The Future of Rapid Transit in Seattle

We're back with another Transit Future video! Enjoy learning about the past, present, and future of Seattle's (rail) rapid transit in this video.
As always, leave a comment down below if you have ideas for our future videos. Like, subscribe, and hit the bell icon so you won't miss my next video!
=SOME GREAT RESOURCES WE USED=
www.soundtransit.org/blog/pla...
st32.blob.core.windows.net/me...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sound_T...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Link_li...
www.soundtransit.org/system-e...
=ATTRIBUTION=
Epidemic Sound (Affiliate Link): www.epidemicsound.com/referra...
Nexa from Fontfabric.com
Map Data © OpenStreetMap contributors: www.openstreetmap.org/copyright
=PATREON & KZbin MEMBERSHIPS=
If you'd like to help me make more videos & get exclusive behind the scenes access and early video releases, consider supporting my Patreon or right here on KZbin! Every dollar goes towards helping my channel grow & reach more people.
Patreon: / rmtransit
KZbin Memberships: / @rmtransit
=COMMUNITY DISCORD SERVER=
Discord Server: / discord
(Not officially affiliated with the channel)
=MY SOCIAL MEDIA=
Twitter: / rm_transit
Instagram: / rm_transit
Website: reecemartin.ca
Substack: reecemartin.substack.com
=ABOUT ME=
Hi, my name's Reece. I'm a passionate Creator, Transportation Planner, and Software Developer, interested in rapid transportation all around my home base of Toronto, Canada, as well as the whole world!

[@christopherjrager]

I lived in Seattle for about two years. I found the transit to be really great. Aside from the trains, the electric buses are a nice touch, and served me well. One really nice trip to take is the Amtrak from Seattle to Leavenworth.

[@crystalquynguyen6956]

Omg yes. It so much better than drivining in the snowy weather and heavy traffic during Christmas season.

[@GirtonOramsay]

It's dark when it runs at 5 pm in winter though.

[@sek153]

people of seattle made a big mistake when they reject the metro project back in the 70s, not to mention the speed of building current extension is pathetically slow

[@Itstwentwen]

Same happened in atlanta.

[@randomcontentgenerator2331]

As a resident of Seattle I'm just impressed how extensive the current plans are

[@analienmango8756]

I'm guessing people thought that if you don't build it, they won't come. Spoiler: They came anyways

[@amfm889]

When the Seattle region couldn't get the votes to pass the late 1960s heavy rail plan, the Federal government money earmarked for Seattle went to... Atlanta, which built their own heavy rail system, MARTA.

[@StevenEveral]

Seattle could have had a Bay Area BART-like system. Instead, Atlanta took that money.

[@_G_IV]

Consider me thoroughly impressed. Even though there are a few stylistic details worth polishing - as an adopted Seattleite whom lived and breathed their transit development for years - your assessment of the region's transit infrastructure is well-nigh flawless.

[@RMTransit]

Thanks!

[@PoliticalWeekly]

@@RMTransit What happened to the Asian American woman?

[@ohioweatherguy]

At the beginning of the video I can't help but feel for that person (while simultaneously giggling) who showed up on the platform with her luggage just as the doors shut and the train left the station! ;-)

[@TheNewGreenIsBlue]

Can I just say that SoundTransit and ORCA are two of the BEST names for a transit agency/pass? ORCA was one of the contenders for Vancouver's card, but Seattle (smartly) scooped it up first. (One Regional Card, for All) Personally, I was a fan of OTTER for Vancouver ( One Transit Ticket Everywhere you Ride, One Ticket Transport, Every Region, One Ticket, for Trains Everything in the Region... etc.) but they went with COMPASS which isn't terrible, just a little boring.

[@cduemo]

Pretty good overview of transit in Seattle. I know you usually mostly cover rail service, but no look at transit in the area is complete without including the cross Sound service provided by Washington State Ferries.

[@Logs2424]

Another great video. Really looking forward to seeing Seattle's system come to full fruition

[@hobog]

Will that happen within our lifetimes?

[@srs6461]

@@hobog yeah

[@rokksula4082]

Worth mentioning are the passenger only boats from Vashon and West Seattle (operated by Metro as “Water Taxi”) along with Bremerton, Kingston, and-recently added-Southworth (operated by Kitsap Transit as “Fast Ferry”). All 5 go to Colman Dock in Downtown. I’m a big fan of the Vashon Water Taxi and use it all the time to get to the mainland for recreational activities. I only wished it would go more often during non-commuter hours. It shortens the transit time from Vashon to Downtown from around 60-80 min to around 20 (probably more now that the West Seattle bridge is closed). I’m also a big fan of the First Hill street car. It is easy to jump into it from the ferries (I only wished there was a station closer to the ferry landing). And I’ll probably be using the Monorail (also a big fan) more often now that you can pay for it with your Orca card (along with a free transfer I think).

[@TheUrbanGaze]

Honestly the ferries need better connections. Only a few buses go to the dock, and in downtown a "short transfer" can be incredibly tedious, especially to the waterfront, due to the hills.

[@rokksula4082]

@@TheUrbanGaze This is so true. There is not even a crosswalk from the water-taxi terminal over the new Alaska Way (i.e the new waterfront highway). You have to first cross ferry traffic before you can cross this new monstrosity of a stroad. It was such a mistake not to build the street car connector on the waterfront where it would have served both ferry walk-ons and tourists alike. If I need to go on a train, I usually walk up to the Pioneer square station. It isn’t too bad (and you get to walk past beautiful Smith Tower) but a lot of people I know prefer University street, which is a really steep climb. I think they prefer the protected walkway that goes to 1st, over the sidewalks past Pioneer Square. But there is one ferry terminal that is kind of well connected. Fauntleroy in West Seattle has a nice connection with the C Rabid ride. There are even traffic guards there during rush hours to let walk-ons cross the road easier. I often take that bus to ferry connection back to Vashon when foot ferry has stopped running. Oh yeah, and the 118/119 here on Vashon is amazing. Drives you right to the ferry, allows you to stay on board if the ferry is late, and stops wherever you ask it to on its route, even between bus-stops.

[@BossChronicles]

Seattle Is booming it’s becoming the Manhattan of the west coast

[@pyrotechnic96]

I think Brooklyn is more comparable/feasible...Manhattan is just absurdly dense

[@willy.william4582]

I actually compare it more to Long Island as a Seattlite. While the region has a large population, it has many large greenbelts in the south and on the eastern side of Lake Washington. Of course, Seattle does not any close equivalent to the Long Island Railroad.

[@Joshua-xp9gw]

I thought Bay Area was

[@nathanconkey5825]

I mostly excited for Ferdal way and east link Extensions But I still love our Northgate Extension we have

[@jeffvelez3927]

I would like to see a subway in the future.

[@jvideo0007]

Great video! It looks like the Northgate Extension is on track to open in September according to Sound Transit. That’s what I’m looking forward to the most. Connectivity between downtown, Capitol Hill and University District will make living in University District much more appealing in the future. Seattle Art Museum and Pike Place Market are only a couple minutes walking from the University Street Station already tho. SAM is right outside one of the exits for University St Station in fact. I’m looking forward to the extension along 1st Ave regardless

[@GirtonOramsay]

Didn't realize this extension to the UW and Northgate was so new. It definitely made the university an appealing residential area. Without this extension, my vacation here would have had a lot more bus rides.

[@gmbrusselsprout]

Seattle's Transit System really does have a very bright future! I know in the far off distance there are plans for High Speed Rail along the Casacadia Corridor (Vancouver-Seattle-Portland); how do you think this will impact Seattle's plans for Light Rail/Transit? Keep up the awesome content, it's something I binge to keep my mood up during the Coronavirus Pandemic! Really appreciate you both!

[@anthonybanchero3072]

@@RMTransit Still expanding, but expect sone delays. Hope Northgate opens on schedule.

[@williamcondon7729]

777Dubliner almost like all transit, you pay taxes to support services that you don’t think you will ever use. But then one day you fly into SeaTac and the traffic is horrible so your wife tells you to take the light rail to get closer to her so she can avoid the highway and boom you have used a public resource that you constantly complain is useless.

[@TheUrbanGaze]

I bet that even if frequency and reliability on the Cascades and Sounder is increased, even without increasing the speed, King Street Station will become a much larger rail hub for LRT and heavy rail. Though I could also see the LRT becoming a metro system, since its pretty much premetro except for the MLK section.

[@rpf276]

Seattle has geographic challenges like Vancouver BC to the North and Portland Oregon to the south big hills and waterways making tunneling a necessity. It would be informative if you indicated tunneling on your transit routes under construction and future wherever there is considerable tunneling. For example the reason why the first north line extension has taken so long is in fact that the northern part of the current red line is tunneled all the way to close to the new terminus at Northgate, including dropping below the water table at the Montlake cut between Lake Union and Lake Washington.

[@WallStreetIceCream]

Seattle is booming but it takes forever to walk from the airport to the train

[@hobog]

Not helped by how the walking route is not through but rather on the perimeter of the parking bloc

[@BossChronicles]

William Condon ya bad planning

[@TheNewGreenIsBlue]

@@hillarygd1126 Not true at all. An option in the planning had it closer to the terminal, but it would have cost more as it would have required tunnelling. Another option could have replaced part of the parking structure. There were options, but they were hamstrung by people not wanting to spend any money on a proper solution. A third option could simply have been a branch off the main line terminating at the airport... also would cost money though.

[@merrywalsh2809]

I didn’t find it to be bad at all. All elevated, roofed and semi-enclosed. Brisk walk in 3 mins, and good exercise.

[@hobog]

The monorail is getting a few upgrades to service upcoming NHL game traffic coming from south of key arena

[@hobog]

Although completion years in the 2030s and '40s is deeply embarrassing, there is hopeful progress in coincident road traffic + bus services for the meanwhile. BUT bus drivers are overworked/shorthanded

[@tylsim]

tacoma link is not in any meaningful way "rapid transit" - it travels a walking distance at walking pace. The E, C, and D lines absolutely are rapid transit, before COVID carrying about 22,000 passengers a day each and traveling on bus lanes on urban highways.

[@marktheshark8320]

Yeah, all the streetcars were just pork barrel systems with little value. The real workhorse of rapid transit in Seattle are the busses and rapidride lines.

[@VeloxStang]

I just don't understand why it takes us so long to finish these projects. Beijing completed basically an entire network in 10 years

[@joeygardner88]

That's because in China, the government owns all the land and can freely evict people and businesses without compensating them, and they have some of the worst labor laws and environmental regulations, if not THE worst. Do you really think a transit agency (nevermind a government) in a liberal democratic country like the United States should have that kind of power?

[@metrofilmer8894]

@@joeygardner88 exactly. You pretty much summed it up. Seattle (and Washington) generally have some of the better workers rights and higher minimum wages in the US. Let alone the world

[@andrewross1515]

This was a great video and quite comprehensive. I love seeing Seattle highlighted here! I am very excited about the build-out of our regional system and I'm hoping that in the future I'll be able to get by with only one car between my wife and I. Keep up the great work!

[@Norfirio]

I'm hoping the same, but it might only happen if I-976 gets tossed out there's a new initiative to undo the damage!

[@DanTheCaptain]

It's a shame monorail construction is so expensive because quite frankly, monorails are awesome! Hypothetically speaking, I can see how it would be easy to fully integrate the monorail into the transit system, although it is cool the way it is.

[@DanTheCaptain]

@@RMTransit Really, because then we should build more lol. That's also one of the reasons why I really want to go to Japan.

[@aberas7628]

Love the aesthetic of the monorail... too bad it's not longer, especially with tourists, I bet you'd find.

[@rokksula4082]

You can use the orca card now to pay for the Monorail (and I think you get free transfer). I would see my self taking it now (after covid) with a free transfer from the Water Taxi. Until now I’ve only ever used it as a tourist attraction when I’m showing guests around (and quite frankly it is really awesome to ride).

[@TheNewGreenIsBlue]

There are problems with modern monorails though. I'm a fan of monorails in some contexts, but the requirement to allow for evacuation guideways mean that today, they wouldn't be built as elegantly anyhow, so you might as well just do elevated rail.

[@Primarch359]

I would love an update to this video, not showing the stupid BRT is a rather big omission. Examining the underserved areas for the currently proposed full system would be great.

[@stevenparkison7780]

I like the video, but where did you get that Kings street station is the third busiest Amtrak station in the country? I don't think it's even the third busiest on the west coast en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_busiest_Amtrak_stations Unless there is some commuter rail calculation I am missing?

[@hamishashcroft3233]

Yes when I was there it was absolutely dead. Didn’t feel like the busiest station even in Seattle lmao

[@OtakuUpNorth]

Seattle's is pretty ambitious. Mind you, at 4 million people it's still probably underbuilt.

[@rossbleakney3575]

It will be underbuilt in the urban core, and overbuilt in the far flung suburbs, similar to the Bay Area (but even more so). Sort of like BART without Muni (or with an even tinier Muni).

[@FredIsMyName22]

Loved it

[@samsw33]

Fantastic video! Makes me want to visit Seattle again in the future

[@TD-gc5tq]

Can’t wait for the rest of the updated Future Of videos, and also more non North American city future of videos 🤓

[@AwesomeNinja57]

King Street Station is not the 3rd busiest Amtrak station in the USA. It’s actually the 16th busiest.

[@hobog]

Also meanwhile, there is increasing fast ferry service west out of downtown

[@trevorthefoamer220]

They should turn the green line into heavy rail instead of light rail, it might cost more, but it will increase capacity and service speed.

[@DDELE7]

They could also use rapid transit style cars like they did in Boston for the Blue Line. Originally it was built for streetcars but they upgraded the line nearly a century ago to High floor rapid transit style equipment although the cars are a bit smaller and narrower than typical subway cars due to the size of the Boston Harbor Subway tunnel. So you get a subway that’s heavy Metro on paper but light Metro in design.

[@RoboJules]

It's a decent system, but too many stations are park and ride facilities in the middle of nowhere.

[@alexanderip1003]

The Flagship transit system that I Know of is the Seattle centre Monorail

[@hydra9809]

Quick question. Seattle has an extensive network of highways. Did this affect the overall rapid transit of Seattle?

[@SeaScrabbler]

Little update: Lines will not be identified by colors because someone was reminded of the financial- real estate process of "redlining" and complained that the term "Red Line" was somehow racist. Given what has happened since with police overreach the region will also (maybe just as well) be spared the name Blue Line. The eventual nomenclature shapes to be Line 1 (Tacoma- Ballard), Line 2 (East - Lynnwood), Line 3 (Everett- W. Seattle), and Line 4 (Issaquah- S Kirkland), Same colors, but officially not called their colors.

[@RMTransit]

I think that's a better option

[@aberas7628]

Glad to hear it!

[@SamS-sz5sw]

There’s no way this should take them 20 years to build. China built an entire high speed raid network in a decade.

[@Liggie55821]

China doesn't have to deal with Environmental Impact Statements, complaints from displaced households or businesses, etc.; they can start digging as soon as they decide to build. Here in Seattle everything goes through the painstaking "Seattle Process" where every single item on a project goes under the microscope, tons of people and associations flood the public commenting periods, politicians grandstand, and lawsuits over environmental and taxation objections inevitably arise.

[@jackgibbons6013]

Chine is also unbelievably in debt from infrastructure spending. Honestly the situation is so different that its not even worth comparing.

[@metrofilmer8894]

China also has to deal with almost none of the political obstacles that a place like Seattle would have to deal with

[@Uinta_wildlife]

I wish they had one planned to connect Fremont with the rest of the city! That’s my only wish! But we can’t have everything ;)

[@Norfirio]

Unfortunately our mayor has been somewhat incompetent about the CCC and also spread some baseless statements about it, like that the tracks on the new trains purchased for the CCC are not standard gauge (which is ridiculous because I don't even think the trains they purchased are made without standard gauge). Also, there was a vote to cut car tabs to $30 in November which is being fought in the courts now. If it sticks then anything that hasn't already broken ground and had contracts arranged and bonds sold will be delayed due to lack of funds because the Washington tax system is very fragile. The people who pay for ST3 voted no on it overall, but the rest of the state didn't and overrode our ability to tax ourselves for much needed infrastructure!

[@williamcondon7729]

I haven’t kept up with it by I know Tim Eyman got his ass kicked in the Republican primary. The whole thing seemed like a stunt to me.

[@awsomevideoperson]

Good video, but please invest in a pop filter!

[@alexbutler9343]

love your content, but are there two different people in the channel? Your voice sounds so much different here.

[@alexbutler9343]

@@RMTransit oh cool, gotcha!

[@schwenda3727]

Has LRT/BRT ever been proposed on the Kitsap side of the region? Particularly Bremerton, Silverdale & maybe Poulsbo? If not eventually directly connecting the Bremerton Ferry terminal? I substantially reckon an additional fixed link (a tolled 4 lane bridge, tunnel, or a combo of both WITH major transit capacity) is way out of the question given the price tag, environmental concerns, and how much they’re already spending on the opposite side of the sound? Either way, I just read that population declined slightly in all of Kitsap County/Peninsula this past decade. If the rest of the area is booming, then I trust connectivity- road and transit… is a root cause?

[@TheTikeySauce]

Kitsap County isn't part of Sound Transit's servicing district, so it's unlikely that they will get any sort of ST funded LRT/BRT service there unless the county opts to join in. Although in Kitsap Transit's long range transit plan, there is mention of the idea of developing their own BRT (similar to Community Transit's Swift line in Snohomish County).

[@leehaber]

I don't get the Hilltop route at all. Can someone explain the logic behind it?

[@leehaber]

@@RMTransit Why does it go a circuitous route?

[@jc-gm1ee]

Hilltop is a bit of an understatement; between the two sections of the “U” there is a very steep grade. More of a cliff top than a hill top.

[@andrewross1515]

Tacoma, like Seattle, has steep hills as you approach the water. Near the water there is the "downtown" area, with UW Tacoma, the Port of Tacoma, and various taller buildings, while almost all of the residential area, along with lower density commercial areas in different neighborhoods, are on the plateau at the top of the hill. Also just at the top of the hill are a couple large hospitals. The Hilltop line runs a route that minimizes the grade; that hill is really really steep (think San Francisco). For a better idea of it look at google maps with terrain contours enabled.

[@eannamcnamara9338]

Sorry but some of those extensions are 12 kilometers with only 3 stations, that's one every 4 kilometers! That's insane station spacing for a light rail cosplaying as a metro!

[@richbandicoot]

is that too much space or not enough space in between stations ?

[@dustinj1990]

It’s called the green line now.

[@TheCloakedTiger]

2041 is when the whole system will be done?!?! Will the world even still exist??? :O

[@guinessbeer]

Not at this rate if the globalists gets their way…

[@BabyPointConsulting]

Thanks!

[@RMTransit]

Thank you!

[@aidandonaghy3073]

hmmmm can someone fact check the “third-busiest amtrak station in the whole country” claim? feel like that would be in DC or philly

[@darthmaul216]

16th for king street station. Maybe they ment 3rd on west coast. Which might have been true when this video was posted. Otherwise they mistook Washington for d.c

[@RipCityBassWorks]

Seattle: the only city where you can ride the S.L.U.T. to Bezo's Balls...

[@Lucius_Chiaraviglio]

Calling this system "rapid transit" or a "network" and calling the plans "ambitious" is being awfully generous.

[@darthmaul216]

Ambitious by American standards

[@Conellossus]

I'm from New York City and this system is pretty pathetic.

[@stillnotspicy]

atleast seattle can expand its network far into the future without running into massive budget issues. seattle's network is fairly new, most of nyc's was done in the early 1900s when cut and cover was possible. now nyc struggles to dig even a few miles of tunnel and costs run into the multi billion dollar range.

[@drewsteps]

I've been to NYC. The subway system was so disappointing. I was so excited to ride it, but after living in Japan for 2 years, the NYC subway was so dirty, unreliable and decrepit. I now live in Seattle, and the PNW is doing far more to improve rapid transit compared to NYC.

[@metrofilmer8894]

To be fair though, New York had more than 10 the size compared to Seattle. There are square miles in New York with almost as many people as Seattle. This video doesn’t even mention how optimized busses have been in Seattle and while 70k per day was the ridership for link (not bad for 20 only about 20 stations across about 15 miles) but the busses in Seattle averaged about 400k riders prior to the pandemic, or more than half of the cities population, per day

[@fullyloadedrecords3196]

You deserve a cookie bud...your so impressive!