South Lake Union Streetcar
Encyclopedia
The Seattle Streetcar—South Lake Union Line (colloquially the South Lake Union Streetcar, South Lake Union Trolley, or S.L.U.T.) is a 1.3 miles (2.1 km) streetcar
line connecting the South Lake Union
neighborhood to Downtown Seattle
, United States
. Service began on December 12, 2007. Currently it is the only operational line of the developing Seattle Streetcar Network
.
Restoration of rail service on Westlake Avenue was originally envisioned by Microsoft
co-founder Paul Allen
to help improve the South Lake Union neighborhood, in which his venture capital
company, Vulcan Inc.
, is heavily invested. Allen's main supporter from the beginning was Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels
, but he was not universally supported by the Seattle City Council
, which was concerned about the lack of public support for the line and questioned if it should be moved ahead of Seattle's other transportation needs.
After heavy lobbying by South Lake Union businesses, including Vulcan, the Seattle City Council approved the development of the neighborhood into a biotechnology
and bio-medical research center. Included in that plan was funding to investigate a 1.3 miles (2.1 km), US$45 million streetcar line. The line was approved in 2005 at a cost of $50.5 million, with $25 million paid by property owners along the streetcar's route and the remainder paid by federal, state, and local funds. The final cost was $56.4 million; additional costs were mostly utility work needed after the line opened.
The majority of property owners along the alignment supported the project, despite being asked to pay increased taxes to fund its construction. Only 12 of 750 affected property owners formally objected to the proposed "Local Improvement District" tax. The project was modeled after the Portland Streetcar
, a similar modern-streetcar system that had opened in Portland, Oregon
, in 2001. Construction began in July 2006.
Local residents claim that during construction it was originally known as the South Lake Union Trolley, which abbreviates to S.L.U.T. While there is no evidence that this name was ever used as an official name, the acronym's popularity has caused it to become an unofficial one.
Service was inaugurated on December 12, 2007, and all rides were free until the end of the month. Streetcars run every fifteen minutes, seven days a week. The line uses three 2007-built Inekon
12-Trio three-section articulated streetcars: one red, one orange and one purple, internally numbered 301, 302 and 303, respectively. There were minor collisions with motor vehicles and several service stoppages when the Seattle Streetcar first began service.
In 2009, election candidates in local Seattle politics, including almost all for city council and both candidates for mayor, said the streetcar was a bad idea. The City Council President, Richard Conlin
, was an exception, and wants to expand the line through Fremont to Ballard
and use stronger traffic signal preemption
(as is used with Central Link) to allow the streetcar to move quickly through traffic.
During its inaugural period, December 12, 2007 to December 31, the streetcar was free to ride. The fare was then increased to US$1.50, was later increased to $1.75, and is $2.25 per trip as of March 2010. When the streetcar was free to ride ridership was 78,325, but once a fare was charged, ridership dropped to 12,369 for the first half of January. Other factors that may account for the difference are that the December period was during the holiday shopping season and that the streetcar was more of a novelty. The streetcar was again free to ride in the latter half of December 2008.
In May 2011, increasing ridership led the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Group Health Cooperative, UW Medicine and Amazon to underwrite a third streetcar to operate during peak commuting hours, reducing headways from 15 minutes to 10.
Low ridership was expected in the first year as the redevelopment in South Lake Union was just beginning. In 2007, $371,594 was collected in revenues from fares and Metro's share of transit pass income, working out to 75 cents per passenger. Ridership increased substantially as Amazon.com
moved into its new campus beginning in 2010.
After an initial free ride period in December 2007, the city predicted 950 riders per day, or only 7.5% of the system's capacity of about 12,600 per day. On its one year anniversary, the city announced that 507,000 people had ridden the streetcar, or 428,675 after the free ride period. That is 1,283 per day and 10.2% of capacity. For 2010, SDOT reported on its blog that the streetcar had "over 500,000" boardings and "an average of more than 1800 boardings per weekday". Eighteen hundred boardings represents 14.3% of capacity.
During the summer months good weather and tourism boosts streetcar usage. In July 2010, the South Lake Union line recorded its highest-ever ridership of 2,193 riders per weekday and 1,459 riders on weekend days and on holidays. This represented a 9% increase over the previous July. The continued move by Amazon.com to the neighborhood is expected to contribute to growth.
In April 2011, weekday boardings reached 2,250, an increase of about one-third over April 2010.
Tram
A tram is a passenger rail vehicle which runs on tracks along public urban streets and also sometimes on separate rights of way. It may also run between cities and/or towns , and/or partially grade separated even in the cities...
line connecting the South Lake Union
South Lake Union, Seattle, Washington
South Lake Union is a neighborhood in Seattle, Washington, so named because it is at the south tip of Lake Union.The official boundaries of the City of Seattle Urban Center are Denny Way on the south, beyond which is Denny Triangle; Interstate 5 on the east, beyond which is Capitol Hill; Aurora...
neighborhood to Downtown Seattle
Downtown Seattle
Downtown is the central business district of Seattle, Washington. It is fairly compact compared to other city centers on the West Coast because of its geographical situation: hemmed in on the north and east by hills, on the west by the Elliott Bay, and on the south by reclaimed land that was once...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Service began on December 12, 2007. Currently it is the only operational line of the developing Seattle Streetcar Network
Seattle Streetcar Network
The Seattle Streetcar Network will be a system of streetcar lines in Seattle, radiating out from Downtown, in the U.S. state of Washington. One line has been in operation since 2007, and others are planned....
.
History
The Seattle Electric Railway and Power Company laid streetcar tracks on Westlake Avenue, along which the present service primarily runs, in 1890. In April 1941, the Seattle Municipal Street Railway converted its last two streetcar routes - 19 Eighth Avenue Northwest and 21 Phinney Avenue - to buses (now numbered 28 and 5, respectively); both used Westlake Avenue to reach the Fremont Bridge from downtown.Restoration of rail service on Westlake Avenue was originally envisioned by Microsoft
Microsoft
Microsoft Corporation is an American public multinational corporation headquartered in Redmond, Washington, USA that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of products and services predominantly related to computing through its various product divisions...
co-founder Paul Allen
Paul Allen
Paul Gardner Allen is an American business magnate, investor, and philanthropist. Allen co-founded Microsoft with Bill Gates...
to help improve the South Lake Union neighborhood, in which his venture capital
Venture capital
Venture capital is financial capital provided to early-stage, high-potential, high risk, growth startup companies. The venture capital fund makes money by owning equity in the companies it invests in, which usually have a novel technology or business model in high technology industries, such as...
company, Vulcan Inc.
Vulcan Inc.
Vulcan Inc. is an investment and project management company founded in 1986 by Paul Allen, co-founder of Microsoft, to manage his investments...
, is heavily invested. Allen's main supporter from the beginning was Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels
Greg Nickels
Gregory J. "Greg" Nickels was the 51st mayor of Seattle, Washington. He took office on January 1, 2002 and was reelected to a second term in 2005. In August 2009, Nickels finished third in the primary election for Seattle mayor, failing to qualify for the November 2009 general election, and...
, but he was not universally supported by the Seattle City Council
Seattle City Council
The Seattle City Council is committed to ensuring that Seattle, Washington, is safe, livable and sustainable. Nine Councilmembers are elected to four-year terms in nonpartisan elections and represent the entire city, elected by all Seattle voters....
, which was concerned about the lack of public support for the line and questioned if it should be moved ahead of Seattle's other transportation needs.
After heavy lobbying by South Lake Union businesses, including Vulcan, the Seattle City Council approved the development of the neighborhood into a biotechnology
Biotechnology
Biotechnology is a field of applied biology that involves the use of living organisms and bioprocesses in engineering, technology, medicine and other fields requiring bioproducts. Biotechnology also utilizes these products for manufacturing purpose...
and bio-medical research center. Included in that plan was funding to investigate a 1.3 miles (2.1 km), US$45 million streetcar line. The line was approved in 2005 at a cost of $50.5 million, with $25 million paid by property owners along the streetcar's route and the remainder paid by federal, state, and local funds. The final cost was $56.4 million; additional costs were mostly utility work needed after the line opened.
The majority of property owners along the alignment supported the project, despite being asked to pay increased taxes to fund its construction. Only 12 of 750 affected property owners formally objected to the proposed "Local Improvement District" tax. The project was modeled after the Portland Streetcar
Portland Streetcar
The Portland Streetcar is a streetcar system in Portland, Oregon, that opened in 2001 and serves areas surrounding downtown Portland. It is currently a single line that is almost long and serves some 12,000 daily riders, but a second line is expected to open in 2012.As with the heavier-duty MAX...
, a similar modern-streetcar system that had opened in Portland, Oregon
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
, in 2001. Construction began in July 2006.
Local residents claim that during construction it was originally known as the South Lake Union Trolley, which abbreviates to S.L.U.T. While there is no evidence that this name was ever used as an official name, the acronym's popularity has caused it to become an unofficial one.
Service was inaugurated on December 12, 2007, and all rides were free until the end of the month. Streetcars run every fifteen minutes, seven days a week. The line uses three 2007-built Inekon
Inekon Trams
Inekon Trams, a.s. is a manufacturer of trams, or streetcars, located in the Czech Republic, and has supplied new trams to several cities in the Czech Republic and the United States. The company also carries out modernisation and repair of trams, as well as track reconstruction...
12-Trio three-section articulated streetcars: one red, one orange and one purple, internally numbered 301, 302 and 303, respectively. There were minor collisions with motor vehicles and several service stoppages when the Seattle Streetcar first began service.
In 2009, election candidates in local Seattle politics, including almost all for city council and both candidates for mayor, said the streetcar was a bad idea. The City Council President, Richard Conlin
Richard Conlin
Richard Conlin is the current president of the Seattle City Council, first elected to council in 1997 and reelected in 2001, 2005 and 2009. He was first elected, unanimously, by the council to be their president on 7 January 2008 and was unanimously reelected on 4 January 2010.- Council duties :As...
, was an exception, and wants to expand the line through Fremont to Ballard
Ballard, Seattle
Ballard is a neighborhood located in the northwestern part of Seattle, Washington. To the north it is bounded by Crown Hill, ; to the east by Greenwood, Phinney Ridge and Fremont ; to the south by the Lake Washington Ship Canal; and to the west by Puget Sound’s Shilshole Bay. The neighborhood’s...
and use stronger traffic signal preemption
Traffic signal preemption
Traffic signal preemption is a type of system that allows the normal operation of traffic lights to be preempted, often to assist emergency vehicles...
(as is used with Central Link) to allow the streetcar to move quickly through traffic.
Operation
The system is owned by the City of Seattle, but currently is operated by King County Metro (Metro Transit) under a contract with the city government.. King County Metro Transit contributes 75% of the operating costs, net of farebox revenue. Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) pays the remaining 25%. The city retains sponsorship revenue and Federal Transit Administration funds.During its inaugural period, December 12, 2007 to December 31, the streetcar was free to ride. The fare was then increased to US$1.50, was later increased to $1.75, and is $2.25 per trip as of March 2010. When the streetcar was free to ride ridership was 78,325, but once a fare was charged, ridership dropped to 12,369 for the first half of January. Other factors that may account for the difference are that the December period was during the holiday shopping season and that the streetcar was more of a novelty. The streetcar was again free to ride in the latter half of December 2008.
In May 2011, increasing ridership led the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Group Health Cooperative, UW Medicine and Amazon to underwrite a third streetcar to operate during peak commuting hours, reducing headways from 15 minutes to 10.
Ridership
Amazon.com
Amazon.com, Inc. is a multinational electronic commerce company headquartered in Seattle, Washington, United States. It is the world's largest online retailer. Amazon has separate websites for the following countries: United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Japan, and...
moved into its new campus beginning in 2010.
After an initial free ride period in December 2007, the city predicted 950 riders per day, or only 7.5% of the system's capacity of about 12,600 per day. On its one year anniversary, the city announced that 507,000 people had ridden the streetcar, or 428,675 after the free ride period. That is 1,283 per day and 10.2% of capacity. For 2010, SDOT reported on its blog that the streetcar had "over 500,000" boardings and "an average of more than 1800 boardings per weekday". Eighteen hundred boardings represents 14.3% of capacity.
During the summer months good weather and tourism boosts streetcar usage. In July 2010, the South Lake Union line recorded its highest-ever ridership of 2,193 riders per weekday and 1,459 riders on weekend days and on holidays. This represented a 9% increase over the previous July. The continued move by Amazon.com to the neighborhood is expected to contribute to growth.
In April 2011, weekday boardings reached 2,250, an increase of about one-third over April 2010.
Stops
| Location | Neighborhood | Direction | Other | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Lake Union Streetcar | |||||
| Westlake Center Westlake Center Westlake Center is a four-story shopping center and twenty-five story office tower in Downtown Seattle, Washington, USA. The southern terminus of the Seattle Center Monorail, it is located across Pine Street from Westlake Park, between 4th and 5th Avenues. It is named for Westlake Avenue, which now... (Pacific Place station) |
Downtown | North and South | Connections to Downtown Seattle Transit Tunnel (Buses and Light Rail), Seattle Center Monorail Seattle Center Monorail The Seattle Center Monorail is an elevated monorail line in Seattle, Washington, that runs a little over one mile along Fifth Avenue from Westlake Center in Downtown to Seattle Center in Lower Queen Anne... . Serves Westlake Center Westlake Center Westlake Center is a four-story shopping center and twenty-five story office tower in Downtown Seattle, Washington, USA. The southern terminus of the Seattle Center Monorail, it is located across Pine Street from Westlake Park, between 4th and 5th Avenues. It is named for Westlake Avenue, which now... , Pacific Place Pacific Place (Seattle) Pacific Place is an upscale shopping center located in downtown Seattle, WA on Sixth Avenue and Pine Street. It includes a skybridge that connects it to Seattle's Nordstrom. The shopping center opened in October of the year 1998, and has a total area of . Of its 5 floors, the top floor features an... . Future extension planned to Pike Place Market Pike Place Market Pike Place Market is a public market overlooking the Elliott Bay waterfront in Seattle, Washington, United States. The Market opened August 17, 1907, and is one of the oldest continually operated public farmers' markets in the United States. It is a place of business for many small farmers,... |
||
| Westlake (Southbound) & Seventh | Belltown Belltown, Seattle, Washington Belltown is a neighborhood in Seattle, Washington, United States, in the 98121 Zip Code, located on the city's downtown waterfront, on land that was artificially flattened as part of a regrading project... |
South | Serves Belltown Belltown, Seattle, Washington Belltown is a neighborhood in Seattle, Washington, United States, in the 98121 Zip Code, located on the city's downtown waterfront, on land that was artificially flattened as part of a regrading project... |
||
| Westlake (Northbound) & Seventh | Belltown Belltown, Seattle, Washington Belltown is a neighborhood in Seattle, Washington, United States, in the 98121 Zip Code, located on the city's downtown waterfront, on land that was artificially flattened as part of a regrading project... |
North | Serves Belltown Belltown, Seattle, Washington Belltown is a neighborhood in Seattle, Washington, United States, in the 98121 Zip Code, located on the city's downtown waterfront, on land that was artificially flattened as part of a regrading project... |
||
| Westlake & Ninth | Belltown Belltown, Seattle, Washington Belltown is a neighborhood in Seattle, Washington, United States, in the 98121 Zip Code, located on the city's downtown waterfront, on land that was artificially flattened as part of a regrading project... /Denny Triangle |
South | Serves Denny Park, Seattle Center Seattle Center Seattle Center is a park and arts and entertainment center in Seattle, Washington. The campus is the site used in 1962 by the Century 21 Exposition. It is located just north of Belltown in the Lower Queen Anne neighborhood.-Attractions:... , REI Rei -People:*Rei, the Biblical term for those who retained their allegiance to King David when Adonijah rebelled, as mentioned in 1 Kings 1:8*Rei Hiroe*Rei Igarashi*Rei Kawakubo*Rei Kikukawa*Rei Mikamoto*Rei Munakata*Rei Okamoto*Rei Omishi... Flagship |
||
| Westlake & Denny | Belltown Belltown, Seattle, Washington Belltown is a neighborhood in Seattle, Washington, United States, in the 98121 Zip Code, located on the city's downtown waterfront, on land that was artificially flattened as part of a regrading project... /Denny Triangle |
North | Serves Denny Park, Seattle Center Seattle Center Seattle Center is a park and arts and entertainment center in Seattle, Washington. The campus is the site used in 1962 by the Century 21 Exposition. It is located just north of Belltown in the Lower Queen Anne neighborhood.-Attractions:... , REI Rei -People:*Rei, the Biblical term for those who retained their allegiance to King David when Adonijah rebelled, as mentioned in 1 Kings 1:8*Rei Hiroe*Rei Igarashi*Rei Kawakubo*Rei Kikukawa*Rei Mikamoto*Rei Munakata*Rei Okamoto*Rei Omishi... Flagship |
||
| Westlake & Thomas | South Lake Union South Lake Union, Seattle, Washington South Lake Union is a neighborhood in Seattle, Washington, so named because it is at the south tip of Lake Union.The official boundaries of the City of Seattle Urban Center are Denny Way on the south, beyond which is Denny Triangle; Interstate 5 on the east, beyond which is Capitol Hill; Aurora... |
South | Serves Cascade Playground, Seattle Times, Amazon.com Amazon.com Amazon.com, Inc. is a multinational electronic commerce company headquartered in Seattle, Washington, United States. It is the world's largest online retailer. Amazon has separate websites for the following countries: United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Japan, and... |
||
| Terry & Thomas | South Lake Union South Lake Union, Seattle, Washington South Lake Union is a neighborhood in Seattle, Washington, so named because it is at the south tip of Lake Union.The official boundaries of the City of Seattle Urban Center are Denny Way on the south, beyond which is Denny Triangle; Interstate 5 on the east, beyond which is Capitol Hill; Aurora... |
North | Serves Cascade Playground, Seattle Times, Amazon.com Amazon.com Amazon.com, Inc. is a multinational electronic commerce company headquartered in Seattle, Washington, United States. It is the world's largest online retailer. Amazon has separate websites for the following countries: United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Japan, and... |
||
| Westlake & Mercer | South Lake Union South Lake Union, Seattle, Washington South Lake Union is a neighborhood in Seattle, Washington, so named because it is at the south tip of Lake Union.The official boundaries of the City of Seattle Urban Center are Denny Way on the south, beyond which is Denny Triangle; Interstate 5 on the east, beyond which is Capitol Hill; Aurora... |
South | Serves University of Washington School of Medicine University of Washington School of Medicine The University of Washington School of Medicine is a public medical school located in Seattle, Washington.-Overview:UWSOM is a graduate school affiliated with the University of Washington, and is the only medical school in the states of Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana, and Idaho... , Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is the largest transparently operated private foundation in the world, founded by Bill and Melinda Gates. It is "driven by the interests and passions of the Gates family"... , Amazon.com Amazon.com Amazon.com, Inc. is a multinational electronic commerce company headquartered in Seattle, Washington, United States. It is the world's largest online retailer. Amazon has separate websites for the following countries: United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Japan, and... |
||
| Terry & Mercer | South Lake Union South Lake Union, Seattle, Washington South Lake Union is a neighborhood in Seattle, Washington, so named because it is at the south tip of Lake Union.The official boundaries of the City of Seattle Urban Center are Denny Way on the south, beyond which is Denny Triangle; Interstate 5 on the east, beyond which is Capitol Hill; Aurora... |
North | Serves University of Washington School of Medicine University of Washington School of Medicine The University of Washington School of Medicine is a public medical school located in Seattle, Washington.-Overview:UWSOM is a graduate school affiliated with the University of Washington, and is the only medical school in the states of Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana, and Idaho... , Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is the largest transparently operated private foundation in the world, founded by Bill and Melinda Gates. It is "driven by the interests and passions of the Gates family"... , Amazon.com Amazon.com Amazon.com, Inc. is a multinational electronic commerce company headquartered in Seattle, Washington, United States. It is the world's largest online retailer. Amazon has separate websites for the following countries: United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Japan, and... |
||
| Lake Union Park | South Lake Union South Lake Union, Seattle, Washington South Lake Union is a neighborhood in Seattle, Washington, so named because it is at the south tip of Lake Union.The official boundaries of the City of Seattle Urban Center are Denny Way on the south, beyond which is Denny Triangle; Interstate 5 on the east, beyond which is Capitol Hill; Aurora... |
North and South | Serves Lake Union Park, Center for Wooden Boats Center for Wooden Boats The Center for Wooden Boats is a museum dedicated to preserving and documenting the maritime history of the Pacific Northwest area of the United States. Unlike most other museums, at CWB the public is invited to touch the exhibits and explore maritime history first hand by rowing, paddling or... , Northwest Seaport Northwest Seaport The Northwest Seaport Maritime Heritage Center is a nonprofit organization in Seattle, Washington dedicated to the preservation and interpretation of Puget Sound and Northwest Coast maritime heritage, expressed through educational programs and experiences available to the public... . Future extension planned to Ballard Ballard, Seattle, Washington Ballard is a neighborhood located in the northwestern part of Seattle, Washington. To the north it is bounded by Crown Hill, ; to the east by Greenwood, Phinney Ridge and Fremont ; to the south by the Lake Washington Ship Canal; and to the west by Puget Sound’s Shilshole Bay. The neighborhood’s... |
||
| Fairview & Campus Drive (Hutchinson Cancer Research Center station) | Cascade Cascade, Seattle, Washington Cascade is a small neighborhood abutting Downtown Seattle, Washington, USA; it constitutes the eastern portion of what has come to be known as South Lake Union... |
North and South | Serves Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center The Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, is one of the world’s leading cancer research institutes... , Eastlake Eastlake, Seattle, Washington Eastlake is a neighborhood in Seattle, Washington, so named because of its location on the eastern shore of Lake Union. Its main thoroughfare is Eastlake Avenue E., which runs from Howell Street at the northeast corner of Downtown north over the University Bridge to the University District, where... . Future extension planned to U-District |
||
| End of line | |||||
See also
- Seattle Streetcar NetworkSeattle Streetcar NetworkThe Seattle Streetcar Network will be a system of streetcar lines in Seattle, radiating out from Downtown, in the U.S. state of Washington. One line has been in operation since 2007, and others are planned....
- First Hill StreetcarFirst Hill StreetcarThe Seattle Streetcar—First Hill Line, commonly called the First Hill Streetcar, is a proposed streetcar line connecting the Capitol Hill, First Hill, and the International District neighborhoods in central Seattle...
- Waterfront StreetcarWaterfront StreetcarThe Waterfront Streetcar, officially the George Benson Waterfront Streetcar Line, was a -long streetcar line run by Metro Transit in Seattle, Washington, so named because much of its route was along Alaskan Way on the Elliott Bay waterfront...
- List of town tramway systems in the United States
- List of town tramway systems in North America
- Streetcars in North AmericaStreetcars in North AmericaElectric streetcars—trams outside North America—once were the chief mode of public transit in scores of North American cities. Most municipal systems were dismantled in the mid-20th century....