Seattle — Streetcar Plan Approved

Rail Transit Online, October 2009

A memorandum of agreement (MOA) between Sound Transit and the City of Seattle for the proposed First Hill-Capitol Hill streetcar project has been approved by the city council. The deal calls for Sound Transit to provide $120 million in construction funding although the city will manage the work, choose the route and be responsible for any cost overruns.

The two-mile (3.2 km) streetcar will connect Union Station with the Capitol Hill light rail station on the University Link extension. It is designed as a replacement for an LRT station in the First Hill area which was cancelled because of engineering, geological and construction risks. Construction could begin in 2011 and be completed in late 2013.