How will retrofitting the tunnel help Downtown Seattle?

How will retrofitting the tunnel help Downtown Seattle?

By bringing Sound Transit's Link light rail into Downtown Seattle, the region will receive a new dedicated right-of-way into and out of the region's economic center.

We need fast and easy access to Downtown. There will be 57,000 new
jobs and 24,000 new households expected by 2024 in Center City Seattle.

The project is an investment in our region's future. By 2009, buses and trains will both use the tunnel, making it easier for thousands of people to get Downtown.

Running both buses and trains in the Downtown Seattle Transit Tunnel will provide a fast and easy transportation alternative for tens of thousands of commuters every day - an alternative that won't get stuck in traffic!

When the tunnel is reopened to buses in 2007, new hybrid diesel-electric buses will have completely replaced the dual-mode, diesel-electric trolley buses that operated in the tunnel between 1990 and 2004. These hybrid diesel-electric buses are more environmentally friendly than the buses they replaced, with 90-percent less particulate emissions. They also have reduced diesel exhaust odor and a "hush" mode that is quieter than traditional diesel buses when operating in the tunnel. Click here for more information on the new hybrid diesel-electric buses.

Would you like to receive Downtown Seattle Transit Tunnel's project updates? E-mail Brooke Belman , Sound Transit Community Outreach Specialist.