Sound Transit Hires Constantine as CEO in Unanimous Vote
Dow Constantine will leave his post as King County Executive and take over as Sound Transit's CEO on April 1, after the agency's board of directors approved the hiring in a unanimous vote Thursday. Constantine takes over at a tenuous time, with projects budgets bursting at the seams.
King County Metro Resuming Fare Enforcement on March 31
Beginning on Monday, March 31, King County Metro will relaunch fare enforcement on buses and streetcars after a five-year hiatus. The new format will be a little more forgiving for fare payment violations.
Amtrak Shelves 70 Aging ‘Horizon’ Traincars, Upending Cascades Service Indefinitely
Citing corrosion, Amtrak suddenly recalled 70 Horizon rail cars for maintenance on March 25, heavily impacting several routes, including Amtrak Cascades between Eugene, Oregon and Vancouver, BC. Down to one operable trainset, Amtrak Cascades will be forced to rely on replacement bus service.
Op-Ed: Route 8 Is Still Route Late, but Here’s the Fix
Route 8 is chronically late, but the Fix the L8 campaign is proposing bus lanes to fix the Denny Way mess delaying riders. Sign their action letter to help persuade the City of Seattle.
State Budget Proposals Focus on Highway Expansion in Both Chambers
While the Washington State Senate budget includes additional taxes on e-bikes and fees for public transit, the House budget includes cuts to transit and climate work. Both budgets are in agreement on the need to double down on a number of highway megaprojects.
Op-Ed: Bremerton’s Multimodal Future at Crossroads with 6th Street Project
Bremerton Mayor Greg Wheeler has presented car-centric preliminary designs for the 6th Street project, with no alternative building sidewalks and bike lanes to state safety standards. Travis Merrigan argues the Bremerton City Council should press the City to study such an option.
More 1 Line Disruptions Ahead for Sound Transit Riders Through May
Pinehurst Station construction and downtown tunnel track repairs are bringing disruptions to 1 Line light rail service from now until May 29. The downtown tunnel work will truncate service from April 14 to 23. Plan accordingly.
Sound Transit Picks Dow Constantine, Elevating Board Insider to CEO
The Sound Transit Board of Directors revealed today its CEO pick is King County Executive Dow Constantine, who has served on the board for 16 years. Constantine has been a controversial candidate, with some observers seeing a seasoned executive who helped build the agency and others a borderline case of nepotism.