The start of summer will bring a weekend of transit challenges in Seattle as emergency repairs will shut down downtown light rail service starting Saturday.
Sound Transit says to expect reduced service in addition to no service between Capitol Hill and SoDo through the weekend due to the “emergent rail replacement” work:
In a perfect world, we would be without problems. Unfortunately, routine rail inspection identified a section of rail in the Downtown Seattle Transit Tunnel that was in need of repair. The repair is necessary at this time to replace a section of rail near Westlake Station. During this time trains are operating approximately every 15 minutes between Lynnwood City Center and Capitol Hill and from SODO to Angle Lake stations. Passengers must transfer at Capitol Hill and SODO stations to continue to downtown Seattle stations, where 1 Line Shuttle buses will run approximately every 30-60 minutes.
The disruption is expected to continue through Sunday and is the latest service interruption in what has been a busy schedule for Sound Transit crews preparing the system for its expansion of service across the I-90 bridge.
CHS reported here in May as Sound Transit announced the opening of its line connecting from downtown through Judkins Park and across I-90 will be delayed to “early 2026.”
Testing on the new track across the floating bridge has begun.
When it launches, Sound Transit will shift to operating connected 1 Line and 2 Line light rail systems between Seattle and the Eastside. The Seattle Times reports the $4.9 billion price tag to connect across the lake means the Eastside isn’t planned to see another light rail project for at least 20 years.
Two crucial Seattle expansions remain on the horizon with hopes of reaching West Seattle by 2033 and Ballard by 2039.
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Shuttle buses every 30-60 minutes? What a joke. Seems there’s been an “emergent issue” every weekend for weeks.
Sound Transit should just send out press releases for when the train is running normally, as that would be more newsworthy.
The section of rail from SODO to Capitol Hill is sinking; we should be cutting the losses and investing in bus service.
The entire line in Columbia City that is at grade needs $8billion in upgrades and the West Seattle line will be $1.5b a mile, if the lower estimates are to be believed.
We could do so much more by dumping Light Rail and moving forward with busses.
Whoever runs Un-sound Transit should be relieved of their duties. It’s not even an old service and it goes down like the titanic. I’ve lived in other cities with aging infrastructure that was far more reliable than this.
If the train service is to be every 15 minutes, should not the ‘bus bridge’ also be scheduled in the manner? I understand the need to do the rail repair, but Sound Transit ought to offer something resembling a suitable emergency substitute service.
If the tunnel won’t hold up a train,
how can we expect the cracked W.S. bridge to hold one up?
… but y’know, make it impossible to drive in this town so that people will elect to use other modes of transportation.
I voted with my tires and moved to Renton.
weekday commuters are less impacted and weekend leisure visitors filter thru the city to spend instead of zipping straight to the money sewers. brilliant!