Sound Transit has once again decided to delay the East Link extension across the I-90 Bridge. Revenue service which had been previously scheduled for June 2021, delayed until late 2025, has now been scheduled for January 16, 2026. Again, with the following proviso:
Achieving that date is heavily dependent on how the next few months go, as the agency conducts robust testing on the first light rail line to cross a floating bridge anywhere in the world.
The light rail line/floating bridge issue had resulted in the Legislature Joint Transportation Committee (JTC) commissioning an Independent Review Team. In 2012, four years after the 2008 IRT had recommended “careful study and testing in the early stages of the project”, Sound Transit signed a $28M (later $36M) contract with Parsons Brinckerhoff (PB) to finish the design.
They demonstrated the design at the Transportation Technology Center in Pueblo, Colo. The tests, conducted during the summer and fall of 2013, were reported to be a success with claims their design passed with “flying colors”.
The delay from the June 2021 revenue service date to late 2025 was due to the need to redo the attachments between light rail tracks and bridge structure. Some of the attachments apparently need additional work. A March 7th Seattle Times Traffic Lab article also raised concerns due to the sensitivity of Sound Transit’s “Rail-to-Ground” selection for power system
While faulty rail attachments can presumably be repaired, it's unclear how an additional month of testing could resolve the “sensitivity-of-the-power-system” problem. The Starter Line pre-debut testing resulted in limiting train speeds to avoid violating Bellevue Noise Codes. The additional time and testing may result in lower Line 2 speeds between South Bellevue and International District that could alleviate attachment concerns and power system sensitivity.
One of the reasons “the date is dependent on how the next months go” is presumably due to the need to ensure that Line 2 trains can safely merge with the Line 1 trains prior to going through DSTT. Sound Transit funded a PSRC study in 2004 that concluded safe operation required a minimum of 4 minutes between trains. How does Sound Transit assure a minimum of 4 minutes between Line 2 trains from Redmond and Line 1 trains initially returning from Angel Lake, later from Federal Way, and eventually from Tacoma.
One of the things, “how the next few months go”, can’t change is the cost of routing Line 2 the 18-mile route from Downtown Redmond Station (DRS) to the International District Station (IDS). At $30 per vehicle revenue mile, the 18-mile link costs $1080 per vehicle for a DRS to-and-from IDS route.
Providing half the capacity to and from Lynnwood would presumably require 4-car Line 2 trains. Thus, each DRS-to-IDS round trip would add $4,320 to daily operating cost. Maintaining the current schedule, trains every 10 minute for 16 hours, requires 96 round trips for a $414,720 weekday cost..
The question being how many boardings will the DRS-to-IDS route attract. A May 10th Seattle Times Traffic Lab column had touted, “What you’ll find at Redmond’s new light rail stations, connecting parks, restaurants, and more, should make the Eastside 2 Lanes now-empty trains more versatile”. Sound Transit had estimated that next winter, when people can ride light rail into Seattle, 5700 riders will use the two stations daily.
The May 22 Sound Transit Board meeting heralded the DRS-to-South Bellevue route's success but nothing about actual boardings. Those won’t be available until Sound Transit releases their monthly Ridership—Ridership report for May and June.
However, a May 20th visit to the Marymore Village Garage,(after breakfast at Redmond Pancake HouseI) found fewer than 50 vehicles in the 1400-stall facility. Thus whatever riders were added at the DRS that day, the Downtown Redmond Extension ridership was a tiny fraction of the 5700 expected when they are able to go into Seattle. Another demonstration that providing access to light rail trains doesn’t assure ridership.
It's not clear how many additional commuters will be attracted to Line 2 when it traverses I-90 bridge. Sound Transit plans to require current bus riders transfer to Line 2 for the commute into and out of Seattle.
The bottom line is the “next few months of testing” won’t change the fact that Sound Transit should have never been allowed to confiscate the I-90 Bridge center roadway for light rail trains. That doing so precluded two-way BRT routes with 10 times the capacity, 10 years sooner, at 1/10th the cost.
At this point, the only way to mitigate the damage is to terminate Line 2 at the existing IDS. Allow its operation to be set by eastside transit demands and for Line 1 to meet transit needs to Federal Way.
Again, no amount of testing will “fix” that need.
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