpet" zone. It was later renamed the Ride Free Area (RFA). The RFA extended from the north at Battery St. to S. Jackson St. on
39382-455: Was expanded the following year to cover three routes: Capitol Hill station to Mount Si ; Mount Baker station to the Issaquah Alps ; and a shuttle from North Bend to Mailbox Peak . A fourth route, between Tukwila International Boulevard station , Renton , and Cougar Mountain , was added in 2019. The service was suspended in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and returned in 2021 with only two routes. Due to staffing issues, service to
39585-470: Was followed by buses equipped with wheelchair lifts in 1980. The Municipality of Metropolitan Seattle was overseen by a federated board of elected officials, composed of elected officials from cities throughout the region. Its representation structure was ruled unconstitutional in 1990 on the grounds of "one person, one vote" following a similar ruling in Board of Estimate of City of New York v. Morris . In 1992, after gaining approval by popular vote,
39788-544: Was introduced in North America in 1972 to describe this new concept of rail transportation. Prior to that time the abbreviation "LRT" was used for " Light Rapid Transit " and " Light Rail Rapid Transit ". The first of the new light rail systems in North America began operation in 1978 when the Canadian city of Edmonton, Alberta , adopted the German Siemens-Duewag U2 system, followed three years later by Calgary, Alberta , and San Diego, California . The concept proved popular, with there now being numerous light rail systems in
39991-596: Was levied for youth passengers and ORCA Lift low-income passholders until September 2022; the ORCA Lift rate was lowered to $ 1 and the youth fare was eliminated as part of a statewide program. Fares can be paid using cash, a paper transfer, the e-purse or passes on ORCA cards , or the Transit Go smartphone app. Monthly and daily passes are available for ORCA cards, including the PugetPass and inter-agency regional passes. The King County Metro fares as of September 1, 2022 are: Metro Transit initially had 38 fare zones that it inherited from its two predecessor operators, with
40194-440: Was passed by voters in November 2008, including funds for East Link. The $ 18 billion plan projected that light rail trains would reach Bellevue in 2020 and Overlake Transit Center in 2021, and also included preliminary engineering for an eventual extension to downtown Redmond. In 2005, WSDOT conducted a live load test on the Interstate 90 floating bridge using 65-foot (20 m) flatbed trucks carrying concrete weights to simulate
40397-490: Was planned from the outset to be convertible to use by trains, the tunnel began operation with a fleet of 236 Breda dual-mode buses that operated using a diesel motor on city streets and an electric motor (with power fed by overhead trolley wire ) in the tunnel. In 2004, Metro switched to hybrid-electric buses that operate in a mostly electric "hush mode" while in the tunnel. The tunnel was closed between fall 2005 and fall 2007 to prepare it for light rail trains. Crews lowered
40600-439: Was published on July 15, which excluded a modified version of the B7 alternative, and the Sound Transit Board selected a modified version of its 112th Avenue route and the 110th Avenue tunnel as its preferred route on July 28. The new version included an HOV lane on Bellevue Way, grade separation on 112th Avenue, the replacement of a station at Southeast 8th Street with one at Main Street, and a noise wall and landscape buffer next to
40803-418: Was requested by the Puget Sound Council of Governments and a group of municipal leaders from Seattle and the Eastside, seeking to avoid additional traffic. A memorandum of agreement signed by the Washington State Highway Commission, Metro Transit, and local governments in late 1976 designated the center two lanes of the eight-lane bridge for use by transit and Mercer Island residents, with possible conversion to
41006-400: Was the Gross-Lichterfelde tramway in Lichterfelde near Berlin in Germany, which opened in 1881. It was built by Werner von Siemens who contacted Pirotsky. It initially drew current from the rails, with overhead wire being installed in 1883. The first interurban to emerge in the United States was the Newark and Granville Street Railway in Ohio, which opened in 1889. An early example of
41209-417: Was used in those cities that did not permit overhead wires. In Europe, it was used in London, Paris, Berlin, Marseille, Budapest, and Prague. In the United States, it was used in parts of New York City and Washington, D.C. Third rail technology was investigated for use on the Gold Coast of Australia for the G:link light rail, though power from overhead lines was ultimately utilized for that system. In
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