by Vincent
Wednesday, December 12 was the official first day of Seattle's South Lake Union Streetcar (but you can call it whatever you want). The line runs from the north end of downtown Seattle to Lake Union, about 1.3 miles away. The area along the route is being developed as a close-in mixed residential and business corridor, mostly condo towers with ground floor retail and some bio-tech research facilities. Paul Allen is the major landlord in the area and his company supplied a large chunk of the financing through the creation of a LID (Local Improvement District) along the streetcar route.
The streetcars are similar to the Skoda/Inekon units being used in Portland and Tacoma. The only differences I could discern on my first rides are a different design for the steps up to the high section of the streetcar and while running, these streetcars don't make the annoying rattling/jingling sound that you hear on the older cars. The 3 cars in Seattle's fleet are painted in colors that are described as Orange, Grape and Strawberry. Rides are free until the end of December and normal Metro fares will be charged starting January 1, 2008.
The streetcar has been somewhat controversial around Seattle. Anything that is associated with Paul Allen is always polarizing and the first run of the streetcar was protested by bike riders who say the rails in the street create a hazard for bicyclists. Oh well. If this line works out well there is hope of extending it a few miles north through the Eastlake neighborhood and then on to the University of Washington campus.
The streetcars are similar to the Skoda/Inekon units being used in Portland and Tacoma. The only differences I could discern on my first rides are a different design for the steps up to the high section of the streetcar and while running, these streetcars don't make the annoying rattling/jingling sound that you hear on the older cars. The 3 cars in Seattle's fleet are painted in colors that are described as Orange, Grape and Strawberry. Rides are free until the end of December and normal Metro fares will be charged starting January 1, 2008.
The streetcar has been somewhat controversial around Seattle. Anything that is associated with Paul Allen is always polarizing and the first run of the streetcar was protested by bike riders who say the rails in the street create a hazard for bicyclists. Oh well. If this line works out well there is hope of extending it a few miles north through the Eastlake neighborhood and then on to the University of Washington campus.