South Lake Union Streetcar service suspended while crews address power issues
Service on the South Lake Union route of the Seattle Streetcar is suspended while crews address mechanical issues with the two substations that power the streetcar due to an unplanned outage.
King County Metro’s Power Distribution group is working as quickly as possible to develop a repair plan and schedule. While there is not yet an exact estimate for how long the repairs will take, we expect service to be suspended for several weeks. We will provide updates as soon as more information is available.
Metro and SDOT know this suspension will impact riders and understand the importance of frequent and reliable transit service.
Rider bus alternatives available
Metro operates frequent service on bus routes connecting South Lake Union and Downtown Seattle.
- Route 40: Timetable and route map.
- Route 70: Timetable and route map.
- RapidRide C Line: Timetable and route map.
Replacement parts, repair work needed to restore service
The South Lake Union route of the Seattle Streetcar is powered by two traction power substations that went into service in 2007. One power substation is located at the north end of the streetcar line and one near the south end. The substations deliver power to what is called the overhead catenary system, which powers the streetcar.
King County Metro staff perform ongoing maintenance of this equipment including regular inspections. King County Metro’s electrical vendor that supports streetcar operations identified worn-out control units that manage the high-voltage breakers at one substation in July. In response, the maintenance team began working to obtain highly specialized replacement parts which are not readily available in North America. Service was temporarily scaled back to reduce the power load on the remaining substation.
Worn-out units at the second substation failed on Friday, Aug. 9, which suspended all service until further notice. We are working with our vendor to determine why the parts failed.
Streetcar service will be suspended until further notice while repairs are being made. The exact repair timeline is still being determined, and it is currently expected to take several weeks to obtain and install parts for four control units and up to four high-voltage breakers. Metro and SDOT are working together to expedite the work to the extent possible to restore service as soon as possible.
That’s too bad. Ridership has increased by 25% There was an average of 5 people riding it instead of 4.
I wrote the specification for those breakers and what they installed did not meet the specs. As always I was overruled by SDOT. Another case of engineering being done by bean-counters and not engineers.
Hello Bill A.,
Please contact me: Deborah Horne, dhorne@kiro7.com.
Deborah
The Sitras Pro’s failed.
Considering that the 4 control units are completely obsolete and almost impossible to find I’d say it’s going to take a little bit longer..
This news should be in bold across the top of the Seattle Streetcar Webpage and ticket sales should be suspended. We are visiting from out of town. We bought all day tickets on the transit GO app, and activated them when we arrived on the platform per instructions, only to find out the streetcars are not running. Nine dollars wasted. It’s bad enough you have to get a special card from a place not open on weekends in order to get a senior discount. We have been paying full fare, including the all day Link Line 1 tickets that were also basically wasted because we could not continue on to South Lake Union after arriving at West Lake. Nine more dollars wasted. It’s not all bad though. After a snack break at an excellent cafe, we continued our journey via bus. We encountered a very helpful driver who assisted us when we got on the wrong Rapid Line bus, and all grouching aside, we are enjoying our visit. Now how do I get my $18 refunded? (Rhetorical question; I don’t really expect an answer.)
Hi Timothy, I’m a reporter with KING 5 news and I’m covering this story today. Do you have a moment to talk? I’m looking to interview people about this. My email is mwade@king5.com. Thank you!
Mr Wade, thank you for reaching out. Alas, we are moving on to Olympic National Park tomorrow and will not be available. As you probably noticed, Jeff Switzer from King County Metro responded to my post and I am satisfied with how the matter was resolved.
Timothy, I’m very sorry for the inconvenience. We share your frustration that the streetcar service isn’t operating. We were able to quickly issue a refund electronically through our customer service office, but could use your help to clarify whether we did this accurately. Our customer service office is standing by at 206-553-3000.
I’m glad you connected with a helpful RapidRide driver. I hope the rest of your stay is smooth and please let us know if you need any further help.
Jeff Switzer, Metro
Mr Switzer, thank you for the quick response and refunds. I must admit I was surprised by the attention my post received and impressed by your actions. We have been enjoying our visit and will likely return. Maybe by then the new route connecting the two streetcar lines will be complete and my wife and I can take a nice long ride.
Hello Mr. Dowling, I am a reporter for KIRO 7. We would love to speak to you today as well, if you can. Please email me: dhorne@kiro7.com. Sorry for your troubles.
Ms Horne, thank you for reaching out. Alas, we are moving on to Olympic National Park tomorrow and will not be available. As you probably noticed, Jeff Switzer from King County Metro responded to my post and I am satisfied with how the matter was resolved.
Clean the RAILs !!
Bummer! I hope it’s up and running as quickly as possible… my out-of-towns guests and I will have to head to First Hill to take the streetcar. Here’s to hoping parts can be obtained quickly. Thanks for the update… I wondered what was up.