July 9, 2008

Eastside Rail Now Proposes Rail Extension to UW Bothell Campus

uw railway extension Eastside Rail Now Proposes Rail Extension to UW Bothell CampusCity dweller or blissful ‘burbanite, you need to keep up on all the latest commuting options because you can’t avoid it, you’ve got to figure in transportation into your housing decision, one way or another.  One proposal continuously under public scrutiny is the construction of an Eastside railway system. Imagine an Eastside rail system which would run through Kirkland, Redmond, and Woodinville, on its way to the University of Washington, Bothell/Cascadia Community College campus. This rail system would have stations near Kirkland’s downtown Google complex and the Redmond Microsoft campus, making it a viable option for corporate busy bees as well as the college bound. This last month Eastside Rail Now! (ERN) pitched the idea of a 1 mile extension to the currently proposed Eastside rail system to reach the UW campus, which would pass under the 405 freeway, over the Sammamish Slough and the 522 to a station near the UW campus. Though the proposals remain as mucked up in political gridlock as we are in traffic gridlock, there is always the hope that one day our city will actually get around to putting one of these plans into action.


  • Daniel Kissin
    I wonder if someone is still leading / organizing this effort? How to get involved in it?
  • Jim Haskin
    Good morning:

    I wasn't clear on the connecting road from 520 to a new Station on NE 4th st. Picture a small station at the 520/405 interchange. Passengers would depart to Bellevue on a shuttle bus and ride on a single lane elevated road to the main station. The distance is one mile, approximately a three minute ride. The People Mover disperses them. To leave Bellevue you reverse the process, but you can also travel north to south on the BNSF.
  • Jim Haskin
    Good morning:

    If you eliminate the I-90 plan you can save time & money by replacing the 520 bridge and running Sound Transit on an elevated line to Microsoft. A small station at the 405 interchange and a connecting one lane road and shuttle service would transport Redmond/Bellevue passengers. The road would terminate at main station on NE 4th St. The new station would serve the BNSF line with the People Mover. Metro Access buses would accomodate the Overlake Medical Center. Eastside Microsoft employees currently ride the Microsoft Connector buses as do other employees living in the area. The Bel Red corridor plan makes no sense, has no existing right of way, and no ridership to support it. It's pie in the sky. Residents in the corridor are better served by Metro.
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