South Lake Union Streetcar

South Lake Union Streetcar
A red streetcar on a single track crosses a city street, with cars stopped in the background under a monorail track.
A streetcar departing the McGraw Square terminal
Overview
StatusOperational
OwnerCity of Seattle
Line number98 (used internally)
Termini
Stations11
WebsiteSouth Lake Union Streetcar
Service
TypeStreetcar
SystemSeattle Streetcar
Operator(s)King County Metro
Rolling stock3 Inekon Type 12 Trio vehicles
1 Inekon Type 121 Trio
Daily ridership1,900 (2016)[1]
Ridership534,763 (2017)[2]
History
OpenedDecember 12, 2007
Technical
Line length1.3 mi (2.1 km)
Track length2.6 mi (4.2 km)[3]
Number of tracks2
CharacterAt grade, in mixed traffic
Track gauge4 ft 8+12 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
ElectrificationOverhead line750 V DC[4]
Route diagram

Fairview & Campus Drive
Lake Union Park
RapidRide C Line
to Fairview & Valley
Westlake & Mercer
Terry & Mercer
to maintenance facility
Westlake & Thomas
Terry & Thomas
Westlake & Denny
Westlake & 9th
Westlake & 7th
Westlake Hub/
McGraw Square
Seattle Center Monorail
to Center City Connector

northbound only stop
southbound only stop

The South Lake Union Streetcar, officially the South Lake Union Line, is a streetcar route in Seattle, Washington, United States, forming part of the Seattle Streetcar system. It travels 1.3 miles (2.1 km) and connects Downtown Seattle to the South Lake Union neighborhood on Westlake Avenue, Terry Avenue, and Valley Street. The South Lake Union Streetcar was the first modern line to operate in Seattle, beginning service on December 12, 2007, two years after a separate heritage streetcar ceased operations.

The streetcar line was conceived as part of the redevelopment of South Lake Union into a technology hub, with lobbying and financial support from Paul Allen and his venture capital firm Vulcan Inc. The $56 million project was funded using a combination of contributions from local property owners, the city government, and grants from the state and federal government. Construction began in July 2006 and was completed over a year later by the Seattle Department of Transportation. The line is owned by the City of Seattle, with operation and maintenance contracted out to King County Metro.

The line is popularly known by its nickname, the South Lake Union Trolley (abbreviated as "SLUT"), which is used on unofficial merchandise sold by local businesses. The streetcar was controversial in its first few years due to its slow speed, low ridership, public funding, and connections to real estate development. Improvements to the streetcar's corridor since 2011 have increased service and improved schedule reliability, but ridership has declined since peaking in 2013. A planned streetcar project to connect the South Lake Union Line with the First Hill Line via Downtown Seattle was placed on hold by the city government in 2018.

  1. ^ "Public Transportation Ridership Report, Fourth Quarter 2016" (PDF). American Public Transportation Association. March 3, 2017. p. 34. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 20, 2017. Retrieved January 9, 2019.
  2. ^ "Semi-Annual Streetcar Report" (PDF). Seattle Department of Transportation. November 2018. p. 11. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 31, 2019. Retrieved April 1, 2019.
  3. ^ Center for Innovative Finance Support. "Project Profile: South Lake Union Streetcar". Federal Highway Administration. Retrieved August 12, 2019.
  4. ^ "Seattle Center City Connector Environmental Assessment" (PDF). Seattle Department of Transportation. March 2016. p. 3-15. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 31, 2017. Retrieved August 12, 2019.