Seattle — Streetcar Route Selected

Rail Transit Online, June 2010

The Seattle city council has unanimously selected the route of a new streetcar line linking the International District light rail station with Pioneer Square and First Hill. The tracks will be installed on Jackson Street, 14th Avenue South, East Yesler Way and Broadway, as recommended by the Seattle Department of Transportation.

The two-mile (3.2 km) line is part of the Sound Transit 2 expansion program and replaces an LRT stop at First Hill, which proved too expensive and difficult to build as part of Central Link's northern extension. The $132-million project will serve residential areas, three medical centers and Seattle University. Construction is scheduled to start next year, with revenue service beginning by the end of 2013.

The council supports a possible extension north on Capitol Hill to Aloha Street but the $20-million cost has not been budgeted by Sound Transit.