NPI's Cascadia Advocate

Offering commentary and analysis from Washington, Oregon, and Idaho, The Cascadia Advocate is the Northwest Progressive Institute's uplifting perspective on world, national, and local politics.

Tag Archives: Transportation

Sound Transit begins pre-revenue light rail testing on the Eastside, opens RTS garage

Excerpt: In the latest sign that the Eastside's long wait for light rail service is nearing an end, Sound Transit this week began pre-revenue testing on the future 2 Line between Bellevue and Redmond and invited the public to begin using the Redmond Technology Station garage in the heart of the Microsoft campus.
Published at:9:30 AM on Wednesday, November 1st, 2023
Written by:Andrew Villeneuve
Categories:Policy Topics, Public Planning
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Sound Transit opens Hilltop Link extension to riders on sun-filled Saturday in Tacoma

Excerpt: Experience or relive the ribbon cutting for Hilltop Link, an extension of the T-Line streetcar system in the City of Destiny.
Published at:3:30 PM on Saturday, September 16th, 2023
Written by:Andrew Villeneuve
Categories:Policy Topics, Public Planning
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Trainspotting with NPI: Light rail vehicles roll into Redmond for daytime Line 2 testing

Excerpt: View some incredible videos of trains rolling into Redmond for daytime Link light rail testing - and get ready to travel light in 2024!
Published at:4:30 PM on Friday, September 15th, 2023
Written by:Andrew Villeneuve
Categories:Policy Topics, Public Planning
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Taking Hilltop Link for a test spin: This is what it was like to ride up to St. Joseph in Tacoma

Excerpt: In advance of the grand opening on Saturday morning, Sound Transit kindly offered a preview ride for agency boardmembers and representatives of media organizations. CEO Julie Timm and senior agency staff were present to talk about the new streetcar vehicles and stations, and did a great job explaining the history of the project and the obstacles Sound Transit overcame to get it built.
Published at:2:30 PM on Wednesday, September 13th, 2023
Written by:Andrew Villeneuve
Categories:Policy Topics, Public Planning
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Sound Transit Board agrees to open Redmond to Bellevue segment of East Link in 2024

Excerpt: The East Link extension, approved as part of Sound Transit Phase II in 2008, will connect Bellevue and Redmond to Mercer Island and Seattle when complete. Defective construction on the cross-lake segment (which is necessitating a do-over of some work) prompted the agency to rethink the original opening plans.
Published at:10:51 AM on Friday, August 25th, 2023
Written by:Andrew Villeneuve
Categories:Policy Topics, Public Planning
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Spokane inaugurates service on City Line, its first bus rapid transit route

Excerpt: The service is a six-mile long bus rapid transit line that begins in Browne’s Addition, a historic neighborhood near Spokane’s Downtown area, and winds through downtown and the Gonzaga University District, all the way to Spokane Falls Community College.
Published at:1:30 PM on Sunday, July 16th, 2023
Written by:Caya Berndt
Categories:Policy Topics, Public Planning
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A new Seattle-area airport isn’t feasible — let’s focus on conservation and high speed rail

Excerpt: There is no "acceptable site" for a big brand new airport anywhere in this region, and no amount of research, planning, or consultation can change that. The state could spend a fortune on more studies and outreach and it wouldn't make a difference.
Published at:9:30 AM on Saturday, June 10th, 2023
Written by:Andrew Villeneuve
Categories:Policy Topics, Public Planning
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Seattle voters love ST3’s Ballard and West Seattle light rail extensions, but will they love the alignment Sound Transit’s board picks?

Excerpt: 81% of likely February 2023 special election voters in Seattle support light rail to Ballard and West Seattle, which is in design. Sound Transit would be wise to keep that in mind when making alignment decisions that our region will have to live with for decades.
Published at:12:13 PM on Thursday, March 23rd, 2023
Written by:Andrew Villeneuve
Categories:Policy Topics, Public Planning
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Amtrak will restore a second daily round trip between Seattle and Vancouver, B.C.

Excerpt: Amtrak will restore a second daily round-trip train service between Seattle and Vancouver, B.C., as of March 7th, and promises to boost daily trips between Seattle and Portland from four to six come fall, according to a letter sent to the transportation departments of Washington and Oregon.
Published at:9:30 AM on Saturday, January 14th, 2023
Written by:Joel Connelly
Categories:Policy Topics, Public Planning
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Bellevue residents want more policies that encourage transit oriented development

Excerpt: Four promising ideas for catalyzing transit oriented development in the City of Bellevue enjoy broad and deep support among residents of Washington's fifth largest city, a survey conducted a few weeks ago for the Northwest Progressive Institute and the Bellevue Housing Research Coalition has found.
Published at:8:30 AM on Thursday, October 27th, 2022
Written by:Andrew Villeneuve
Categories:Policy Topics, Public Planning
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Canada Day revelation: Amtrak Cascades to resume service to B.C. in September

Excerpt: Regularly scheduled train service between British Columbia and the rest of the Pacific Northwest will be resuming in the fall, rather than in the winter, the Washington and Oregon Departments of Transportation announced today.
Published at:7:19 PM on Friday, July 1st, 2022
Written by:Andrew Villeneuve
Categories:Policy Topics, Public Planning
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Sound Transit Board unanimously hires Julie Timm as its new Chief Executive Officer

Excerpt: “I am profoundly grateful to join the Sound Transit team’s work to transform lives across the Puget Sound region for generations to come," Timm said in a prepared statement.
Published at:5:28 PM on Thursday, June 23rd, 2022
Written by:Andrew Villeneuve
Categories:Policy Topics, Public Planning
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Sound Transit announces that search team’s pick for new CEO is Julie Timm of Virginia

Excerpt: Timm is currently CEO of Greater Richmond Transit Company, where her more than four hundred employees operate successful regional bus routes serving the Richmond, Virginia area.
Published at:6:17 PM on Friday, June 3rd, 2022
Written by:Andrew Villeneuve
Categories:Policy Topics, Public Planning
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Transportation providers endanger health of traveling public in rush to abandon masking

Excerpt: The sudden policy shift, made with absolutely no regard for the potential adverse impacts on immunocompromised passengers, children, or those not wishing to travel in mask optional environments, is yet another development that will likely help prolong the pandemic -- with deadly and ominous consequences.
Published at:11:05 PM on Tuesday, April 19th, 2022
Written by:Andrew Villeneuve
Categories:Healthcare, Policy Topics, Public Planning
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