Everett Station

Everett Station is an Amtrak train station serving the city of Everett, Washington. The station has provided service to the Cascades and Empire Builder routes since its opening in 2002, replacing an earlier station near the Port of Everett. The four-story building also houses social service programs and is the center of a 10-acre (4 ha) complex that includes parking lots and a large bus station used primarily by Community Transit, Everett Transit, and Sound Transit Express. The station has served as the northern terminus of the Sounder North Line since 2003 and the Swift Blue Line since 2009. It consists of two side platforms, one serving Amtrak and the other serving Sounder commuter trains. Everett Station also functions as a park and ride, with 1,067 short-term parking spaces located in lots around the station after it was expanded by Sound Transit in 2009.

This article is about the Amtrak station in Everett, Washington. For the former station in Everett, Massachusetts, see Everett station (MBTA).

Everett Station
Location3201 Smith Avenue
Everett, Washington 98201
United States
Coordinates47.9754°N 122.1976°W / 47.9754; -122.1976
Owned byCity of Everett
Line(s)BNSF Railway Scenic Subdivision
Platforms2 side platforms
Tracks3
Bus routes22
Bus stands26
Bus operatorsAmtrak Thruway Motorcoach, Greyhound Lines, BoltBus, Northwestern Trailways, ST Express, Community Transit, Everett Transit, Skagit Transit, Island Transit
Construction
Structure typeFour-floor brick-and-glass structure
Parking1,607 spaces
Bicycle facilities
Disabled accessYes
Other information
Station codeEVR
History
OpenedFebruary 4, 2002 (2002-02-04)[1]
Passengers
201741,783[2]  0.58% (Amtrak)
Services
Preceding station Amtrak Following station
Edmonds
toward Eugene–Springfield
 Amtrak Cascades Stanwood
toward Vancouver, British Columbia
Edmonds
toward Seattle
 Empire Builder Leavenworth
toward Chicago
Preceding station Sound Transit Following station
Mukilteo
toward Seattle
 North Line Terminus
Location
Everett Station
Location in Washington
Everett Station
Location in the United States

Services
A Sounder commuter train at Everett Station

Everett Station is served by six daily Amtrak trains: four Cascades runs between Seattle and Vancouver, British Columbia,[3] and two Empire Builder runs between Seattle and Chicago.[4] The station is also served by the North Line of Sound Transit's Sounder commuter rail service, running four trains in peak direction towards King Street Station in Seattle during the morning commute and four trains from Seattle during the evening commute, only on weekdays and during special events.[5] Train service to Everett is most often disrupted and canceled during the autumn and winter seasons because of landslides along the shoreline of the Puget Sound, where the BNSF mainline tracks run.[6] During the 2012–2013 winter season, a record-high of 206 passenger trains between Everett and Seattle were canceled,[7][8] prompting the Washington State Department of Transportation to begin a three-year landslide mitigation project in 2013 that will stabilize slopes above the railroad between Seattle and Everett.[9][10]

The Everett Station complex also includes a bus station with 26 bus bays that serve as a major transfer station for routes from Snohomish County. Everett Transit operates the majority of its bus routes out of their 12 bus bays on Smith Avenue.[11][12] Community Transit has six routes at the station, serving as the terminus for local service from Smokey Point, Marysville, Snohomish, Lake Stevens, and Monroe;[13] CT also debuted their Swift Blue Line bus rapid transit service in 2009, with Everett Station as the northern terminus of the route along the Highway 99 corridor to Shoreline.[14] Sound Transit runs three of its ST Express bus routes out of Everett Station, with peak-only, limited-stop service to Seattle and Bellevue, as well as all-day service to Seattle via Lynnwood Transit Center, along Interstate 5 and Interstate 405.[15] Skagit Transit runs a weekday inter-county express route (Route 90X) from the station to Skagit Station in Mount Vernon and Chuckanut Park & Ride in Burlington;[16] Island Transit also runs a peak-only weekday express route (Route 412C) from Everett Station to Stanwood and Camano Island.[17] Paratransit to the front door of the station building is provided by Community Transit and Everett Station through the Dial a Ride program.[13][18]

Daily intercity bus service to Everett Station is provided by Greyhound Lines and Northwestern Trailways.[19][20] In March 2019, Greyhound's BoltBus express service began serving Everett Station with 48 departures to Vancouver, Bellingham, Tacoma, and Portland, Oregon.[21]

Station layout

The Everett Station complex is located on 10 acres (4.0 ha; 0.016 sq mi)[22] situated between Downtown Everett to the west and Interstate 5 to the east.[13] The train platforms are located on the east side of the station building and bus bays, along three BNSF-owned railway tracks. The covered west platform, used by the Sounder commuter rail service, is located directly east of the station building, while a partially sheltered platform, used by Amtrak, is situated on the second set of tracks and is accessible by several pedestrian at-grade crossings.[23] Directly south of the main building are the bus bays, which are centered around a covered walkway that connects the train platforms to the Swift bus rapid transit station, served by the Blue Line.[13] 1,067 short-term parking spaces are located around the station complex, including the initial parking lot west of the tracks and an additional parking lot accessible by a pedestrian bridge over the tracks.[15] In addition to the short-term parking lots, there are 25 designated Amtrak/Greyhound parking stalls and eight rideshare vehicles stalls located at the front of the station building.[12]

Station building

The station building is a four-floor brick-and-glass structure housing 64,000 square feet (5,900 m2) that includes ticketing offices, a waiting area, classrooms, and community rooms. The front façade mainly comprises a three-story glass wall inside of a 34,000-pound (15,000 kg; 15 t) precast steel arch, facing a small plaza at the intersection of Smith Avenue and 32nd Street.[24] The lobby is decorated with an inlaid terrazzo floor with a design representing local waterways, accompanied by a three-story atrium consisting of a large glass wall and a large clock.[25] The station building, designed by architectural firm Zimmer Gunsul Frasca Partnership,[26] houses ticket counters and waiting areas for Amtrak and Greyhound in addition to passenger amenities, such as restrooms, payphones, a customer service center, and ORCA card vending machines, open daily from 6am to 10pm.[27] The station has weatherproof bicycle lockers in addition to 6 short-term bicycle racks located at the front of the station.[1][12]

In addition to being a multimodal hub for train and bus service, Everett Station functions as a home to social services and educational programs. University Center of North Puget Sound was formerly located on the 2nd floor of the station building, providing baccalaureate and graduate degrees through local universities and colleges until it moved to the campus of Everett Community College in 2010.[28][29] The Everett branches of WorkForce and WorkSource, which are public employment services operated by the Washington State Employment Security Department that provide career development training and job placement assistance to unemployed, are located on the 3rd and 4th floors, respectively.[30] The 4th floor is also home to the Weyerhaeuser Room, a 2,800-square-foot (0.00026 km2) public meeting space, named for the philanthropic arm of the Weyerhaeuser Company in 2003 after their donation of murals displayed throughout Everett Station.[1][31]

Awards and recognition

The City of Everett and ZGF Partnership were recognized by the Puget Sound Regional Council with a "Vision 2020" award for its combination of a transportation hub and community gathering place into a single project.[32][33] Everett Station also won the 2006 Citation Award from the Washington branch of the American Institute of Architects, whose jury commended the City of Everett on the station housing "an innovative mix of transit, educational functions, and community spaces; delights travelers; and is welcoming to the public for classes, public meetings, and banquets."[1][34]

Panorama of the main building interior, from a 2nd story balcony overlooking the lobby

History
Construction of the Swift Bus Rapid Transit terminal in 2009

Prior to the opening of Everett Station in 2002, Amtrak served the city of Everett at a small station located at 2900 Bond Street, overlooking the Port of Everett west of downtown. It saw free commuter rail service from January to March 1995 as part of the "Try Rail" demonstration, consisting of two daily roundtrips from Seattle and special service to Seattle SuperSonics games at the Tacoma Dome.[35][36] The Bond Street Station, originally built by the Great Northern Railway in 1910,[37] was originally planned to be kept as a secondary commuter rail station without parking or major bus connections until it was removed from Sound Transit's plans in 2001.[38][39][40] The station was closed in November 2002 and has since become the offices of the BNSF Railway Northwest Division.[23]

The City of Everett selected a straightaway track segment east of downtown as the preferred location of a multimodal train/bus station, to replace the existing Amtrak station at Bond Street, in 1993.[29] The Everett City Council chose a two-block industrial site bordered by Pacific Avenue to the north in 1995, estimating a cost of $30 million and an opening in 1998.[41] Everett Mayor Ed Hansen proposed adding two additional stories to the station building to house classrooms and space for career counseling services, inspired by a similar project in Oakland, California.[42][43] The Sound Transit Board passed a resolution in February 1999 allowing the use of $14 million to begin work on the Everett Multimodal Facility, which was to be the terminus for Sounder commuter rail and Sound Transit Express bus service.[38][44] A groundbreaking ceremony was held on July 13, 2000, allowing for construction on Everett Station to begin.[45] Sound Transit began with the construction of the Pacific Avenue overpass, replacing an earlier at-grade crossing, that opened on November 14, 2001 at a cost of $20 million.[46] The station building was designed by the Zimmer Gunsul Frasca Partnership and built by Wilder Construction Company in 2000 and 2001.[47]

The $46.9 million station was opened during a ribbon-cutting ceremony on February 4, 2002, attended by Everett Mayor Ed Hansen, Governor Gary Locke, U.S. Representative Rick Larsen, Snohomish County Executive Bob Drewel and Sound Transit Board chairman and King County Executive Ron Sims.[1][25][29][48] Initially, only Everett Transit and Community Transit operated out of the station on opening day,[1] but they were quickly joined by Sound Transit Express service the following day and Greyhound intercity bus service that summer.[1][49] Amtrak was initially expected to begin serving Everett Station in July 2002, but the construction of a passing track delayed the move of the Cascades and Empire Builder from Bond Street Station to November 12.[50] Construction of a Sounder commuter rail platform and rail spur was approved by the Everett City Council in September 2002, pending reimbursement from Sound Transit and Amtrak for its cost of $726,000.[51] Sounder service to King Street Station in Seattle via Edmonds began with special Seattle Seahawks gameday service on December 22, 2003, carrying 700 passengers on the inaugural run of the Sounder North Line.[52][53]

Sound Transit expanded parking capacity at Everett Station to 1,067 spaces with the addition of 440 stalls, located east of the station and connected via a pedestrian overpass, that opened in May 2009 at a cost of $13.6 million.[54] The southern lot of the station was cleared to build the terminus of Community Transit's Swift Bus Rapid Transit Blue Line, which began service on November 29, 2009, connecting Everett to Shoreline via the State Route 99 corridor.[55][56]

Everett Station was proposed as the site of a University of Washington branch campus, with state consultants choosing 32 acres (0.13 km2) around the station to house 5,000 students from Snohomish, Island County and Skagit County.[57][58][59] The project, dubbed UW North Sound, was put on hold in December 2008 and has since been canceled.[60][61] With Link Light Rail service expected to be extended from Lynnwood Transit Center to Everett Station in the near future,[62][63] the City of Everett has since planned to rezone the station's surrounding area to allow multifamily housing, encouraging transit-oriented development by raising height limits to 80 feet (24 m).[22] Another proposal would have a 500-stall parking garage built to replace the southernmost lot at a cost of $15–18 million,[22] allowing Everett Transit to transform the existing western lot into mixed-use development.[64]

References
  1. "Amtrak Fact Sheet, Fiscal Year 2017: State of Washington" (PDF). Amtrak. November 2017. p. 1. Retrieved January 12, 2018.
  2. "Amtrak Cascades Timetable" (PDF). Amtrak. January 6, 2014. Retrieved July 31, 2014.
  3. "Empire Builder Timetable" (PDF). Amtrak. April 15, 2014. Retrieved July 31, 2014.
  4. "Sounder Everett-Seattle Schedule". Sound Transit. June 9, 2014. Retrieved July 31, 2014.
  5. Lindblom, Mike (December 13, 2014). "Fearing landslides, Sound Transit might cancel trains in soggy weather". The Seattle Times. Retrieved February 20, 2015.
  6. Lindblom, Mike (September 5, 2013). "Project aimed to stop landslides on rail tracks north of Seattle". The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on August 12, 2014. Retrieved July 31, 2014.
  7. Smelser, David, ed. (2014). "Landslide Impacts" (PDF). Landslide Mitigation Action Plan (Report). Olympia, Washington: Washington State Department of Transportation. pp. 6–10. Retrieved July 31, 2014.
  8. Fiman, Alice; Thompson, Kevin F. (August 19, 2013). "Work starts on landslide solutions for Pacific Northwest Rail Corridor" (Press release). Olympia, Washington: Washington State Department of Transportation. Retrieved July 31, 2014.
  9. Sheets, Bill (December 10, 2013). "Drier weather, projects have eased railway slide problems". The Herald. Everett, Washington: Sound Publishing. Archived from the original on August 8, 2014. Retrieved July 31, 2014.
  10. "Everett Station". Everett Transit Bus Schedule & Service Guide. Everett Transit. February 22, 2015. p. 72. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 2, 2015. Retrieved March 14, 2015.
  11. "Chapter Four: Amtrak Cascades Program Components" (PDF). Washington State Long-Range Plan for Amtrak Cascades (Report). Olympia, Washington: Washington State Department of Transportation. February 2006. pp. 4–14. Retrieved July 31, 2014.
  12. "Everett Station" (PDF). Bus Plus. Community Transit. February 16, 2014. p. 30. Retrieved July 31, 2014.
  13. "Swift bus rapid transit". Community Transit. Retrieved July 31, 2014.
  14. "Everett Station". ST Rider Guide. Sound Transit. Retrieved July 31, 2014.
  15. "Route 90X, County Connector - Everett Express - Chuckanut P&R / Skagit Station/Everett Station". Skagit Transit. Retrieved July 31, 2014.
  16. Stensland, Jessie (April 12, 2016). "Island Transit to charge fare for Camano Island to Everett run". The Herald. Everett, Washington. Retrieved January 16, 2017.
  17. DART Service Map (PDF) (Map). Community Transit. February 2012. Retrieved July 31, 2014.
  18. "Everett, WA". Greyhound Station Locator. Greyhound Lines. Archived from the original on August 9, 2014. Retrieved July 31, 2014.
  19. "Spokane - Wenatchee - Seattle/Tacoma". Northwestern Trailways. January 6, 2014. Retrieved July 31, 2014.
  20. Podsada, Janice (March 8, 2019). "BoltBus links Everett to Seattle and other big I-5 cities". The Everett Herald. Retrieved March 9, 2019.
  21. Haglund, Noah (December 3, 2012). "City preparing Everett Station area for growth". The Herald. Everett, Washington: The Washington Post Company. Retrieved July 31, 2014.
  22. Goffredo, Theresa (November 8, 2002). "Amtrak coming to Everett Station". The Herald. Everett, Washington: The Washington Post Company. p. A1. ProQuest 333506804.
  23. Goffredo, Theresa (February 1, 2002). "Everett Station gets ready to roll Monday". The Herald. Everett, Washington: The Washington Post Company.
  24. Brooks, Diane; Lindblom, Mike (February 2, 2002). "Transit centers to debut Monday - Modern hubs for riders in Everett, Redmond". The Seattle Times. p. B1. Retrieved July 31, 2014.
  25. "Sound Transit Motion No. 2009-37 Staff Report: Contract Amendment for Everett Station Phase 2" (PDF). Sound Transit. May 7, 2009. pp. 2–3. Retrieved July 31, 2014.
  26. "About Everett Station". Everett Transit. Retrieved March 14, 2015.
  27. Whitley, Peyton (January 1, 2003). "City's new terminal has amassed transit depots in single location". The Seattle Times. p. I17. Retrieved July 31, 2014.
  28. Sheets, Bill (February 7, 2012). "Everett Station celebrates 10 years and 17 million visits". The Herald. Everett, Washington: The Washington Post Company. Retrieved July 31, 2014.
  29. "News from Snohomish County: Everett Station all booked up after approval of lease agreement". The Seattle Times. April 21, 2004. p. H18. Retrieved July 31, 2014.
  30. "Resolution No. 5284: A Resolution officially naming the public meeting room on the fourth floor of the Everett Station "The Weyerhaeuser Room"". City of Everett. December 30, 2003. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 7, 2015. Retrieved March 14, 2015.
  31. Reardon, Kate (February 26, 2007). "Everett Station turns 5" (Press release). Everett, Washington: City of Everett. Archived from the original on August 8, 2014. Retrieved March 14, 2015.
  32. "Vision 2020 Award Winners: 2003". Puget Sound Regional Council. 2003. Archived from the original on December 16, 2007. Retrieved July 31, 2014.
  33. "AIA Washington Chooses 10 for Civic Design Awards". American Institute of Architects. March 3, 2006. Archived from the original on January 7, 2009. Retrieved July 31, 2014.
  34. Schafer, David (January 31, 1995). "New Train Picks Up Steam -- Experimental Commuter-Rail Service Gains Passengers With Every Run". The Seattle Times. Retrieved July 5, 2015.
  35. Crowley, Walt (January 1, 2000). "Regional Transit Authority commuter train begins demonstration runs on January 28, 1995". HistoryLink. Retrieved July 5, 2015.
  36. Brooks, Diane (July 4, 2007). "Bayside and railroad history". The Seattle Times. Retrieved February 6, 2015.
  37. "Sound Move: Launching a Rapid Transit System for the Puget Sound Region" (PDF). Sound Transit. May 31, 1996. p. 20. Retrieved February 6, 2015.
  38. "Appendix A2: Station Site Screening" (PDF). Everett-Seattle Final Environmental Impact Statement (Report). Sound Transit. December 1999. p. 4. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 3, 2014. Retrieved February 6, 2015.
  39. "Sound Transit Motion No. M2000-05" (PDF). Sound Transit. January 13, 2000. Retrieved February 6, 2015.
  40. "Snohomish Briefly: Panel Picks Transportation-Hub Site". The Seattle Times. July 20, 1995. Retrieved February 6, 2015.
  41. "Transit Idea Could Grow By Degrees". The Seattle Times. October 7, 1998. Retrieved February 6, 2015.
  42. "Snohomish Briefly: Everett Station Plans On Display". The Seattle Times. March 8, 1999. Retrieved February 6, 2015.
  43. "Sound Transit Resolution No. R99-5". Sound Transit. February 11, 1999. Archived from the original on June 16, 2010. Retrieved February 6, 2015.
  44. "Locke due at transit-center groundbreaking". The Seattle Times. July 12, 2000. p. B3. Retrieved February 6, 2015.
  45. "Grand Opening of Everett's Pacific Avenue Overpass" (Press release). Seattle, Washington: Sound Transit. November 9, 2001. Retrieved February 6, 2015.
  46. Everett Station (Plaque outside building). Everett Station: City of Everett. May 2002.
  47. "Locke celebrates opening of Everett Station, calls for action on a statewide transportation plan" (Press release). Olympia, Washington: Office of the Governor. February 4, 2002. Retrieved February 6, 2015.
  48. Fisher, David (February 4, 2002). "New Everett Station offers more than a ride". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Hearst Corporation. Retrieved February 6, 2015.
  49. "Snohomish County Digest: Everett Amtrak passenger trains begin running through Everett Station". The Seattle Times. November 13, 2002. p. H14. Retrieved February 6, 2015.
  50. Goffredo, Theresa (September 26, 2002). "Everett Station gets Amtrak". The Herald. Everett, Washington: The Washington Post Company. p. B2. ProQuest 333529585.
  51. Tuinstra, Rachel (December 22, 2003). "Sounder train opens Everett-Seattle route". The Seattle Times. p. B1. Archived from the original on August 29, 2013. Retrieved February 6, 2015.
  52. "Sound Transit launches Sounder service between Everett and Seattle; first train filled to capacity" (Press release). Seattle, Washington: Sound Transit. December 21, 2003. Retrieved February 6, 2015.
  53. "More parking spaces to greet Everett Station commuters Wednesday" (Press release). Seattle, Washington: Sound Transit. May 26, 2009. Retrieved February 6, 2015.
  54. Gutierrez, Scott (November 25, 2009). "Community Transit debuts 'Swift' line". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Hearst Corporation. Retrieved February 6, 2015.
  55. Lindblom, Mike (November 30, 2009). "Bus rapid transit launches today from Everett to Shoreline". The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on February 7, 2015. Retrieved February 6, 2015.
  56. Cornfield, Jerry; Stevick, Eric (November 15, 2007). "Everett transit center site is report's choice for UW campus". The Herald. Everett, Washington: Washington Post Company. Retrieved February 6, 2015.
  57. Thompson, Lynn; Perry, Nick (November 16, 2007). "Everett top choice for new UW branch". The Seattle Times. Retrieved February 6, 2015.
  58. NBBJ (November 15, 2007). "UW North Sound Campus Reports". Washington State office of Financial Management. Archived from the original on May 15, 2010. Retrieved February 6, 2015.
  59. "UW north campus plans delayed again". The Seattle Times. Associated Press. December 12, 2008. Archived from the original on December 20, 2014. Retrieved February 6, 2015.
  60. Cornfield, Jerry (December 18, 2008). "Report advises unity on UW branch campus in county". The Herald. Everett, Washington: The Washington Post Company. Retrieved February 6, 2015.
  61. Lynnwood to Everett High Capacity Transit Study Final Report (PDF) (Report). Sound Transit. July 2014. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 7, 2015. Retrieved February 6, 2015.
  62. Lindblom, Mike (July 4, 2015). "Sound Transit planning heats up for light-rail expansion and public vote". The Seattle Times. Retrieved September 3, 2015.
  63. Smith, Debra (March 13, 2012). "Everett Transit wants to sell parking lot". The Herald. Everett, Washington: The Washington Post Company. Retrieved February 6, 2015.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.