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The Urbanist Podcast: Seattle’s Light Rail Expansion

Ray Dubicki - March 25, 2023
The Sound Transit Executive Board hearing from a packed room of competing community interests on the proposed light rail station location. March 24, 2023 viewed from the press box, a counter in the far back corner of the room. (Ray Dubicki)

It is simultaneously exciting and trying times for transit in Seattle. Over the next few years, dozens of new stops will open in Bellevue, Lynnwood, and Federal Way. At the same time, future extensions are facing dual headwinds of being overly complex and lightly understood, even by elected officials tasked with deciding their locations. On Thursday, the Sound Transit executive board heard testimony from the community about where to identify as preferred station locations in the Chinatown International District and downtown. The meeting was long.

Co-hosts Natalie Argerious and Ray Dubicki talk with The Urbanist’s senior reporter Stephen Fesler about the comings and goings of light rail in the city, what exciting things are coming and the difficult issues facing future development of the system.


It is also time for The Urbanist’s Spring Subscriber Drive. If you enjoy this podcast or the reporting and advocacy we do, please consider becoming a subscriber. Details are at the urbanist.org/donate.

As always, we love to hear from you. Tell us your expectations for the future of light rail in Seattle, and what you want to see from new stations. Reach out to us at podcast [at] theurbanist.org. 


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Sound Transit Board Backs Last-Minute Proposal to Skip Chinatown and Midtown Stations
The 4th Avenue Shallow and Shallower and Midtown station options remain in contention, but with Mayor Harrell warning against “false hope.” In a marathon five-hour meeting Thursday afternoon, the Sound Transit Board of Directors fundamentally altered plans for a new downtown light rail tunnel connecting Ballard Link to the rest of the system. Instead of … Continue reading Sound Transit Board Backs Last-Minute Proposal to Skip Chinatown and Midtown Stations