Seattle Monorail Blog

Friday Brownbag on Tolling

2006-04-04T15:57:00.000-07:00

Grab your lunch and join Transportation Choices Coalition Friday, April 7, for our monthly Friday Forum. This month, we will discuss HOT lanes, congestion pricing, variable pricing, and any other synonym for tolling you can think of. What is the future of tolling in the Puget Sound region? Is it a sure thing? If so, where? How will people in the region react to tolls? We'll hear from a panel of participants including Bruce Agnew, Director of the Cascadia Center for Transportation and Regional Development and Transportation Choices staff.

What: April Friday Forum, Tolling in the Puget Sound Region, guest Bruce Agnew

When: Friday, April 7, 12:00 – 1:30

Where: Wells Fargo Building, 999 3rd Avenue, between Marion and Madison, 6th Floor, King County Dept. of Health in the Orca Conference Room.

Hope to see you there!

SMP car-tab tax decision tonight

2006-03-23T06:35:00.000-08:00

The SMP board is deciding tonight whether to keep collecting MVET at the current rate, but only until fall of this year, or to prolong the tax until May 31, 2007, but at a lower rate. Updates as they become available.

Karma hits Mayor Gridlock

2006-03-02T13:46:00.001-08:00

Remember when Mayor Gridlock gave SMP an impossible deadline for a new finance plan? Washington State Legislature just gave Nickels's terrible tunnel until April 1 to raise the additional $1+ billion they need to get the project out of the red. Gridlock probably wishes it's just an April Fools joke.

Check out peopleswaterfront.org for a more affordable and earth-friendly solution.

Legislature to change where the MVET goes

2006-02-22T09:34:00.001-08:00

This Times article is so dense with info about the future of the MVET, it's hard to pull a good quote from it.

Some of the tax may end up paying for other transit projects. That could be a result of a bill passed in the state House Tuesday, which calls for greater consolidation of transportation planning and financing in the Central Puget Sound region. The measure, House Bill 2871, also would shift part of the monorail tax to new non-monorail Seattle transit projects if the measure passes and city voters approve the change.

Go read the whole thing.

Two viaduct events

2006-02-16T09:47:00.000-08:00

From the Mayor's Office:

What: Viaduct Open House. Discussion on the Mayor's tunnel option.
When: Thursday, March 2, 2006
Time: 5:00 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Where: Seattle Aquarium, Pier 59, 1483 Alaskan Way

What: Tour of the Viaduct
When: Saturday, March 18, 2006
If interested in attending please RSVP at: viaduct@wsdot.wa.gov.
Confirmation and event details will be forwarded.

Numbers for the land sale

2006-02-07T08:55:00.000-08:00

From the Puget Sound Business Journal. SMP started $100M in debt.

So far, SMP has been able to repay about $21 million in debt from cash on hand -- including $10 million initially set aside to purchase the "sinking ship" parking lot in Seattle's Pioneer Square, said Chief Operating Officer and General Counsel Jonathan Buchter. That leaves some $89 million still owing.

A significant portion of that debt was incurred in purchasing the 34 properties condemned by SMP along its proposed 14-mile route. SMP spent a total of $62 million acquiring its property portfolio and an additional $10 million on related expenses such as the cost of relocating tenants and property owners.

The bids will be finalized on March 17 (St. Patrick's Day), so we'll see if they can turn a $72M investment into an $89M land sale. If not, us taxpayers are paying the difference.

Free "Mayor Gridlock" t-shirt

2006-01-23T17:10:00.000-08:00

I have a Size L Mayor Gridlock t-shirt for any activist who wants it. Comment or email me with a sensible plan to relieve Seattle's gridlock without breaking the bank; the best one gets the shirt.

Seattle Monorail Land Grab

2006-01-18T14:19:00.000-08:00

Now's your chace to buy that Karate dojo you've always dreamed about! SMP is auctioning $61 million in "unneeded land", and quick. According to the PI, applications are due on March 17, so SMP can figure out if it'll raise enough money to disconinue collecting MVET.

Check out monorailproperty.com for a map of all properties on the auction block.

Monorail: The Movie

2006-01-10T21:40:00.000-08:00

A guy named Shannon Monroe is making a Seattle Monorail Movie!

We are just beginning the enormous task of documenting Seattle's 43 year love/hate affair with Monorail technology.

If you were a part of the grassroots movement to promote monorail, part of the established opposition, a member of the city government, a monorail enthusiast, a bus or light rail proponent, or just a concerned citizen, we'd like to hear from you.

Please email us at: monorailmovie@gmail.com

Monorail damage more than just dents

2006-01-07T07:20:00.000-08:00

Says Seattle Monorail Services

The cost of fixing the damaged Seattle Center Monorail trains has raised a question about whether to continue operating them as one of the city's icons...

SMS partner Stuart Rolfe wouldn't go into detail but said the damage was "significant," greater than just dents in the trains' skin...

Rolfe said his company expects to recommend that the trains be repaired and restarted. They're owned by the city and carry more than 2 million passengers annually between the Seattle Center and Westlake Center downtown. The Monorail is an integral part of the Seattle Center, which is in financial difficulty and not supporting itself.

More on SMP's land

2005-12-15T21:38:00.000-08:00

The Seattle Weekly explains how it's a bit more complicated than just selling the land back to the previous owners and calling it a wash.

Land won't automatically revert to earlier owners. "People ask why we can't give them back" if the sellers give back the money, says outgoing SMP board member Cleve Stockmeyer. "Our hands are tied. Under state law, they [ex-owners] have no interest in it," and SMP is obligated to sell the property for the best price.

However, former owners and the general public can submit bids on the properties, which are being eyed by commercial developers and public agencies, as well.

Economic impact of broken monorail felt

2005-12-05T17:04:00.000-08:00

If Seattle's little toy monorail has such a positive economic impact in Westlake mall, imagine what the real monorail could have done for businesses around the city.

Apparently monorail secrecy is nothing new

2005-12-02T07:12:00.000-08:00

Wonder if the track would have been accepted by the city if they knew it was a disaster waiting to happen?

Developers didn't want a station taking up space [in Westlake Mall] that could be leased to retail tenants, forcing limited options, said Phil Frederick, the project manager in charge at the time. Another limitation: No one wanted a big platform station that would block the sunlight from the Fifth Avenue sidewalk below, even though it would've allow both trains to load and unload at the same time.

The station they created seemed to solve both problems, even though one major component was a narrow curve in the new track leading into it. It also put the onus on human operators to make sure they didn't hit that pinch-point simultaneously. On Saturday, that happened. City officials from the late 1980s said the potential problem with the pinch-point was never pointed out to them as an issue.

Broken Monorail Updates

2005-11-30T21:21:00.000-08:00

A shuttle, costing 25 cents, will replace the Grey Line. It's got extened hours on New Years Eve, so you can stumbe home safely.

And

Human error caused the Seattle monorail accident. The inbound [i.e. southbound] driver failed to yield to the other train at the point where the tracks are too close together for passing, officials said Wednesday...

Seattle Police reported Wednesday that drug tests on both drivers by an independent lab showed "illegal substances were not a factor in the accident..."

Investigators found the accident was not caused by failure of the signal system or the trains themselves. The internal review exonerated the northbound driver.

Poor southbound chap.

Mayor Gridlock t-shirts

2005-11-29T10:48:00.000-08:00

Due to overwhelming demand, the Stranger made a t-shirt out of their Mayor Gridlock cover art. Get yours while they last.

Seattle: now with even less monorail!

2005-11-27T22:16:00.000-08:00

A sideswipe accident between the two trains on Seattle's monorail Saturday night will likely put the system out of service until next year.

The crash at about 7:10 p.m. sent glass flying to the street. It took nearly an hour to evacuate the 84 passengers on board the two trains. Firefighters escorted them individually down fire-truck ladders extended to the trains about 25 feet above the sidewalk.

There were no serious injuries, but two people were taken to the hospital to be checked out, said Helen Fitzpatrick, spokeswoman for Seattle Fire Department.

The two trains scraped against each another, ripping a door off in the process, on the elevated tracks near Fifth Avenue and Olive Way.

Apparently this was literally an accident waiting to happen for almost 20 years

In that area, the tracks start to converge as they approach the station at Westlake Center, leaving insufficient space for two trains at once...

The original system was built for full service from Seattle Center to a large station just north of Pine Street. But the route was shortened slightly in the late 1980s to end on the upper level of the Westlake Center mall, which was just opening. That redesign led to the tracks converging.

The outer track is close enough to allow automatic ramps to extend from the mall onto the outer train, but it's too close for a pair of trains to be there at the same time.

I didn't know the Green Line wasn't Seattle's first disaterous and shortened monorail line.

update: Seattleite Bob Cottrell took a few cameraphone pictures of the crash

SMP Catfight

2005-11-22T08:54:00.000-08:00

Just when you thought the drama was over.

The actual resolution to terminate the project remains unsigned...On the night the board passed the resolution, there were only four board members present.

[Cindi] Laws [SMP Secretary] says you need at least half the board for a quorum and she says because the board currently has nine members, it takes at least five to make any meeting official.

But the Monorail's legal counsel says in his opinion it only takes four.

"There are eight board members," said Ross MacFarlane, Monorail general counsel.

MacFarlane says the ninth board member has no voting rights, so she doesn't count... Cindi Laws says another problem is that the Monorail board passed the resolution without allowing public comment.

The Monorail staff attorney says the public already spoke at the ballot box.

Snap!

More on The Stranger

2005-11-18T12:20:00.000-08:00

I forgot to mention that the Obit is part of a bigger front-page spread of articles about the monorail and Mayor Gridlock.

Stranger's Poignant Monorail Obit

2005-11-16T21:04:00.000-08:00

Yet Another Monorail Obituary, this one from the Stranger. The following paragraph really sums up the monorail's demise

The monorail didn't die because of an error made by a misguided financial analyst; it died because the same grassroots spirit that sustained the monorail idea through multiple elections produced an agency that was secretive, defensive, and unwilling to reach out to other governments for help. Compounding the monorail's problem, those governments didn't trust a transportation agency that came from ordinary citizens, not the political establishment. When the monorail ran into trouble, the city, the state, and Sound Transit had no political or financial incentive to bail it out.

State Supreme Court Upholds Monorail Tax

2005-11-10T22:07:00.000-08:00

Personally, I'd rather be paying a Monorail Tax that goes towards, say, a monorail, but whatever floats your boat, 65% of Seattle!

A vehicle tax needed to retire the debt of Seattle's defunct monorail project is legal, the state Supreme Court ruled Thursday.

The monorail's vehicle excise tax - and the governing board that administers the project - were created by a citywide vote in 2002. But critics argued that it was unconstitutional on several fronts.

In a 7-2 decision, the Supreme Court rejected those arguments. The ruling means the monorail tax can be collected to pare the agency's massive debt, which must be paid even though Seattle voters killed the monorail project in Tuesday's election.

Cute Monorail Obituary

2005-11-10T07:20:00.000-08:00

From Pike Place Politics

Born November 4th, 1997

Died November 8th, 2005

Born to proud parents Dick Faulkenbury and Grant Cogswell, the Monorail was a good idea at the right time. The Monorail would have stretched 14 miles through many Seattle neighborhoods, acting as a major transportation asset for at least a hundred years. Many Seattle residents (such as this one) who do not own cars will miss the Monorail. People will always remember the many votes, four to be exact, where voters approved it, but somehow it managed to not be built.

SMP to sell property

2005-11-09T23:29:00.000-08:00

Wanna buy a bridge?

Seattle Monorail Project should quickly sell off its unused station properties and close shop by New Year's Eve, interim Director John Haley said this morning.

"Transit's been killed. It's an execution. But I respect the will of the voters, and they were crystal clear they want this project killed," he said...

The agency will soon shrink itself into a land-liquidation enterprise.

Monorail Project Chairwoman Kristina Hill mentioned a possible auction, while Haley dismissed a suggestion by board member Cleve Stockmeyer to hang onto some $62 million worth of land in case the city proposes a post-SMP transit system for the city's western flank. Land will be discussed at a board meeting tonight.

Here's a press release detailing SMP's shutdown protocol, as agreed upon at tonight's meeting. The full plan is due to be released tomorrow.

Voters reject shortened monorail line

2005-11-09T07:04:00.000-08:00

From this morning's PI

After five citywide votes and countless hours of debates in taverns, public meetings and City Hall, Seattle residents finally called a halt to the embattled monorail project.

Election returns showed a ballot measure authorizing construction of a shortened line was being soundly rejected by voters Tuesday.

I'll continue posting updates about transit-related news.

See more election results here

Vote!!

2005-11-07T08:39:00.000-08:00

No matter what your personal views on the monorail, don't forget to vote tomorrow! On the eve of election day, the PI has a great overview of Seattle's monorail history, starting with the 1962 World's Fair, and taking us right up to tomorrow's crucial vote on Proposition 1.

The article ends with an interesting comment by John Haley, SMP's executive director, and a mass-transit veteran who worked on projects in Boston, New York and the San Francisco Bay Area before that.

Haley said he's never been involved with a project [that] didn't draw opposition, but has never seen critics at such an early stage so focused on things like total financing costs, ridership projections and the amount of space on the trains.

"There's a certain level of risk aversion that exists here that I've never encountered before," he said. "Other cities would say, 'Getting this infrastructure done is worth it to us, so let's get it done.'"

Does that make Seattleites anal, or people who pay attention to detail?

New Finance Plan: Costs cut by 64%

2005-10-26T06:34:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, SMP released a finance plan that brings the $11 billion price tag down to $3.9 billion.

The plan to build a 10-mile elevated line includes four scenarios that call for financing $1.3 billion to $1.4 billion of the project's $1.7 billion cost, which would be paid back in 31 to 38 years, depending on how much motor vehicle license tax [MVET] revenue the monorail authority brings in.

The growth rate of MVET revenue will make or break this plan. I was at the SMP meeting on Monday where this budget was voted on, and experts on both sides of the debate spoke about their projections for MVET growth.

While there was definitely no consensus on what to expect from MVET, the general feeling from the meeting is that SMP's 6.1% is highballing slightly (by assuming the value of new car purchases will grow, even after controlling for inflation), but the 4.5% rate put out by ECONorthwest is seriously flawed because their model is unrealistic. For instance, it makes an assumption that nobody over 64 drives a car. While that might be nice, it doesn't match the reality we live in.

"No good reason to vote against monorail"

2005-10-24T08:59:00.000-07:00

From a headline that sounds like the weakest endorsement ever, comes a really thoughtful look at the current ballot mesure, the state of SMP, and the monorail opposition.

The opposition's problem is that, in the eight years since Dick Falkenbury's original initiative, no other agency or group has produced any transit plan at all for the west side of the city -- even in the face of an impending transportation disaster. Far from competing with critical repairs on the Alaskan Way Viaduct, a vast upgrade in transit is an essential part of them...

The opposition has sufficient expertise at its disposal to present its own detailed plan by Election Day. Any vote of mine against the monorail will depend on it.

Considering the situation, I won't vote to keep doing nothing.

SMP can condemn "Sinking Ship" parking garage

2005-10-22T10:14:00.000-07:00

Not sure how I feel about this. That garage is about as much of a landmark as a parking garage can be.

The state Supreme Court yesterday ruled that the Seattle Monorail Project may use eminent domain to condemn the "Sinking Ship" parking garage in Pioneer Square, even though a new train station would take up only a third of the land.

The monorail project would use the rest of the property to store equipment during construction. Then it would sell or lease it to developers to offset the cost of the project.

But John Fujii, the garage's owner, gets the last laugh

"It appears the monorail will not be built anyway, so it remains to be seen whether we lose our land."

Mayor Gridlock's new webpage

2005-10-20T06:54:00.000-07:00

2045 Seattle created a parody website for the Mayor, mocking his lack of leadership on the monorail. Did you know that the mayor's weekly schedule is available upon request? Turns out he skipped all those important monorail meetings to attend a bunch of grip & grin events.

In the interest of full disclosure, I should note that I made a small in-kind donation to 2045 Seattle.

More details on the new line

2005-10-19T06:49:00.000-07:00

From an informative sidebar in yesterday's Times article

Twelve stations: A 13th stop at Madison Street would be added if SMP can acquire federally owned land there.

A $1.7 billion price: With almost four miles of track removed, including a bridge to Ballard, the project is cheaper than the earlier $2.1 billion to $2.2 billion for 14 miles and 16 stations.

Car-tab taxes for 31 to 38 years: SMP defends an earlier prediction that collections from its car-tab tax will grow 6.1 percent per year, which would pay for the shorter line in 31 years. Outside economists and the city favor a more cautious rate of 5 percent, which SMP says would mean a 38-year payoff. A June plan for the longer line required 50 years or longer.

More-frequent service: Trains would arrive every six minutes apart downtown Â two minutes faster than under the plan released in June.

Single-tracked West Seattle Bridge: SMP is still proposing to have trains coming and going from downtown take turns on one rail. The agency and prospective builders have discussed a redesign that would allow a second track to be added someday if the bridge becomes a bottleneck. Dual tracks would cost about twice the current $32 million for planting a single track on the existing high-level bridge.

Details emerge for the shortened line

2005-10-18T08:31:00.000-07:00

As reported in the PI yesterday

A shorter new Seattle monorail line could cost $7.2 billion less overall and require a supportive car-license tax for 16 years less than initially thought, the monorail agency's director said today.

John Haley said continuing to assume an average 6 percent average annual growth in the tax revenue the revised, 10-mile-long line from West Seattle to Interbay will cost $3.9 billion, including $1.7 billion in construction and initial operation costs plus interest on bonds repaid over 31 years.

However, the accuracy of the 6% growth rate is still being debated.

Haley said the model used by Seattle economist Dick Conway to calculate his 4.4 percent annual estimate hasn't been made available for testing. "We've not found a reason to change" the 6.1 percent figure, he said.

Conway said he hasn't been asked to supply his model, though he could...Conway believes the inflation factor should be based on historic trends, while [Randall] Pozdena [of ECONorthwest] believes it can based on influences such as the age of the overall vehicle fleet and consumer tastes in cars.

Endorsements

2005-10-03T08:41:00.000-07:00

The first round of endorsements are coming out for the November election. Doing a 180, the Seattle Times has pulled their endorsement of Cleve Stockmeyer and given it to anti-monorail candidate Jim Nobles.

Monorail gets slashdotted

2005-09-27T21:39:00.000-07:00

There were a few important stories about the monorail today, but instead I'll subject you to this Slashdot article, filled with a billion Simpsons jokes and self-righteous bickering about what's quieter: rubber on concrete, or steel on steel.

More details on the November ballot

2005-09-25T21:38:00.000-07:00

The proposed monorail line is a bit shorter. The article includes what I assume is an informative graphic in .pdf format which crashed my browser, so I don't really know more about it.

Liveblogging the City Council Meeting

2005-09-23T13:19:00.000-07:00

Brian Schuss liveblogged today's City Council meeting and things don't look good for the monorail

# brian Says (12:08 pm): Jean Godden, speaking of a dream that failed, cutting our losses. She was choked up, on the verge of tears.

# brian Says (12:16 pm): resolution to withdraw support for the SMP passed unanimously.

So there you have it. The Seattle City Council just voted to "not authorize the issuance of any construction permits for the Green Line now or in the future." Not sure what that means for SMP and the monorail, or what the next step is. Probably another public vote on the November ballot.

City Council to Nickels: Oh no you di'n't, girlfriend

2005-09-22T21:44:00.000-07:00

Scooped by seattle metblog, who points readers to City Council's procedural slap across Mayor "Gridlock" Nickels' face

Seattle City Council members decided this morning they will not put a monorail advisory measure before voters in November.

Instead, a proposed resolution gives the Seattle Monorail Project until Dec. 23 to write its own new plan for the Feb. 7 ballot, or the council would refuse cooperation, and urge the 2006 Legislature to dissolve the SMP. The council plans to vote on the resolution tomorrow.

Last Friday, Mayor Greg Nickels said he would cancel city street-use agreements for monorail construction, and demanded either a new SMP plan for the Nov. 8 ballot, or the city would write an advisory measure. Neither seems likely right now.

City Council's move really makes Nickels look like he's incapable of running this city. How can he make future ultimatums to anyone if he can't even get City Council to go along with his temper tantrums?

The PI covers the story as well.

Majority of SMP board will be elected

2005-09-22T11:58:00.000-07:00

As 2045seattle reports

Last night, the board agreed that the majority of the board should be democratically elected. Right now, two of the nine board members are elected while the rest are appointed. It will be increased from two to five. Well done.

Also in that post is a run-down of election results. In each of the SMP board positions, the pro-monorail vote was split among 2 candidates, giving the appearance of an anti-monorail sentiment in Seattle. However, combining the percentages of the pro-monorail candidates shows that our city still supports electing pro-monorail politicians.

What happens to my car tax?

2005-09-20T21:07:00.000-07:00

Short answer: you still pay taxes even if the monorail dies.

If the monorail is killed, Seattleites won't get their money back. In fact the tax would likely continue for two years to pay off debts. If the monorail is ultimately built, the tax will be levied for at least 25 years, likely longer.

The article also has a chart to estimate the cumulative taxes you might pay over the course of 30 years.

"Mayor abandons monorail"

2005-09-16T20:49:00.000-07:00

As the PI puts it a bit less diplomatically.

Mayor Nickels revokes SMP's right of way

2005-09-16T15:39:00.000-07:00

In an email from the mayor. This is important so I'm posting all of it. I've added bold around the key sections for your perusal. The monorail will be on the ballot for a 5th time this November. The only question is who will be writing the measure, SMP or the City Council.

As you know, I have been a strong supporter of building a modern monorail system from the beginning. Like so many others in this city, I voted in favor of this project four times. As mayor, I worked closely with the monorail to move the Green Line toward construction. And I personally looked forward to boarding the monorail train on its inaugural trip.

But as mayor, it is my job to act in the best interests of the city.

By now, most are aware of the monorail's problems. The monorail staff earlier this year proposed a risky $11 billion dollar financing plan that the board rightly rejected. In the wake of that decision, I said it was necessary to give the monorail board time to restore public confidence in the project and develop a new plan for moving forward. But, as that time wore on, it became clear that the board had to present a new plan to voters this November to either shorten the line or ask for more money. And that is why I set a Sept. 15th deadline.

For me, the pivotal issue is whether the monorail has sufficient revenue to support the project. To that end, I asked four questions to be answered before a spade of dirt is turned.
Can the monorail finish building what it starts?
Is the project financially viable now and in the future?
Is the estimated $7 billion financing cost an acceptable price to pay?
And does this protect the tax payers of Seattle from undue risk?
I appreciate the efforts the agency has made in recent weeks to meet my request. Unfortunately, the recommendation approved by the Monorail Board on Wednesday, and presented to me yesterday, does not meet those tests. My staff, including Chief Financial Officer Dwight Dively, sat down with agency representatives yesterday to go over the financial plan in detail. Put simply: the monorail does not have enough money to pay for the project. The financing plan presented to me is not prudent. It relies on a risky assumption that money from car tabs will grow faster than expert economists consider reasonable or prudent. You can't solve a real revenue problem with rosy projections.

What that means is there is a much higher risk that the monorail will be forced to ask for higher taxes in the future, or extend the length of the debt to an unacceptable 40, 50 or even 60 years. It means we are back to the original flawed financial plan the board rejected.

Two other areas also concerned me. First, the financial plan sets aside no money for monorail operations after 2020. It assumes 100 percent revenue recovery from operations, which is something no other public transit agency in the country has achieved. Second, cost cuts forced by the monorail's revenue problem have significantly compromised the design and functionality of the system. It is no longer the Green Line promised to voters.

In light of these concerns, I'm taking several steps that I feel are necessary to protect city taxpayers.

First, I am canceling the agreement that grants permission for the monorail to use city streets. Exercising my authority to cancel the Transit Way Agreement is the most direct method for preventing this flawed plan from going forward.

Second, I believe it is fundamentally important that the voters of Seattle have the final say in this project. The people of Seattle know I'm a mayor willing to make tough decisions. In this case, the people have a decision to make, too. The people created the monorail authority and I respect the people's right to have the final say in its fate. It should not be decided in City Hall and it certainly should not be decided in Olympia.

So I have asked the City Council to meet in emergency session on Thursday for the purpose of putting an advisory measure on November's ballot. The measure will ask whether or not the public still believes the monorail should be built in light of the risks now known.

That gives the Monorail board one more opportunity at its Wednesday meeting to do the right thing and put its own measure on the ballot for voters to decide this November. If they are unwilling to do that, then the city will do it for them.

The question before all of us now is where do we go from here?

On my direction, the Seattle Department of Transportation is developing transit alternatives to serve the Ballard and West Seattle corridors. If the monorail is not in Seattle's future, we must find new ways to move people around the city.

But we must do more. It is time for the region to face the fact that the way we fund, prioritize and build transportation projects no longer works.

We have seen successes lately. Sound Transit has turned the corner and the Link light rail line is nearly one-third complete. Earlier this year, the state passed the largest transportation funding plan in its history. That money will pay for half the cost of replacing the Alaskan Way Viaduct with a tunnel. It also provides $500 million to replace the 520 floating bridge.

But for too long cities, counties, the state and other agencies have competed against each other for money, priority and access to the ballot. Indeed the creation of the Seattle Popular Monorail Authority as an independent new government was a result of Seattle voters' frustration with transportation decision-making gridlock. We need to use this moment to reexamine how we as a region meet our transportation needs.

I believe it is our responsibility as elected officials to come together and make the hard decisions necessary to ensure we build the best transportation system possible for the region.

To that end, I will be calling on my fellow elected leaders in the area to put aside the turf battles and the historic vested interests that led to this flawed approach. We must examine the options for a more efficient and more accountable regional structure to prioritize, fund and build a transportation network that works for all of us.

Thank you again for your time and your concern on this issue.

Sincerely,

GREG NICKELS
Mayor of Seattle

Attend the SMP public meeting tonight!

2005-09-14T06:49:00.000-07:00

No matter what your position, if you feel passionate about the Seattle Monorail, tonight's public SMP meeting is a can't-miss event.

A number of weeks ago, Mayor Nickels set a deadline for the SMP to devise a new plan, or he will revoke SMP's permits. That deadline is tomorrow. Tonight, new Interim Executive Director John Haley is going to present SMP's path forward. If the press shows the project as not having public support, tonight's meeting could be the last.

Meeting Date:	Wednesday, September 14, 2005
Time:	5:30 PM
Location:	Seattle Monorail Project Community Room The Securities Building, 4th Ave entrance 1913 4th Ave, Seattle, WA 98101

Election Season

2005-09-11T21:25:00.000-07:00

2045 posts its Primary Election Endorsements. Good cheat-sheet if you are pro-monorail and anti-rebid (just like 2045).

In a creative move, the PI endorses the monorail itself (outside any specific position, measure, or initiative), and Cleve Stockmeyer for Monorail Board by extention.

Regardless of how you feel about the monorail, MVET taxes, and contracts, please don't forget to vote in the Primary Election on September 20th.

Cutting $4 - 6 billion from the price tag

2005-09-08T21:00:00.000-07:00

2045seattle brings us some good news this evening

Independent consultant Kevin Phelps has some good news: he's figured out how to save at least 4 billion dollars and possibly as much as 6 billion dollars and we still get all 14 miles of our monorail. In his own words, "An acceptable, defensible finance plan is within reach".

For the sake of comparison, hereÂs a look at the cost difference.

Dead Nightmare Plan: $11 Billion over 53 years
Kevin's Current Plan: $7 Billion over 39 years
Kevin's Possible Plan: $5.3 Billion over 35 years

Mr. Phelps has more work to do to get the cost of the project down, but between him and our new director John Haley, it looks like we may have a deal worth signing in the near future.

Sorry for the lack of posting, we're in crunch mode at work and I've been out of town, but there's a lot of monorail news to be had. You can keep up on the latest with a subscription to monorail google news alerts.

Mayor Nickels stands firm on monorail deadline

2005-08-30T21:24:00.000-07:00

In today's Times

Mayor Greg Nickels stood firm Monday on his demand that the Seattle Monorail Project decide what to do with itself by Sept. 15, keeping the pressure on the beleaguered monorail agency to come up with a salvage plan.

After an hour-long meeting described as a "frank and open discussion" with the new monorail director, Deputy Mayor Tim Ceis said "the deadline exists and (monorail Director John Haley) intends to meet it.

"We did not change the mayor's position," Ceis said. "They will give us something by the 15th." If the monorail doesn't do that, Nickels has said the city could refuse to grant permits the agency needs to build the line -- effectively killing the project.

Monorail in the news

2005-08-19T08:05:00.000-07:00

In The Times

Preliminary figures released last night indicate that simply shortening the monorail line may not solve the Seattle Monorail Project's money shortage. The agency needs to find additional savings.

and an editorial in The Stranger

Critics have every right to lambaste the SMP's financial plan, but they're being disingenuous (or ignorant) when they switch into "I told you so" mode...

Seattle needs elevated rapid transit, and Seattle voters have backed it time and again. We're willing to put our trust in Seattle voters. A new campaign will force a discussion of what's really at issue—the financial plan, not the concept or technology. Voters deserve an unfettered look at a finance plan that can support a system they've already approved. They don't need cynical opportunists with ulterior motives—people who've lost on this issue over and over again—hijacking the debate.

Accountability is target of monorail resolutions

2005-08-16T23:39:00.000-07:00

The PI is reporting of SMP board-member Cleve Stockmeyer's two steps toward accountability: board elections and ruling out tax a increase

Steps will be taken today toward having voters elect most members of the Seattle monorail agency board and to committing that board to reject tax increases as a way to solve the problems the line is facing.

Resolutions will be offered by Cleve Stockmeyer, one of two elected board members, who said the recent blowup over the monorail project and its financing makes the timing right for the change...

Last week Stockmeyer said there's no apparent public support for a tax increase. Seattle residents currently pay a 1.4 percent motor vehicle excise tax to pay for the West Seattle-to-Crown Hill monorail they approved in 2002.

The resolution also will ask staff to draft an alternative proposal to have all members elected, Stockmeyer said.

Currently all but two of the nine-member Seattle Monorail Project board are appointed -- nominated either by the board itself, the mayor or the City Council. Stockmeyer's proposal would have five members elected.

2045 Seattle in the news

2005-08-12T23:38:00.000-07:00

2045 Seattle gets some local news coverage from KOMO, and from Q13 TV a few nights ago.

"I wonder in 40 years, what am I gonna leave behind and I wonder if there is gonna be some kid who makes a Web site to yell at me if I didn't do a good job, I feel like we're making our own history now."

Because he's worried about will happen 40 years from now, he's named his website www.2045Seattle.org. He hopes other young people will get on board. He says not enough of his generation is involved.

2045's meta coverage here.

Seattle mayor gives monorail board an ultimatum

2005-08-10T22:37:00.000-07:00

Mayor Greg Nickels today gave the Seattle Monorail Project a Sept. 15 deadline to craft a ballot measure to pay for the financially distressed project.

In a letter to the monorail's governing board, he said uncertainty over the elevated line could harm other efforts to fix the area's transportation problems.

"If the SMP Board is unable to take decisive action the City of Seattle will have to independently determine if continuance of the monorail project is in the best interests of our city," the letter said.

There are really only two choices, he said: seek higher taxes to construct the entire 14-mile Green Line from Ballard to West Seattle, or shorten the line.

There are far more than two choices, including subsidizing the cost through public bonds and station sponsorships. Hopefully SMP doesn't share Mayor Nickels' narrow view.

More on the Malaysian Bid

2005-08-08T10:45:00.000-07:00

Short article in the Malaysian Business Times on MTrans, the 3rd prospective contractor.

MTRANS Holdings Sdn Bhd, the parent company of monorail operator KL Infrastructure Group Bhd, is keen to participate in the development of a US$1.6 billion (US$1 = RM3.75) second monorail system in the US city of Seattle.

The company is said to have conveyed its interest to develop the 22.4km monorail system for Seattle Monorail Project (SMP), an independent agency that would build, own, operate and maintain the transport system...

MTrans is one of only three urban transit monorail builders in the world, after Bombardier of Canada and Hitachi of Japan.

"Second monorail system" makes it sound like the existing monorail is actually a "system".

SMP board meeting minutes

2005-08-04T13:04:00.000-07:00

Shorter Christian: Re-bidding equals death, finance the current contract with "Monorail Bonds" and by selling bricks and tiles (ala Pike Place Market) at monorail stations.

Click the above link for video and transcription of his rousing speech.

later: more on yesterday's Cascadia vs. Team Monorail drama

2045 Seattle: Take action!

2005-08-03T09:40:00.000-07:00

Christian Gloddy is a man with a mission. And 2045 Seattle, his new monorail movement, has the mission statement to prove it

2045 Seattle is a group of concerned Seattle citizens with two things in common: We support the construction of the Seattle Monorail and we are the younger voices largely absent from the current debate, yet we are responsible for the project's long term impact.

The site has simple instructions on making your voice heard in the community, including attending and speaking up at tonight's SMP meeting. This is a great organization that endorses finding a sensible finance plan for the monorail. I urge you all to join up and get active with 2045 Seattle. I'm glad we have young activists like Christian here in Seattle.

Seattle Monorail Hearing, First Person Account

2005-08-03T09:07:00.000-07:00

Christian Gloddy from Obvious Diversion recounts his experience at the July 7th Monorail Hearing. He kept a count of whether each speaker was pro, anti, or undecided.

The total at the end of the evening was, as you can see in the picture, 34 who want to continue to pursue the monorail, 27 who want the monorail to meet it's death, and 11 that I just couldn't tell where they wanted the project to go. Many of the people in the third category had some great input on the situation, but didn't necessarily reveal what they thought we should do next.

He also includes video clips and quotes from some citizens.

The most poignant quote was from a young woman named Laura

"I think I'm here representing a crowd that doesn't really turn out at events like these and that's the under thirty crowd because we don't sit around and we don't make stickers about things we don't want to see. We just don't have that kind of time."

Citizen gifts to the monorail

2005-08-01T09:00:00.000-07:00

This is how you can tell you have a popular transit proposal. Even though they're less than drops in the bucket for a multi-billion dollar project, Seattle citizens are making unprecedented donations to SMP

Teresa Healy...mailed a $20,000 check to the Seattle Monorail Project (SMP) this month, a follow-up to her $10,000 gift two years ago...The American Public Transit Association is unaware of citizen gifts to transit agencies, spokesmen said.

The monorail also received $399 from Colleen Browne, who formerly belonged to the "Save Our Valley" group that opposed running light-rail trains at street level in South Seattle. Browne, who now lives in Burien, said she plans to make annual donations equal to what her SMP car-tab tax would be in Seattle.

Robert Casey of Seattle's Magnolia neighborhood gave $100, while 11 people donated their $15 refunds from Initiative 776, which eliminated a road fee.

Healy's gifts would cover about one-seventy-thousandth of the project.

Well, either a popular transit proposal, or a few crazy neighbors with money burning holes in their pockets.

Questions raised at recent public hearing

2005-07-29T15:56:00.000-07:00

The PI reports on some of the issues brought up at last night's public hearing

Michael Taylor of the Friends of the Monorail group estimated that the system would reach capacity west of the West Seattle Bridge within five years because the bridge would carry a single rail...

Queen Anne neighborhood residents were concerned that price negotiations meant stations would be "cookie-cutters," not fitting their neighborhood...

A private structural engineer, Jon Magnusson, questioned why the proposed station designs don't include platforms for switches, which could allow future expansion of the system.

Some serious issues were raised, I'm glad Seattle's residents are keeping their eyes on the whole picture, amidst SMP's current financial problems.

Dick Falkenbury, father of SMP, running for SMP board

2005-07-29T14:18:00.000-07:00

This guy definitely deserves a seat at the table. He was a taxi driver when he hatched the idea for what is now the SMP.

Dick Falkenbury, the former cab driver who helped start the push for a new Seattle monorail, said yesterday he's a candidate for a slot on the monorail project board.

He will seek a two-year term in the seat occupied by attorney Cleve Stockmeyer.

Falkenbury for Seattle has a website, but it looks like it was reset [nsfw] to the default bsd placeholder page.

The Monorail: What do we do now?

2005-07-27T08:29:00.000-07:00

The King County Municipal League, a non-partisan citizen-run group dedicated to "effective and responsive government", is holding their own public meeting on the monorail

August 11, 2005. 7:30pm at Town Hall, Seattle.

Experts and observers of the Monorail will discuss good ideas and dead ends for the Seattle Monorail Project. Panelists and moderator to be announced. Sponsored by the Town Hall Center for Civic Life and the Municipal League of King County. Downstairs at Town Hall, enter on Seneca Street. $5 at the door only.

I've never heard of a town hall meeting that you have to pay to get in to.

This morning's Times has an open letter to SMP from the Municipal League, in which they stress the importance of transparency and accountability

SMP never had adequate transparency. The agency was unwilling to engage in an open and frank dialogue with the public or to provide timely information on important points. For instance, a draft finance plan should have been discussed publicly so that agency assumptions about public views on debt financing could be tested and the plan corrected accordingly. And too often, citizen concerns were dismissed as coming from "opponents," a practice that regrettably still goes on today. A public agency, unlike private entities, may not withhold information and may not choose to whom it will respond.

Where the money goes

2005-07-25T23:52:00.000-07:00

MSNBC tracks SMP's budget and follows the money trail. In short, they kept a skeleton crew of under 70 employees by outsourcing much of the legal and consulting work

About $23.8 million of the Seattle Monorail Project's total 2005 budget is slated for consultants, ranging from individuals to large law, accounting and environmental firms. That's one of every four dollars in a $93.4 million agency budget that includes capital costs, or more than half of the agency's $42.7 million operating budget...

By comparison, Sound Transit, operating with a different business model, employs more than 300 people and has a proportionally much smaller consulting budget -- only about 8.5 percent of its operating budget.

Wondering how much the bastards who dreamed up the idiotic finance plan made off with?

SMP also spent almost $250,000 on two consultants whose primary responsibilities included developing the agency's financing plan -- a plan that was scrapped just 10 days after details became public...

Seattle-Northwest Securities, the agency's financial adviser and the firm largely responsible for developing the bond structure plan the agency quickly killed, was paid more than $237,000 since 2003.

SNS was allegedly hand-picked by ex-SMP Director Joel Horn.

Seattle monorail breaks down, literally.

2005-07-25T14:10:00.000-07:00

On Friday, the Seattle monorail's blue car inexplicably stopped midway to Westlake Center. No one was injured.

Also, about a month ago we reported that Team Monorail wants back into the bidding process. Last week they got some time at the table with the SMP brass. SMP is telling us not to read anything into it.

SMP Cuts 20 Jobs

2005-07-22T08:17:00.000-07:00

As reported last week, SMP was deciding on the number of positions to cut, anywhere from 15 to 25. Today they announced that 20 is the magic number

Seattle's monorail agency yesterday announced it will lay off 30 percent of its staff and nearly half its full-time consultants to cut costs while it figures out what's next for its embattled project.

Acting agency Executive Director Tom Horkan said about 20 of the project's 67 staff positions will be eliminated, including about 10 of 22 employees who earn $100,000 or more annually...Seattle Monorail Project (SMP) spokeswoman Natasha Jones said the cuts will save about $370,000 a month.

the interim Director Tom Horkan was previously the Director of Construction.

Updated monorail sketch

2005-07-15T21:11:00.000-07:00

Quick on the heel's of Tuesday's rendering, Cascadia has released a slightly altered version in response to the comments of many that the track creates a "wall-like effect" in the middle of the street. The vertical support beams are slimmer and lighter in color, and the trees in the background look healthier. Also, the parked car in the foreground has moved. Perhaps in this alternate universe it was never there in the first place because its owner took the monorail instead.

Also, happy first birthday Las Vegas monorail!

SMP to cut jobs, hire new director

2005-07-14T20:54:00.000-07:00

The Times reports on two major pieces of news from SMP today, possible layoffs...

Seattle Monorail Project (SMP) leaders are considering whether to slash up to one-third of its payroll, saying some jobs aren't necessary while the monorail's future remains unknown.

Between 15 and 25 employees may be released, acting Chair Kristina Hill told agency board members last night. Currently, the monorail employs 68 people.

...and the job hunt for a new director

The board last night authorized the staff to sign a contract with a search firm to recruit nationally for a new executive director. So far the monorail project has received one offer, costing about $45,000, from a firm the agency would not name last night, said Stockmeyer. The board also held a half-hour closed "executive session" that he said included early discussion of possible recruits.

Monorail rendering superimposed on major downtown thoroughfare

2005-07-14T20:51:00.000-07:00

From their press release

Cascadia Monorail Company today released the first rendering of its conceptual monorail design superimposed on a photograph of a major downtown thoroughfare, providing Seattle citizens a glimpse of how the long-awaited elevated, automated transit solution might look at street level.

It looks like a city from the future!

Seattle Metblog Shoutout

2005-07-14T14:20:00.000-07:00

Joshc of Seattle Metblog fame, gives the Seattle Monorail Blog a shout-out, and links to a great collection of vintage Seattle Monorail postcards. Also on that postcard page is the text of a letter recommending the Seattle Monorail as a city landmark. It includes some intersting facts about the monorail system

With two trains operating, each on a ten-minute headway from each station, and each train capable of carrying 450 passengers, each station had a required throughput capacity of 10,000 passengers per hour. Thus the significant feature of the Seattle Center station is not seen in the architectural design, or the styling, but in the functional ability of its design to facilitate the movement of 10,000 train passengers per hour, and to do it without expensive or elaborate moving parts such as gates or other barriers, and with a minimum staffing requirement.

To put that into perspective, the London Underground moves about 125,000 passengers per hour.

Transparency

2005-07-13T08:43:00.000-07:00

Two monorail articles dealing with transparency:

The Times unveils sketches of the proposed "iris" tracks along with complaints from business owners that they weren't released until now, and they're substantially larger than promised.

Today's Weekly has an in-depth look at Joel Horn, and how his style of management lead to the monorail's downfall. (I didn't know he brokered the leasing of PacMed to Amazon.com.)

Sorry to link and run.

Seattle
2005-07-11T15:09:00.000-07:00
According to a recent Seattle Times poll, 52% of voters would scrub the monorail.
Many who had backed the project are beginning to turn against it. Slightly more than half of those who previously favored the 14-mile line from Ballard to West Seattle now have doubts about the project or oppose it, according to a new Seattle Times poll.

Still, 45 percent said they want to find a way to continue the monorail project. Most of those respondents, 53 percent, favor rebidding the elevated-train project to try to lower the cost.
Click through for some interesting pie charts on what the voting public thinks we should do with taxes, bidding, revoting, etc.

Monrail for the Eastside? Size does matter

2005-07-08T09:22:00.000-07:00

The Times covers a size argument about a transit system that might actually get built

Backers of a suburban monorail system are waging a last-minute campaign to persuade Sound Transit to keep the monorail on the table as the agency evaluates future transit options for the Interstate 90 corridor between Seattle and Bellevue.

In a letter to the Sound Transit board, Citizens for King County Monorail charges that a Sound Transit study comparing light rail, monorail and bus options is biased against monorail. One of the study's key findings — that monorail trains wouldn't fit through the I-90 tunnel under Seattle's Mount Baker Ridge — is just plain wrong, the group says.

At issue is passage through the Mt. Baker tunnel

The Mount Baker tunnel is 15 feet, 3 inches high. The vertical "dynamic envelope" of monorail trains — the space they occupy while moving, with allowances for bumps and sway — is 15 feet, 10 1/2 inches for Bombardier's vehicles, slightly more than 19 feet for Hitachi's, the study said — and trains would require additional clearance of at least three feet.

Passing either company's monorails through the tunnel would require excavating it to lower the road. Try to use the phrase "dynamic envelope" in a sentence today.

update: A monorail across I-90 has been ruled out

Sound Transit has narrowed the list of mass transit options across the Interstate 90 floating bridge to two: light rail or bus service.

Don't busses already go across I-90?

Will our monorail be safe?

2005-07-07T08:30:00.000-07:00

Today's tragic bombing in London brings up a question that I don't think has been satisfactorily answered by SMP: how safe will our monorail be against acts of terrorism?

I did some research in SMP's document archive, and found this statement buried on page 23 of a Transportation Risk & Uncertainty Evaluation document from 2002

Acts of terrorism were discussed but deemed to be insignificant due to a very low probability that the monorail would be a target.

Keep in mind this was also before the Madrid bombing.

I'm not alone in hoping for a reevaluation of the cost/benefit ratio of some added security. Right-wing blogger and Times guest columnist Matt Rosenberg had this to say in a 2004 column

Compared to other rail-transit operations here, the Green Line will be a distinctly Seattle enterprise, and highly symbolic. Unlike Sound Transit's already-operating commuter-rail system, the Green Line will be contained within city limits, and run through Seattle's heart, on an elevated guideway.

Rosenburg included a vague statement from then-SMP Director Joel Horn, which now seems even less relevant after the departure of the latter.

Horn says all procedures aren't finalized yet, but there will be a very strong focus by the monorail authority on security, including an emphasis on design factors, close coordination with law enforcement and other industry "best practices."

With the future of the entire monorail system up in the air, it may be a strange time to argue about details, but the devil's in the details, and security is one detail with quite a few devilish characters lurking inside.

update: a levelheaded counter-point by atrios

If people want to blow up buses and trains, they're probably going to be able to blow up buses and trains. No security precautions compatible with a busy transit system are likely to stop them all the time. If people are willing to kill themselves while blowing up buses and trains, then they're probably going to succeed no matter what security systems are in place.

Full text of SMP resignation letter

2005-07-06T09:29:00.000-07:00

Can be found here

Top Leaders of SMP Step Down

2005-07-05T08:15:00.000-07:00

I wish we had more politicians like these two

Seattle Monorail Project board Chairman Tom Weeks and Executive Director Joel Horn resigned yesterday after a public uproar over the 50-year finance plan they had championed.

The plan was scrapped last week after even longtime supporters expressed doubts...

We take full responsibility for the current situation and feel that it is in the best interest of the Project to step down," the two wrote in a letter sent to the monorail board yesterday.

Regardless of the reasons, Tom and Joel's plan for the monorail just didn't work. They put their egos aside and did what was best for the future of the monorail. I met Joel a few months ago at the SMP public art meeting, and his passion for the monorail (and its art) was incredible and contagious. This must have been a difficult choice for him and Tom, and they are to be commended.

A series of public hearings will be held this week, including one tonight in Ballard. More info can be found on SMP's website.

Pakistan Monorail

2005-07-04T08:10:00.000-07:00

Seattle isn't the only town with monorail issues.

The contract to award a consultancy to conduct a study for a monorail system in Lahore has been delayed because the companies could not reach Pakistan in time due to visa problems...

The consultants will study whether Lahore should have an overhead, underground or surface monorail system. The study will be completed four months after the award of the contract.

Let's see which city gets a monorail first.

Monorail financing plan killed

2005-07-03T08:09:00.000-07:00

The Seattle Monorail Project board killed the system's controversial financing plan last night.

The West Seattle-to-Crown Hill line remains in limbo as the board sent the project to a yet-to-be-appointed special committee to try to save the elevated transit system that voters approved in 2002. But it was clear last night that it won't be easy...

The financing plan had been roundly criticized because it called for the continuation of taxes until 2050 or beyond, included some junk bonds with high interest rates and required $9 billion to be paid in interest.

I agree with The Stranger on this one

Seattle Needs Elevated Rapid Transit. But we don’t need to pay $11 billion for it. Scrap the finance plan, fire the agency heads, and face the voters one last time.

Five votes seems crazy, but any new plan should be put to the voters. We'll pass it because it's been proven time and again that the people of Seattle want a monorail.

Team Monorail: F*ck Yeah!

2005-06-30T08:06:00.000-07:00

Team Monorail backed out of the SMP bidding process last year, leaving their competitor, Cascadia Monorail Co., alone in the field, winning the contract by default. Now Team Monorail wants to get back in the action, and thinks they have a better plan than Cascadia

Team Monorail, led by Montreal-based Bombardier Inc., has been saying since January that it wants another chance to bid on the monorail project.

"In feature after feature the Team Monorail offering is clearly superior to the current Cascadia proposal," the team's Web site says. For example, Team Monorail says it would offer 22 trains rather than the 13 proposed by Cascadia, meaning a higher train frequency and larger system capacity.

Team Monorail also says its system would cost significantly less, listing a total construction and operations cost of $1.3 billion compared to the more than $2 billion cost of a Cascadia bid. According to Team Monorail, that would mean the SMP would have to borrow between $1.7 billion and $1.8 billion.

via washington state political report

Welcome

2005-06-29T06:09:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the Monorail Blog. This is a site for discussion and links on monorails, the Seattle Monorail Project, monorail public art, and public transit in Seattle.

You'll find this site to have a decidedly pro-monorail stance, but we'll try to provide a balanced look at all sides of the public transit debate.