Seattle, WA
Seattle has two different streetcar operations, one modern streetcar line that opened in December 2007 and another heritage operation opened in 1982 but suspended indefinitely in 2005.
The modern line, known as the South Lake Union Streetcar, is intended to be the foundation for an extended network of streetcar lines serving downtown. Click on the following link for a descirption of possible future routes:
Follow this link for an Overview of
Seattle's long-established waterfront heritage trolley operation. Though this line ran
successfully for decades, as of Autumn 2005 operation was suspended. The
carbarn site (picture at left below) was taken so that it could be included in a
museum's sculpture garden. A replacement storage facility is promised but is not yet
definite (See November 2005 and April 2008 news notes below) and construction of a replacement and resumption of operations may be many years in the future, if they occur at all. Transit agency policy in 2010 appears to favor permanent closure of the line.
Nonetheless operation began on a new, modern streetcar system serving
South Lake Union in late 2007. See below for more about this project.
Finally, the neighboring city of Everett is also studying the possible use of
streetcars along its waterfront.
Click on the thumbnail images below to enlarge views of Seattle's Waterfront
Streetcar taken when that line was in operation:
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| One of Seattle's ex-Melbourne cars in front of the former carbarn for the Waterfront Streetcar. A new barn is planned at another location. |
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| An extenstion to the line carries it away from the former railway line along the waterfront and through city streets to the main rail station. |
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| These unobtrusive stations provide wheelchair accessibility by means of a ramp to a platform at the same level as the cars' floor. |
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| One of Seattle's cars runs free of traffic along its private right of way next to an elevated highway. |
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Click on the thumbnail images below to enlarge views of Seattle's South Lake Union streetcar line:
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| New construction along Seattle's first modern streetcar line with Lake Union in the background. |
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| A car approaches the northern terminus of the line with an island platform. |
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| The routing is in mixed traffic except for this short stretch of reserved track. |
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| The downtown terminus of the line is adjacent to the monorail terminus overhead and the light rail terminus out of sight underground. |
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When the South Lake Union plan was being developed a variety of funding sources were identified. Click on this link for information about funding plans as perceived in 2005:
The following news notes from
Rail Transit Online give an overview of this planning and developments
relating to the Waterfront and South Lake Union lines:
For more on the Seattle heritage trolley line click on:
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