Light Rail Transit Association   URBAN TRANSIT NEWS 2005

Seattle Waterfront Streetcar closure: The last day of operation of the George Benson Waterfront Streetcar will be Friday, November 18, 2005, for what is expected to be a 18-24 month shutdown to allow for work needed for a museum expansion on the present car barn site. In an agreement reached with the Seattle Art Museum, the museum will demolish the streetcar maintenance barn, Broad Street passenger station, and tracks and then replace them with new tracks and a passenger station that links to the pedestrian sky bridge in the new Olympic Sculpture Park. In a separate agreement, a private developer will include a new USD9 million streetcar maintenance facility in a mixed use building at Main Street and Occidental Park. For more details see the King County Metro's website.

The last trip will begin at Broad Street station at 6:32 pm and leave S. Jackson Street at 6:59 pm...arriving back at Broad St. at 7:15 pm. It is hoped to have a historic vehicle from the Metro Employees Historic Vehicle Assn. to shuttle passengers back along the line after the finals trip.

A barbecue will be held after the final trip for supporters of the streetcar and all employees who have worked on the line over the past 23 years.

8 October 2005