Sound Transit moving ahead with 2016 ballot measure to extend light rail
ST3 will expand congestion-free light rail farther and deeper into King, Snohomish and Pierce counties. The areas Sound Transit serves are home to more than 40% of Washington's residents, 70% of its economic activity and 97% of its traffic congestion.
Seattle’s Sound Transit announced the agency will move forward with sending a Sound Transit 3 (ST3) ballot measure to regional voters in November 2016. The measure can move forward following last week's adoption by the State Legislature of a transportation package with the full ST3 revenue authority requested by the Sound Transit Board and supported by Gov. Jay Inslee.
"Today, as Chair of the Sound Transit Board, I ask my colleagues for their support to put Sound Transit 3 on the ballot in November of 2016. We should create a ballot measure to extend light rail to Everett, Redmond, Tacoma, West Seattle, Ballard, and many communities between, to link even more destinations with bus rapid transit and to fully integrate regional and local transit service for maximum impact," said Sound Transit Board Chair Dow Constantine.
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ST3 will expand congestion-free light rail farther and deeper into King, Snohomish and Pierce counties. The areas Sound Transit serves are home to more than 40% of Washington's residents, 70% of its economic activity and 97% of its traffic congestion. By 2040 the area's population is set to grow by one million people, equivalent to the current populations of Seattle, Everett and Tacoma combined.
Expanding high-capacity transit services is the best way to dramatically expand the capacity of the region's most congested corridors and to channel growth around vibrant transit hubs where people will rely less on cars and move easily between trains and buses. A light rail line can move up to 12,000 people per hour in each direction, while a congested freeway lane occupying the same space moves as few as 700 cars.
The Sound Transit Board is currently seeking input on which projects should be studied as final candidates for the ST3 measure. Public input will help shape a final list of priority projects to be studied this fall. Results of those studies will support further narrowing by the Board to shape the draft ST3 measure for public input early next year before adopting a final measure in June for a November 2016 vote.
Amtrak will open grant applications March 23 for community projects near the Frederick Douglass Tunnel alignment in Baltimore as part of a $50 million investment tied to the B&P Tunnel Replacement Program.
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Caltrain and its partners have implemented safety improvements at specific locations in response to known risk conditions, operational needs, and available funding since the agency’s founding.
On a recent episode of METROspectives, METRO Magazine’s Executive Editor Alex Roman sat down with Ana-Maria Tomlinson, Director of Strategic & Cross-Sector Programs at the CSA Group, to explore a bold initiative aimed at addressing those challenges: the development of a National Code for Transit and Passenger Rail Systems in Canada.
Competitive FTA grants will support accessibility upgrades, family-friendly improvements, and cost-efficient capital projects at some of the nation’s oldest and busiest transit hubs.
The 3.92-mile addition will soon take riders west beyond its current Wilshire and Western station in Koreatown, continuing under Wilshire Boulevard through neighborhoods and communities including Hancock Park, Windsor Square, the Fairfax District, and Carthay Circle into Beverly Hills.
Under the plan, all long-distance routes will transition to a universal single-level fleet, replacing today’s mix of bi-level and single-level equipment.
