Latest news with #SoundTransit
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Light rail extension between Seattle and Eastside delayed
We'll have to wait a little longer for a light rail extension between Seattle and the Eastside. The project was supposed to be finished by the end of 2025, but it's now being pushed back to 2026. An exact time frame hasn't yet been announced. Last week, crews successfully pulled a light rail car across the new tracks along the I-90 floating bridge over Lake Washington. It will be the first light rail to run across a floating bridge. Crews have been working to finish rail installation and testing the electrical systems along the track. During final rail installation, where the tracks are anchored to the concrete support blocks below them, crews found that a small number of the bolt inserts within the blocks need replacement. 'While not concerning based on what we know today, we want to get those connectors replaced now,' a news release from Sound Transit says. Crews also want to make sure that bringing the electrified light rail across the bridge won't damage its existing structure. Testing is expected to last through the summer. The Downtown Redmond Link Extension opened May 10. Ten of the 12 stations on the 2-Line are now open.
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Sound Transit Lake Washington connection delayed again to 2026
The Brief Sound Transit 2 Line service has been delayed again from late 2025 to early 2026. A test train being pushed by a truck became the first train in the world to cross a floating bridge on rails. Train testing will increase as construction concludes over the coming months. SEATTLE - The Sound Transitlight rail connection between the east and west sides of the Seattle area has been delayed again until early 2026. After the opening of the 10th link light rail station just 10 days ago in Downtown Redmond, Sound Transit has delayed the 2 Line connection between the International District/Chinatown and the South Bellevue station over the Homer M. Hadley floating bridge until at least early 2026, it announced in a statement Tuesday. The connection between the two stations over the I-90 floating bridge would make it the first in the world to run a light rail across the floating bridge, but the construction comes with challenges like these delays. "Firsts take time, and we're going to take the time needed to make sure each of the unique components and systems on the bridge function correctly," said Sound Transit in its May 20 construction update. "Since there are many new, complex systems on the bridge structure, we're going to be realistic about the time it will take to complete the work." Timeline The Sound Transit 2 Line east link extension was given voter approval back in 2008 after two prior years of planning. Fast-forward 17 years after the voter approval, and a decade after the beginning of construction, the project has yet to be fully completed. Sound Transit had planned for the light rail trains to be running service on and off the floating bridge by 2020, but a series of delays pushed the target date to 2023, the end of 2025, and now early 2026. Bridge testing began Wednesday, when a light rail train being pushed by a truck became the first train in the world to cross a floating bridge on rails. Construction on the middle segment of the bridge will be concluded within the coming months, and testing will begin to increase to ensure the reliability of the bridge. Sound Transit crews are currently finishing rail installation on the floating bridge, yet have run into rail issues in the past. During rail installations that occurred earlier in construction, bolt inserts that anchored tracks to concrete support blocks below them required replacement. Bolt replacement will be necessary before trains begin testing on the bridge at their intended service frequency. Additionally, crews are completing and testing electrical systems on and around the bridge. Sound Transit is working to ensure that the usage of the electrified light rail won't harm the pre-existing bridge structure. "While our focus remains on opening as soon as possible, our top priority remains making sure all new service is at the standard you deserve - a safe, high-quality, frequent, and reliable ride," Sound Transit said. The Source Information in this article came from Sound Transit. Recovery effort underway after boat sinks in Possession Sound near Everett, WA Shawn Kemp lawyers claim bias in Tacoma Mall shooting case as trial nears Federal judge blocks Trump's dismantling of the Department of Education 'Where is Teekah?': Mother speaks out after Tacoma, WA cold case Activist marks 2 weeks in tree to protest logging near Port Angeles Driver arrested after deadly crash in Kent, WA To get the best local news, weather and sports in Seattle for free, sign up for the daily FOX Seattle Newsletter. Download the free FOX LOCAL app for mobile in the Apple App Store or Google Play Store for live Seattle news, top stories, weather updates and more local and national news.
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Light rail testing begins on I-90 floating bridge
Sound Transit began light rail testing on the I-90 floating bridge in Seattle Wednesday. The unpowered car was pulled from the Mercer Island station to the Judkins Park station. Sound Transit says it's the first phase of integration testing. 'This floating bridge segment represents one of the most challenging and unique aspects of this complex mega-project,' a news release from the agency states. It will be the first light rail to run across a floating bridge. During final rail installation, where the tracks are anchored to the concrete support blocks below them, crews found that a small number of the bolt inserts within the blocks need replacement. 'While not concerning based on what we know today, we want to get those connectors replaced now,' the release says. Sound Transit also wants to make sure that bringing the electrified light rail across the bridge won't damage its existing structure. Testing is expected to last through the summer. 'Above all, we're going to take the time to get it right,' Sound Transit says. The agency is expecting to fully open the line over Lake Washington next year before the FIFA World Cup. Thursday's test run comes just 11 days after the opening of the extension into downtown Redmond.
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Yahoo
Sound Transit looking for input on Everett light rail Link extension
If you use light rail — or plan to in the future — Sound Transit wants your feedback. They've opened a new survey for the Everett Link extension project, and they're asking how you'd like to get to the stations, whether that's walking, biking, or rolling. Most stations do not have plans for new parking additions at this time. You can give your feedback here. If you'd rather share your thoughts in person, there's a public meeting on Thursday, June 5 from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at Cascade High School in Everett (801 E Casino Road) Public commentary should be submitted by June 29. The Everett Link extension is still in the planning phases and the environmental review phase. It's expected to open between 2037 and 2041 and will have about 16 miles of track. What does the Everett Link look like? Stations: West Alderwood, Ash Way, Mariner, SW Everett Industrial Center, SR 526/Evergreen, Everett Station, and one provisional (unfunded) station at SR 99/Airport Road. Service: Every 4-6 minutes during peak commuting hours, 10-15 minutes midday, weekends, and evenings. Estimated travel times: Everett to Lynnwood City Center in 33 minutes. Everett to downtown Seattle in 60 minutes.
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Yahoo
Express bus to Seattle must keep rolling after light rail gets on track
Quick, what's the fastest affordable way to get from Tacoma to Seattle without a car? If you guessed the Sounder train, you're on the right track, but there's a better choice. Unlike the commuter train, the option I'm thinking of runs all day, and it doesn't veer southeast to Sumner after you get on board. It's Sound Transit express bus route 590 and its all-day sibling, route 594. These unassuming coaches pulling out of the Tacoma Dome station are in fact chariots that — and I can't stress this enough — do not stop until they get to Seattle. Now, local officials are worried about the fate of this bus route as light rail inches closer to Tacoma. With new routes offering alternatives, they're concerned the express bus could spend more time in the garage, or even get parked for good. This shouldn't happen without a reckoning over the havoc it would create for Tacoma commuters. If you're a fellow fan of the express bus, don't panic yet. There's no specific plan to eliminate the commuter-oriented 590, or the 594, which originates in Lakewood and runs all day. But change is coming. In its upcoming 2026 service plan, Sound Transit will spell out changes to express bus service. That will specifically focus on 'how the regional bus service can be restructured to connect riders to new light rail extensions,' the agency said in a planning document. The transit authority will propose changes this year, expecting to implement them in 2026. The agency's language around these changes is vague, but I feel iffy about phrases like, 'Change is always hard, but the benefits of reorienting ST Express service to connect to Link light rail include …' followed by a list of reasons why connecting to light rail could be better than taking an express bus all the way. Those reasons center around avoiding traffic delays, which is reasonable, as is the point that having more options in general will benefit riders. A coalition of Tacoma and Pierce County elected officials and representatives of the business community wrote an open letter to the Sound Transit Board of Directors asking them not to derail the express bus connection to Seattle. 'For many, an express bus is not simply a convenience — it is a lifeline,' the coalition wrote, citing the line's ridership of people with disabilities, low-income residents, and people who speak limited English. Diverting riders to new light rail stations, they went on, 'risks creating unnecessary time burdens for those least able to absorb them and defeats the purpose of express bus service.' I agree. Having more transit routes to Seattle is an excellent thing. Riders complained to the agency last year of standing-room only rides on both the express bus and the Sounder. That can be attributed in part to pandemic-related service reductions that were slated to expire this year, but more transit options will also help take the pressure off. But what's coming down the pike is no replacement for a direct bus. Starting next year, regional travelers will have the option to take a different express bus to the new Federal Way light rail station. By 2035, the plan calls for the light rail system to reach Tacoma. The first of these options requires every transit commuter's foe: the transfer. Local riders have already struggled with a transfer that was added to the beginning of their journey on the express bus, after downtown Tacoma stops were taken out of service as part of the pandemic-related reductions. Riders complained that they risked missing the bus to Seattle because the T-line or city bus they took to the Tacoma Dome Station often arrived later than scheduled. That forced some to start their commutes much earlier. And the second option, the full light rail trip, is expected to have around 18 stops between the Tacoma Dome and downtown Seattle. Light rail is a good thing, and it's past time this great metropolitan region had a fully connected passenger rail system that doesn't have to compete with freight trains or freeway traffic to get people around. Getting more cars off the freeway is an essential goal, and all those stops are going to give a variety of communities access to the growing light rail system. But people who commute on the express bus know what's up. Unless there are express trains that limit the number of stops on the light rail route to Seattle, getting there isn't going to happen at light speed. Or even bus speed. My prediction is that most commuters won't want their bus trip diverted to Federal Way next year. I can only imagine the exasperation I'd feel at transferring to a light rail train that will include, by my count, 14 stops before getting to Pioneer Square in Seattle. The express bus gets to the same neighborhood from the Tacoma Dome after just five local stops along a dedicated busway in Seattle. That's especially true when previously riders could zone out, get a little work done or catch a nap without fear of missing a connection. If they have to connect in Federal Way, the trip will get bumpier.
