Seattle Center Monorail

The Seattle Center Monorail is an elevated straddle-beam monorail line in Seattle, Washington, United States. The 0.9-mile (1.4 km) monorail runs along 5th Avenue between the Seattle Center and Westlake Center in Downtown Seattle, making no intermediate stops. The monorail is a major tourist attraction but also operates as a regular public transit service with trains every ten minutes running for up to 16 hours per day. It was constructed in eight months at a cost of $4.2 million for the 1962 Century 21 Exposition, a world's fair hosted at the Seattle Center. The monorail underwent major renovations in 1988 after the southern terminal was moved from over Pine Street to inside the Westlake Center shopping mall.

Seattle Center Monorail
The red monorail train passing over 5th Avenue
Overview
StatusOperational
OwnerCity of Seattle
LocaleDowntown Seattle, Washington, U.S.
TerminiSeattle Center (north)
Westlake Center (south)
Stations2
Websiteseattlemonorail.com
Service
TypeStraddle-beam monorail
Operator(s)Seattle Monorail Services
Rolling stock2 Alweg trains
Daily ridership4,780 (weekdays, 2018)[1]
Ridership2,021,780 (2018)[1]
History
OpenedMarch 24, 1962 (1962-03-24)
DesignatedAugust 4, 2003 (2003-08-04)[2]
Items2 Alweg trains
Technical
Line length0.9 miles (1.4 km)[3]
Number of tracksDouble
CharacterElevated
ElectrificationThird rail, 700 V DC[4]
Operating speed45 mph (72 km/h)
Route map

Seattle Center
Westlake Center
Westlake
Link Line 1

Interactive map

The system retains its original fleet of two Alweg trains that each carry up to 450 people and were designated as a historic landmark by the city in 2003. It is owned by the city government and has been operated by a private contractor since 1994, when it replaced King County Metro, the county public transit system. The system carries approximately two million people annually and earns a profit, which is split between the contractor and the city government. The monorail usually operates with one train per track and the entire trip takes approximately two minutes. Several major accidents have occurred during the system's half-century in service, including a train-to-train collision in 2005 caused by a gauntlet track installed in the 1988 renovation near the Westlake Center terminal.

Several government agencies and private companies have proposed expansions of the monorail system since its inception in the 1960s. The most prominent was the Seattle Monorail Project, founded by a 1997 ballot initiative to build a citywide network that would expand coverage beyond the planned Link light rail system. The project ran into financial difficulties, including cost estimates rising to $11 billion, before being cancelled by a city vote in 2005.

Route and stations

The 0.9-mile (1.4 km) monorail begins at a terminal within the Seattle Center, a civic complex and park located northwest of Downtown Seattle.[3] The Seattle Center terminal is located at the Next 50 Plaza near the center of the complex, adjacent to the Space Needle, Chihuly Garden and Glass, and Memorial Stadium.[5] It is elevated above the south end of the plaza and consists of three platforms arranged in the Spanish solution: two side platforms for alighting and a center platform for boarding.[6] The maintenance facility for the monorail trains is located below the platforms at the Seattle Center station at ground level.[6][7] From the terminal, the tracks travel east and begin a wide turn to the south while passing through the Museum of Pop Culture, which was designed around the existing tracks.[8][9]

The monorail tracks cross over Broad Street and travel along the west side of 5th Avenue North for two blocks, passing the KOMO Plaza news broadcasting center. The tracks then begin a gradual southeastern turn over a small office building and auto repair shop toward 5th Avenue, which begins on the south side of Denny Way and Tilikum Place.[10][11] The street travels southeast through Belltown as a one-way street with southbound-only traffic that is split into two sets of through lanes by the monorail's supporting columns.[12] The monorail passes by several city landmarks, including the Amazon Spheres and Westin Seattle towers, eventually reaching McGraw Square, where 5th Avenue makes a slight turn to the south. Before reaching the southern terminal at the Westlake Center shopping mall on Pine Street, the monorail tracks narrow into a set of gauntlet tracks that are 4 to 5 feet (1.2 to 1.5 m) apart, preventing two trains from using the station at the same time.[13] The Westlake Center terminal is on the third floor of the mall and has a direct elevator to street level and the Westlake tunnel station that is served by Link light rail trains. The South Lake Union Streetcar also terminates at nearby McGraw Square and several major bus routes run near the Westlake Center terminal.[14][15]

Service and fares

Interior of the red train, parked on the outer track at the Westlake Center terminal

The monorail takes approximately two minutes to travel between the Seattle Center and Westlake Center terminals, which are located 0.9 miles (1.4 km) apart.[3] Departures from each terminal are at an approximate frequency of 10 minutes, with a single train running continuously. The service has two seasonal schedules, with trains in the autumn and winter (September to May) operating for 13–14 hours per day from Monday to Saturday, ending at 11 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, and 12 hours on Sundays, ending at 9 p.m. The summer schedule is used from May to September and has weekday trains operating for 16 hours and weekend trains for 15 hours, with service on all days ending at 11 p.m.[16] Monorail service is typically reduced on national holidays and closed entirely on Thanksgiving Day and Christmas. During special events at the Seattle Center, operating hours are extended and train frequencies are increased to every 5 minutes by using both trains in the fleet.[17][18]

Fares for the monorail are paid at ticket booths at either terminal using an ORCA card, a smartphone app, or paper tickets bought with cash, credit/debit cards, or mobile payments. One-way fares are $3 for adults, $1.50 for youths aged 6–18, and $1.50 for people qualifying for the reduced rate, including senior citizens 65 years and older, disabled individuals, persons with Medicare cards, and active duty members of the U.S. military carrying their identification cards. Round-trip fares are twice the price of a one-way fare; monthly passes are also offered at adult and reduced rates.[19][20] Children four and under ride free.[19] In October 2019, the monorail began accepting ORCA cards, the regional transit payment system, after five years of negotiations and a study over fare integration.[20][21]

Operations

The Seattle Center Monorail is operated by a private contractor, Seattle Monorail Services (SMS), founded in 1994 and currently owned by former Port of Seattle commissioner Tom Albro.[22] Prior to 1994, the monorail was jointly operated by the Seattle Center and King County Metro, the county's transit agency.[23] The monorail receives no operating funds from public sources, with costs covered by fares and federal grants for capital projects; the service is unusual among U.S. public transport system because it makes an operating profit.[24][25][26] The contract between SMS and the city government is renewed every ten years and includes an even split of profits between the two parties.[27][28]

In 2018, the Seattle Center Monorail carried approximately 2.022 million passengers, averaging 4,780 passengers on weekdays and 7,536 passengers on weekends.[1] The service generated $4.3 million in fare revenue and received approximately $883,000 in capital funds from local and federal governments.[1] During the Century 21 Exposition from March to September 1962, the monorail carried over 90 percent of World's Fair visitors and had a total ridership of 7.4 million.[8][24]

Rolling stock and guideway

An LCD monitor used by monorail drivers

The straddle-beam monorail is entirely elevated and uses a series of 68 hollow support columns that are up to 30 feet (9.1 m) above street level.[29] The two parallel tracks are carried on prestressed concrete beams that are approximately 70 ft (21 m) long, 5 ft (1.5 m) tall, and 3 ft (0.91 m) wide.[30][31] Several sections use split or one-armed columns that carry one track due to a lack of space on curves;[32] the guideway passes over one building at the intersection of Denny Way and 5th Avenue as part of a long curve in the tracks.[33] The maintenance and operations base for the system is located underneath the platforms at the Seattle Center terminal.[6]

The system has two aluminum trains, named the "Blue Train" (originally Spirit of Seattle) and "Red Train" (originally Spirit of Century 21) for their original paint schemes,[34] which are each assigned to a single track and travel bidirectionally.[31][35] They were constructed in 1962 by Alweg in West Germany and have remained in operation on the line since, undergoing a major renovation in 2009 and 2010.[31][36] Each train is 122 ft (37 m) long, 10 ft 3 in (3.12 m) wide, and 14 ft (4.3 m) tall, with articulating joints between sections.[37] They each have 124 seats and a capacity of 450 passengers with standing room, with an estimated maximum throughput of 10,800 passengers per hour.[38] The trains also have built-in emergency ramps to transfer passengers between trains if stopped outside of the stations.[39]

Each train rides on a set of 64 pneumatic rubber tires arranged into eight bogies: 16 are load-bearing tires arranged in pairs on top of the beam and have a diameter of 39.5 in (100 cm); the remaining 48 tires are used to guide the train on the side of the beam and have a diameter of 26 in (66 cm).[31][38] The system was designed for automated driving, but trains are controlled by operators who use a joystick and LCD monitors that display technical information.[7] The trains typically coast without power for the latter half of their journey and switch to dynamic brakes when approaching a station.[29][40] The system uses a third rail for electrification, with 700 volts DC that feed eight electric motors.[38] The trains were originally able to run at speeds of up to 60 miles per hour (97 km/h), but have since been reduced to 45 mph (72 km/h) for normal operations.[41] During severe winter weather, the trains deposit de-icing chemicals and salt on the tracks to allow for normal speeds.[42]

History

Early proposals and planning

South terminus of the monorail in 1963

Several small-scale proposals for monorail systems in the Seattle area were published in the early 20th century, but they were never realized. William H. Boyes, a New York City inventor, was photographed with a replica of his monorail in 1910, with plans to build a line from Seattle to Tacoma. A year later, another Boyes proposal earned an operating franchise from the city government of Edmonds and began construction, but construction never proceeded.[43][44] Another plan from the Universal Elevated Railway Company envisioned an elevated monorail system that would run along Westlake Avenue in Seattle (near the modern-day monorail terminal), replacing the private streetcar network.[45] Its lobbying for a monorail system ceased after the streetcars were acquired by the city government in 1919.[46][47] Other plans for monorail systems were submitted to the Seattle city government in 1930 and 1955, the latter as part of the Everett–Seattle–Tacoma Tollway (modern Interstate 5).[48]

The Seattle city government, supported by civic boosters and the state legislature, began planning for its second World's Fair in 1955 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the 1909 Alaska–Yukon–Pacific Exposition.[49] A monorail was suggested in 1957 to connect the proposed fairgrounds in Lower Queen Anne to auxiliary parking lots in Interbay and attractions on Elliott Bay.[50][51] The Seattle Transit Commission ordered a study into a monorail between Downtown Seattle and the proposed fairgrounds in April 1958, after hearing proposals from private operators who also offered New Orleans and Houston their own systems.[52][53] A 5-mile (8.0 km) loop between Interbay, the fairgrounds, and downtown was initially proposed alongside a competing "carveyor",[54][55] but the monorail was later scaled back to a 1.2-mile (1.9 km) route on 5th Avenue connecting downtown hotels to the fairgrounds that would cost $5.39 million to construct (equivalent to $37.4 million in 2019 dollars).[56][57][58]

Bidding and proposals

The Seattle Transit System opened up bids for monorail design and construction in December 1958, receiving proposals from the Lockheed Corporation, St. Louis Car Company, General Monorail of San Francisco, and German firm Alwac International, which had begun installing the Disneyland Monorail in California.[59][60] The Northrop Corporation also presented its own proposal in February, using an unconventional gyroscope and generator that would not require a third rail or overhead catenary.[61] In April 1959, the Seattle Transit Commission chose Lockheed to build the $5 million monorail system, which would travel along 5th Avenue from Pine Street to the fairgrounds and open in 1961.[62] Lockheed's design featured a straddle-beam monorail with three streamlined trains that resembled jetliners.[62][63]

The monorail was seen as a centerpiece to the planned Century 21 Exposition and as a catalyst for future development of a citywide rapid transit system, but would use no local transit funding.[64][65] The operating costs were expected to be paid through fare recovery, while other options were considered for capital funding, including Lockheed buying back the system after the world's fair.[66][67] Lockheed entered final negotiations with the city and exposition organizers in late 1959, but the transit commission lost interest in running the system after the world's fair was shortened to six months instead of the original eighteen.[68] The system's uncertain financing, not including engineering costs incurred by Lockheed, remained a major concern for the city government as negotiations continued into January 1960.[69]

Alwac International, which had previously estimated it would cost $3.5 million (equivalent to $23.6 million in 2019 dollars)[56] to install their Alweg monorail system, submitted a proposal in February 1960 to finance and build the project themselves at no cost to the city or exposition organizers.[70] The firm would collect monorail fares and revenue from terminal concessions, as well as a surcharge on fair tickets, and transfer the system to the city government if the full $3.5 million cost was repaid; in the event that the system did not recoup the investment, it would have been dismantled and removed.[71][72] Lockheed responded by presenting a modified bid with a $1 million buyback option to the transit commission in March, but they were dropped in favor of a new round of bidding from Alwac and French engineering firm SAFEGE.[73][74]

The Century 21 Steering Committee, serving as the exposition's main organizers, took over negotiations from the transit commission and signed a preliminary construction contract with Alwac on May 20, 1960.[75][76] The monorail would run along 5th Avenue from the fairgrounds to the intersection of Pine Street and Westlake Avenue, which would be converted into a permanent pedestrian mall.[77][78] The design contract was signed by Alwac representatives on December 22, 1960, with a revised cost of $4.2 million (equivalent to $28.4 million in 2019 dollars)[56] to accommodate larger trains and stations.[79][80] The final construction and operations contract was signed on May 13, 1961.[81] Century 21 also announced plans in April 1961 to build a small-scale people mover around the fairgrounds that would use a suspended monorail, but they were dropped five months later after the bidding firms were unable to obtain financing.[82][83]

Construction and preparations

Column construction for the monorail at 5th Avenue and Virginia Street, seen in June 1961

In March 1961, the city's Board of Public Works approved the construction and street use permits for the monorail project, which would be undertaken by Century 21, Alwec, and local contractor Howard S. Wright Construction Company.[84] Wright was also named a financing partner for the monorail, contributing $375,000 (equivalent to $2.51 million in 2019 dollars),[56] and went on to build the Space Needle and Seattle Center Coliseum.[85][86] The construction permit also included a requirement to remove the monorail within six months of the exposition's end, but Alwec had announced their intention to sell the system to the city government if they desired.[84][87] The finalized design plans for the monorail were unveiled later that month by Alweg representatives, while the two railcars were under construction at the Linke-Hofmann-Busch factory in West Germany.[88] Century 21 broke ground on the monorail in a ceremony at the Westlake Mall on April 6, 1961, which was declared "Monorail Day" and featured the Seattle Symphony Orchestra, a speech from Senator Warren G. Magnuson, and free monorail tickets for the 500 people in attendance.[89][90][91]

The wooden forms for the first of 80 monorail columns were laid in early May and concrete pouring for the first column began on May 23 between Virginia and Lenora streets.[92][93] The Virginia–Lenora columns, each weighing 54 short tons (49,000 kg), were lifted upright by a crane onto a prepared concrete footing on June 15.[94][95] Concrete pouring at the Westlake Mall terminal began in late June, with plans to build the station platforms 25 feet (7.6 m) over Pine Street.[96] The monorail's 60-short-ton (54,000 kg) precast concrete beams were assembled in Tacoma and trucked up to Seattle, with special permission from the Washington State Highway Commission,[97] and the first was installed on September 21 between Virginia and Stewart streets before advancing northwards.[98][99] Column construction and girder installation took approximately eight months in total, with at least three lanes of traffic on 5th Avenue remaining open during most periods.[29]

The steel girders at the Westlake Mall terminal were installed in October, followed by work on the Seattle Center terminal.[100] By December 1961, most of the work on the tracks and 54 percent of work on the stations were complete,[101] using a total of 14,700 short tons (13,300,000 kg) of concrete and 970 short tons (880,000 kg) of steel.[102][103] The last of the 138 guideway beams was hoisted and installed on January 9, 1962, near Denny Way to complete 5,200 feet (1,600 m) of track.[104][105] In February 1962, the Seattle Transit Commission approved a contract with Century 21 to allow its employees to operate the monorail trains.[106] Monorail personnel, including drivers and ticket booth attendants, would wear blue-and-white poplin uniforms designed for the exposition.[107][108]

The first monorail train, later named the "Blue Train", was shipped in four sections from Bremen, West Germany, to Newark, New Jersey, and transported by train to Seattle.[109][110] It arrived on February 19, 1962, and was lifted onto the trackway later that day.[111] The monorail completed its first test run on March 3 and continued with several tests at reduced speeds.[112][113] The first test run was driven by Jim West, a former cable car operator on the Yesler Way line who later drove the city's streetcars, trolleybuses, and motor buses.[114] Several test runs were made into special occasions, including a trip that was televised live by KING-TV and a preview ride for 175 dignitaries after a ribbon cutting at the Westlake terminal on March 12.[115][116] The second train, later named the "Red Train", arrived on March 27 and was installed on its track at the Seattle Center terminal.[117] It made its first test run on April 10 and entered passenger service to temporarily replace the Blue Train before the beginning of the fair.[118][119]

World's Fair

The Westlake Mall terminal, seen from a nearby building in 1962

The monorail and Space Needle opened for a public preview on March 24, 1962, a month before the formal start of the Century 21 Exposition.[120] The inaugural monorail trip from the Westlake terminal carried 130 passengers who received commemorative medals, including the first riders, who had lined up several hours early.[120][121] An estimated 9,600 people had ridden the Blue Train on the monorail's first day and 24,000 total over the preview weekend; service on the first day was suspended an hour earlier than scheduled because of a mechanical issue.[122][123] The monorail was officially christened by government officials and civic leaders on April 19, after 179,000 passengers had boarded the trains during preview rides.[24][124]

The Century 21 Exposition formally opened on April 21. Monorail fares during the fair were set at 50 cents one-way and 75 cents round-trip for adults and 35 cents one-way and 50 cents round-trip for children.[125] Trains operated from 8:45 a.m. to 12:15 a.m. during the fair, taking 96 seconds to complete each trip.[126] It carried a total of 7.4 million passengers, about 90 percent of fair attendees, from April 21 to October 21.[8] After the fair, the monorail operated with a reduced schedule, from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. It was limited to one train over the winter months but averaged 1,200 daily passengers.[127][128]

The system's $4.2 million in construction costs were fully paid by farebox revenue that was generated from March 24 to September 17.[24][37] The monorail system was retained after the fair under the temporary ownership of Alweg, which was contracted to end on April 21, 1963.[129] The city government was tasked with deciding the fate of the monorail, with options including demolition or being sold to a public or private operator,[130] while Alweg was granted an extension of its existing street use permit to operate trains until October.[131][132] Alweg agreed to transfer the entire system, including the terminals and offices, to Century 21 Center, Inc., the operator of the fairgrounds, on June 3, 1963. The transfer came at no cost to Century 21 and allowed the monorail to remain in operation, including an extension of agreements with the city government and Seattle Transit System.[133][134]

Ownership transfer and early years

Century 21 Center, Inc. ran into financial issues in late 1964, with $2 million in outstanding debt (equivalent to $12.9 million in 2019 dollars),[56] and began negotiating a takeover of all fairgrounds operations by the city government, which already owned the Seattle Center property.[135] As part of cost-saving measures in October 1964, the monorail eliminated its ticket booths and replaced them with onboard attendants who would take fares.[136] Century 21 Center offered to sell the monorail to the city government for $600,000 (equivalent to $3.86 million in 2019 dollars)[56] as part of resolving its debts to the city and entering liquidation.[137] In December, the corporation's liquidation trustees declined to take the title of the monorail system, lacking an operating franchise and elected not to pay $200,000 for demolition.[138] Negotiations continued for several months until the city government agreed in April to terminate its contracts with Century 21 and take over the fairground facilities. The monorail was transferred to the city government in May at a cost of $775,150 (equivalent to $4.89 million in 2019 dollars),[56] of which $414,128 was in the form of debt forgiveness.[139][140]

The Seattle Center reopened for the summer season on June 1, 1965, with monorail fares lowered the following day to 25 cents for adults on a one-way trip to attract more patrons.[141] The monorail's operating hours were extended to midnight on weekdays and Saturdays, and ridership in the first week of June doubled compared to the prior year.[142] A group of property owners along the monorail route filed a lawsuit against the city government in 1965 over the loss of views and other livability concerns stemming from the construction of the line.[143] The lawsuit was settled by the city in 1968, costing $776,249 for light and air easements on 82 parcels of property.[34][144]

By the end of the 1960s, the monorail was averaging 10,000 passengers on weekdays and 14,000 on weekends during the peak summer season.[145] The Seattle Transit System remained the contracted operator of the monorail until January 1, 1973, when it was absorbed into the Municipality of Metropolitan Seattle (Metro Transit), a countywide transit system. The Seattle city government retained ownership of the monorail and awarded an operating contract to Metro Transit using funding from the Seattle Center department.[24][146] Under Metro Transit, the monorail vehicles were renumbered to 6201 and 6202 and given a new paint scheme in 1978, including the repainting of the red train into the green train.[147][148] The repainting was spurred by the arrival of a traveling exhibition with artifacts from the tomb of Pharaoh Tutankhamun at the Seattle Center.[148] The exhibition caused a surge in ridership for the monorail, which reached 2.8 million in 1978.[34]

Renovations and preservation

The old monorail terminal over Pine Street, as seen from the east in 1982

The southern terminus at Westlake Mall was originally a large station that straddled Pine Street along a section of Westlake Avenue that had been converted into a public plaza. The terminal had a sloped moving walkway between street level and the three elevated platforms,[107] which were covered by a "scalloped" roof.[149][150] The plaza at Westlake Mall was sought as the location of an expanded downtown park, leading to a major renovation of the monorail terminal that began in January 1968 and was completed in April 1968.[151][152] Monorail service continued with reduced service while the terminal was reduced in size through the removal of the outer platforms, which were deemed unnecessary for post-fair demand, and the replacement of the roof with a simpler design.[150][153][154] An emergency repair to the Westlake terminal was made in 1974 at a cost of $100,000 to replace metal shields under the platforms that caught debris.[155]

A larger renovation was completed in 1988 to accommodate the downtown park, later named Westlake Park, and the adjacent Westlake Center shopping mall and office complex.[156] The old terminal had been viewed as a "blight" on the area, which was sought by the city government for redevelopment as the center of Downtown Seattle's retail core beginning in the late 1960s.[156][157] Several proposals for a shopping mall on the block on the north side of Pine Street were considered by the city in the 1970s, including hotels, movie theaters, a potential home for the Seattle Art Museum, and a new monorail terminal, but they were never realized.[156][158] After several years of litigation led by preservation activists, a new proposal from The Rouse Company and a local developer was approved for construction in late 1985.[159][160]

The new proposal included demolition of the monorail terminal to make way for a public park, while trains would terminate at a new station integrated into the shopping mall.[159][160] The relocation of the station was initially rejected in 1985 after engineers discovered that the monorail tracks would not be able to make the necessary turn into the station without significant reconstruction.[159] The city government instead proposed moving the columns into the sidewalk on 5th Avenue and creating a gauntlet track, which would prevent the two trains from using the Westlake terminal at the same time, and city councilmember George Benson suggested using a retractable ramp to access the outer track.[161] A temporary station would be used during mall construction to allow the monorail to continue operations.[162] The monorail relocation project was estimated to cost $19 million (equivalent to $39.1 million in 2019 dollars)[56] with heavy reliance on a federal grant that was initially denied by the Urban Mass Transportation Administration.[163][164] The city considered several options, including running a single train, selling the system to Tacoma, or demolishing the monorail entirely,[165][166] but ultimately chose in March 1986 to keep the system and spend $2.7 million (equivalent to $5.45 million in 2019 dollars)[56] on the initial planning for the station overhaul and other renovations.[167]

The temporary downtown terminal at Stewart Street, pictured in 1987 after the southern section of guideway had been demolished.

The federal government awarded a $5.6 million grant (equivalent to $11.3 million in 2019 dollars)[56] for the relocation project in late July, two months after construction began on a temporary terminal at 5th Avenue and Stewart Street.[168][169] The old terminal at Westlake Mall closed permanently on September 1, 1986, and was demolished over the following two months.[170][171] The temporary terminal and its 140-foot (43 m) platform opened on September 17, 1986, allowing monorail service to resume after a two-week suspension.[172] It was built one block to the north at Stewart Street, next to the western track and only served the blue train.[173] The Seattle city council finalized a $7 million spending package (equivalent to $13.8 million in 2019 dollars)[56] in March 1987 to construct the permanent terminal, which would begin after work on Pine Street for the Downtown Seattle Transit Tunnel advanced beyond excavation.[174][175]

The monorail project also included improvements to the electrical systems and an expansion of the Seattle Center terminal, as well as work on the two trains.[176] An extensive interior refurbishment was cut after the monorail project trended $1.7 million above budget (equivalent to $3.35 million in 2019 dollars),[56] and later reduced to new paneling and floorboards.[177][178] The Westlake Center shopping mall was opened to the public on October 20, 1988, with the new monorail terminal on the third floor used temporarily for one day before it closed for additional construction.[179] Several days before the scheduled opening, engineers discovered that the west track was two inches (50 mm) too close to the platform and mall building, preventing its use.[180] The discovery was made when a retractable boarding ramp at the terminal scratched the blue train during a test run, and a hinge pin that failed to fold properly was identified as the cause for the misalignment.[181] The ramp was fixed in November, but other technical glitches and extended safety testing delayed the opening of the new terminal station for four months.[182][183] The new Westlake Center monorail terminal opened on February 25, 1989, alongside the return of the red train to service.[184]

In 1994, Metro Transit (later King County Metro) and the Seattle Center were replaced as the monorail's operator by a private company, which signed a ten-year contract with the city.[23] Metro previously provided drivers and maintained the trains, while the Seattle Center employed ticket-takers and janitorial staff.[185] Near the northern end of the line, the Experience Music Project building (now the Museum of Pop Culture) was constructed over the monorail tracks from 1998 to 2000.[186] The building was designed so that the tracks would pass through a valley at the center of the structure, with windows from the exhibit spaces facing the guideway.[187][188] The monorail tracks and vehicles were declared a historic landmark by the Seattle Landmarks Preservation Board in April 2003, amid plans to demolish or replace the line as part of a citywide monorail expansion.[189] In July, the city council passed the landmark ordinance to provide protections to the two Alweg trains, but excluded the guideway in order to support its reuse for the expansion project.[190]

The monorail began a long-term closure on March 16, 2020, due to decreased demand amid the COVID-19 pandemic in the Seattle area.[191] It reopened on May 28 with limited service and suspension of cash ticket sales, but was closed again over the weekend due to protests in Downtown Seattle.[192][193]

Planned developments

The monorail was integrated into the regional fare system in the late 2010s, beginning with the acceptance of mobile tickets and later the ORCA card in October 2019.[20][21] As part of major renovations to Climate Pledge Arena for a National Hockey League team (later named the Seattle Kraken), set to be completed by September 2021, the monorail stations will be upgraded to handle larger crowds. The Westlake Center terminal will be expanded to accommodate 6,000 people per hour with new fare gates and ticket vending machines for ORCA cards and tickets. The NHL team will also fund free transit passes for attendees to reduce the number of car trips to the arena before and after games.[194] A proposed second phase of the expansion program would include a covered walkway and second entrance at the Westlake Center terminal with access from the Pine Street plaza and the transit tunnel station.[195] NHL Seattle, the ownership group for the hockey team, also announced that it would purchase a 50 percent stake in Seattle Monorail Services.[196]

Expansion proposals

The monorail has been the subject of several expansion proposals, primarily with the goal of expanding it into a citywide rapid transit system. In 1961, businessman Ben B. Ehrlichman proposed that the then-unfinished monorail be extended north to Alderwood Manor or Mountlake Terrace and south towards Seattle–Tacoma International Airport, Kent, and Renton. The initial system would cost $60 million (equivalent to $401 million in 2019 dollars),[56] while a second line serving the Eastside region would be built separately using a new floating bridge.[65] Former Seattle Transit System manager Marmion D. Mills proposed his own monorail system in 1963 that would connect Seattle to Mountlake Terrace, Kent, and the airport. Mills argued that a conventional subway system would be too expensive for Seattle and that the other alternative would be an expanded freeway network.[197]

The Forward Thrust program included a ballot measure that would build a conventional rapid transit system serving King County with federal funding, but it was rejected by voters in 1968 and 1970.[198] The designers of the rapid transit proposal considered extending the monorail across a regional network, but found that it would not have the necessary capacity or flexibility provided by conventional trains.[199] A regional monorail plan was made for the Puget Sound Council of Governments, the regional planning authority, by ABAM Engineers in 1976. The firm, which designed the Walt Disney World Monorail System in Florida and several automated people mover systems for U.S. airports, envisioned an 83-mile (134 km) network with 41 stations and 700 monorail vehicles that would cost $500 million to build (equivalent to $1.78 billion in 2019 dollars).[56][200] The proposal was not submitted for further consideration by the PSCOG.[201]

The city government announced its own plan in 1970 to extend the monorail to a parking garage on Mercer Street near the site of a proposed stadium, but it was shelved after a different site was chosen for the stadium.[202][203] A new study was commissioned by the Seattle city government in 1979 to examine improvements to the monorail system, including a closed loop around the Seattle Center campus and an infill station in the Denny Regrade neighborhood.[201] A full conversion into an automated people mover with smaller vehicles was also studied as part of the improvement program.[204][205] The revived interest in the monorail was sparked by the 1970s energy crisis and subsequent availability of federal funding for transit projects, but the Seattle proposals were rejected by the Urban Mass Transit Administration.[34][206]

ETC and Seattle Monorail Project

The Regional Transit Authority (later Sound Transit) was formed in 1993 to create a regional light rail system for the Seattle area, which was ratified by voters in November 1996. A separate proposal to build a citywide monorail system was conceived in 1996 by Dick Falkenbury, a taxi driver who submitted a ballot initiative after a signature-gathering campaign.[207] Falkenbury's proposal envisioned an "X"-shaped system with service from Downtown Seattle to Ballard, Lake City, the Rainier Valley, and West Seattle, which would cost $850 million to construct (equivalent to $1.3 billion in 2019 dollars).[56][208][209] The monorail plan, named Initiative 41, was approved by 53 percent of voters in a general election on November 4, 1997, creating the Elevated Transportation Company (ETC) to seek financing.[210]

The city government appointed a board for the ETC (later renamed the Seattle Monorail Project) and funded early planning work, but did not agree to fund a $4 million feasibility study in 2000.[211] The original monorail initiative was repealed and replaced by a new plan approved by voters in November 2000, which included $6 million on a study.[212] The first corridor, the 14-mile (23 km) "Green Line" from West Seattle to Ballard, was estimated to cost $1.75 billion and be funded by a motor vehicle excise tax. The tax was adopted through a ballot measure that was narrowly approved by voters in the November 2002 election, creating the Seattle Popular Monorail Authority to manage the program.[213]

The monorail project initially attracted two bids led by Hitachi and Bombardier, but both pulled out in April 2004 over cost concerns and availability of local contractors.[214] The project was also stymied by tax revenue that was lower than expected and design changes to keep construction costs within the proposed budget and open by 2009—a two-year delay from the original plan.[215] A recall measure on the November 2004 ballot aimed to prevent monorail construction, but it was rejected by voters and allowed the expansion project to continue.[216] The monorail operator reached a tentative agreement with Cascadia Monorail to build the system in June 2005, but had not published the full financial analysis required by the city government before construction was permitted to begin.[217] A revised cost estimate of $11 billion, including debt payments until 2050, was unveiled later that month and withdrawn by the Seattle Monorail Project after public criticism from elected officials.[218] The monorail project was abandoned after a fifth ballot initiative in November 2005, including a $4.9 billion financing plan for a 10-mile (16 km) line, was rejected by 64 percent of voters.[219][220] The Seattle Monorail Project was formally dissolved in January 2008, having spent $124.7 million on planning and property acquisition.[221]

Accidents and incidents

Aftermath of the November 2005 collision near the Westlake Center terminal in Downtown Seattle

On October 20, 1962, the penultimate day of the Century 21 Exposition, the red train struck a bumper stop at the Westlake terminal—the first accident on the monorail system. None of the 400 passengers were injured, but the window and nose of the train were damaged, requiring a patch and two hours of repairs before returning to service.[222] The red train was damaged in a similar manner on August 14, 1963, striking the Westlake terminal's bumper while on a test run after the first set of brakes failed.[223]

The first major accident involving the monorail occurred on July 25, 1971, when the red train struck a girder at the end of the track in the Seattle Center terminal at 15 to 20 mph (24 to 32 km/h).[224] The crash was caused by a brake failure and injured 26 of the 40 passengers on board the train.[225][226] The red train was lifted off the track and moved to a Seattle Transit System maintenance facility in August for a complete rebuild of the front car, which cost $100,000 (equivalent to $493,000 in 2019 dollars)[56] and was completed in June 1973 with the help of translated blueprints from Alweg.[227][228] One maintenance worker was killed during the repairs after falling into a pit under the vehicle.[229]

A similar brake failure on the blue train occurred on May 21, 1979, which injured 15 people at the Seattle Center terminal. The monorail's brake system was not found to be at fault, but the disabling of the onboard speed control system was criticized by city officials.[230][231] The monorail struck a bumper at the temporary downtown terminal on August 27, 1987, causing no injuries but breaking the glass window, which fell onto a parked car below. The incident was later blamed on driver error.[232][233]

On May 31, 2004, a fire broke out on the blue train as it passed through the Experience Music Project with 150 people aboard, of whom eight suffered minor injuries.[234] Passengers were evacuated using the red train, which traveled back to the Seattle Center terminal, and via ladders deployed by the Seattle Fire Department. The fire was determined to have been caused by a snapped drive shaft that broke and damaged a collector shoe, which began to short circuit. The electrical current melted through the shoe's aluminum housing and arced, causing sparks that ignited the undercarriage's grease and oil, creating a fire that entered the interior and ignited the seat cushions.[235] The red train re-entered service on December 16, while the blue train returned on May 2, 2005, after extensive repairs.[235][236]

The two monorail trains clipped one another on the curve above 5th Avenue and Olive Way near the Westlake Center terminal on November 26, 2005, at around 7:10 p.m. The collision was caused by the southbound blue train, which failed to yield while entering a gauntlet track north of Westlake that was created by the 1988 renovation.[13][237] The two trains had 84 total passengers who were evacuated by firetruck ladders, including two people who were hospitalized with minor injuries.[238] Within a week, the trains were separated and towed via crane to the Seattle Center terminal to undergo extensive repairs that cost $4.64 million (equivalent to $5.79 million in 2019 dollars),[56] funded through an insurance payout and contributions from the federal government and private monorail operator.[239][240] A new set of nine aluminum doors—eight for the red train and one for the blue train—were constructed by the props department of the Seattle Opera at their Renton warehouse instead of a traditional contractor.[241] The monorail was initially expected to resume service on July 18, 2006, but problems found in last minute testing delayed the start of service to August 11.[242][243]

The Seattle Center Monorail is considered an iconic landmark for the city of Seattle, alongside the Space Needle, and among the most popular tourist attractions in the state.[28][244] It was featured in the 1963 musical film It Happened at the World's Fair, which starred Elvis Presley and was filmed during the Century 21 Exposition.[8] The monorail and Space Needle were also depicted on the cover of Life magazine and on commemorative stamps and coins issued during the world's fair in 1962.[245][246] The Monorail Espresso coffeehouse was named in honor of the monorail and originally began under the Westlake terminal in 1980 as the first downtown coffee cart.[247][248]

See also

References

  1. "2018 Annual Agency Profile: City of Seattle dba Seattle Center Monorail" (PDF). Federal Transit Administration. Archived (PDF) from the original on February 29, 2020. Retrieved February 28, 2020.
  2. Seattle City Council (August 13, 2003). "City of Seattle Ordinance 121240". Office of the City Clerk. Archived from the original on March 6, 2013. Retrieved March 6, 2013.
  3. Gordon, Karen (April 30, 2003). Report on Designation LPB 107-1/03: Seattle Monorail (PDF) (Report). City of Seattle Landmarks Preservation Board. p. 11. Archived (PDF) from the original on November 20, 2020. Retrieved February 28, 2020.
  4. "2018 Rail Fixed Guideway Public Transportation System Safety Report" (PDF). Washington State Department of Transportation. June 2019. p. 9. Archived (PDF) from the original on February 29, 2020. Retrieved February 28, 2020.
  5. Seattle Center Campus Map (PDF) (Map). Seattle Center. April 20, 2019. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 7, 2020. Retrieved February 28, 2020.
  6. Gordon (2003), p. 14.
  7. Berger, Knute (May 28, 2017). "Don't rail on the Monorail, it might be our future". Crosscut.com. Archived from the original on February 29, 2020. Retrieved February 28, 2020.
  8. Broom, Jack (February 17, 2002). "The future at 40: Monorail zooms ahead, tugging tales—and scenes—from the past". The Seattle Times. p. J1.
  9. Enlow, Clair (July 12, 2000). "Design: Frank Gehry Rock Temple". ArchitectureWeek. Eugene, Oregon: Artifice, Inc. (9): D1.1. OCLC 49808454. Archived from the original on February 29, 2020. Retrieved February 28, 2020.
  10. Miller, Brian (July 14, 2017). "Fat City site on Denny has sold for $8.1M". Seattle Daily Journal of Commerce. Archived from the original on February 29, 2020. Retrieved February 28, 2020.
  11. "Tilikum Place". Seattle Parks and Recreation. Archived from the original on October 17, 2020. Retrieved February 28, 2020.
  12. McNerthney, Casey (October 22, 2009). "Is it illegal to change lanes under the Monorail tracks?". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Archived from the original on February 29, 2020. Retrieved February 28, 2020.
  13. Lindblom, Mike (November 28, 2005). "Monorail collision result of hazard created during 1988 track redesign". The Seattle Times. p. A1. Archived from the original on September 3, 2014. Retrieved February 28, 2020.
  14. "Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)". Seattle Center Monorail. Seattle Monorail Services. Archived from the original on November 21, 2019. Retrieved February 28, 2020.
  15. Transit Tunnel: Westlake Station (PDF) (Map). King County Metro Transit. October 2015. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 9, 2018. Retrieved February 28, 2020.
  16. "Tickets, Hours & Information". Seattle Center Monorail. Seattle Monorail Services. Archived from the original on May 16, 2019. Retrieved February 28, 2020.
  17. "Seattle Monorail Holiday Schedule". Seattle Center Monorail. Seattle Monorail Services. October 10, 2012. Archived from the original on September 25, 2019. Retrieved February 28, 2020.
  18. "New Year's Eve at the Space Needle!". Seattle Center Monorail. Seattle Monorail Services. December 30, 2010. Archived from the original on February 29, 2020. Retrieved February 28, 2020.
  19. "Buy Tickets". Seattle Center Monorail. Archived from the original on September 25, 2019. Retrieved October 7, 2019.
  20. Baruchman, Michelle (September 5, 2019). "Seattle Center Monorail riders could soon pay fares with an ORCA card". The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on March 28, 2020. Retrieved February 28, 2020.
  21. Guevara, Natalie (October 7, 2019). "For tourists or commuters? Seattle Monorail to begin accepting ORCA Card payments Oct. 7". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Archived from the original on October 7, 2019. Retrieved October 7, 2019.
  22. Baker, Geoff (March 24, 2017). "Port of Seattle's Tom Albro removed himself from arena discussions, citing conflict of interest". The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on February 29, 2020. Retrieved February 28, 2020.
  23. Lilly, Dick (April 28, 1994). "Private firm to take over monorail operation". The Seattle Times. p. B4.
  24. Gordon (2003), p. 3.
  25. Seattle City Council (February 26, 2014). "CEN Monorail Agreement FISC: Fiscal Note for Non-Capital Projects" (PDF). Office of the City Clerk. Archived (PDF) from the original on February 29, 2020. Retrieved February 28, 2020.
  26. "About Seattle Monorail". Seattle Center Monorail. Seattle Monorail Services. Archived from the original on September 25, 2019. Retrieved February 28, 2020.
  27. Beekman, Daniel; Lindblom, Mike (December 3, 2014). "ORCA fare card for Monorail wins backing". The Seattle Times. p. B2. Archived from the original on November 22, 2019. Retrieved February 28, 2020.
  28. Yardley, William (September 25, 2006). "In Seattle, a Dream From the Past Has a Hazy Future". The New York Times. p. A23. Archived from the original on August 12, 2014. Retrieved December 13, 2009.
  29. Alweg Monorail: The fascinating story of the world's most modern transportation system (pamphlet). Alweg Rapid Transit Systems. 1962. pp. 9, 12–13. OCLC 15288631. Retrieved March 6, 2020 via Seattle Public Library Special Collections Online.
  30. Bell, Joseph N. (December 1963). "Monorails: Will They Ever Get Off the Ground?". Popular Mechanics. Vol. 120 no. 6. pp. 69–74, 191–193. Retrieved March 3, 2020 via The Internet Archives.
  31. "System Description". Seattle Center Monorail. Seattle Monorail Services. Archived from the original on February 29, 2020. Retrieved February 28, 2020.
  32. "Monorail: Builder Explains One-Armed Pylon". The Seattle Times. October 4, 1961. p. 35.
  33. Lane, Bob (February 6, 1962). "Rock 'n' Roll or Soft Music? Firm Under Monorail Waits". The Seattle Times. p. 1.
  34. Collins, Alf (April 18, 1982). "The Monorail: It was one of the wonders of the fair". The Seattle Times. p. E1.
  35. Gordon (2003), pp. 12, 17.
  36. "Monorail's red train is back". The Seattle Times. May 25, 2010. p. B2.
  37. Conklin, Ellis E. (May 13, 1991). "Fast track to nowhere: In 29 years, the monorail really hasn't gone very far". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. p. C1.
  38. Gordon (2003), p. 12.
  39. Patty, Stanton H. (February 26, 1962). "Monorail Trial Run Saturday". The Seattle Times. p. 6.
  40. Gordon (2003), p. 13.
  41. Gordon (2003), pp. 11–12.
  42. Lindblom, Mike (January 3, 2004). "Monorail could deal with ice, report says". The Seattle Times. p. B1. Retrieved March 5, 2020.
  43. Morgan, Murray (September 7, 1995). "Since 1892, rapid transit plans have been up in the air". The News Tribune. p. FP15.
  44. Miletich, Matt (February 24, 1963). "Seattle's Dreams of a Monorail System Reach Far Back in the City's History". The Seattle Times. pp. 12–13.
  45. Scigliano, Eric (June 7, 2018). "The Seattles that might have been". The Seattle Times. pp. 12–13. Archived from the original on December 7, 2019. Retrieved February 28, 2020.
  46. Fish, Byron (May 4, 1959). "Deny Farm Keeps Reappearing in City". The Seattle Times. p. 3.
  47. Doig, Ivan (December 21, 1969). "Seattle's Monorail Plan–1918". The Seattle Times. p. 4.
  48. "Monorail For Tollway Here Under Study". The Seattle Times. May 27, 1955. p. 2.
  49. Stein, Alan J. (April 18, 2000). "Century 21 — The 1962 Seattle World's Fair, Part 1". HistoryLink. Archived from the original on March 7, 2020. Retrieved February 28, 2020.
  50. "City to Study Expanded $47,000,000 Civic Center–World Fair Quickly". The Seattle Times. December 19, 1957. p. 14.
  51. "Interbay May Be World Fair Parking Lot". The Seattle Times. September 20, 1957. p. 31.
  52. "Monorail to Begin Within Two Weeks". The Seattle Times. April 3, 1958. p. 1.
  53. "Steps Taken For Monorail System Here". The Seattle Times. April 18, 1958. p. 9.
  54. "Monorail Studied By Transit System". The Seattle Times. April 21, 1958. p. 34.
  55. "City Studies Carveyor, Monorail Rival". The Seattle Times. June 3, 1958. p. 22.
  56. Thomas, Ryland; Williamson, Samuel H. (2020). "What Was the U.S. GDP Then?". MeasuringWorth. Retrieved September 22, 2020. United States Gross Domestic Product deflator figures follow the Measuring Worth series.
  57. "Fair Monorail Offered for $5,385,240". The Seattle Times. July 10, 1958. p. 25.
  58. "Proposed Monorail System For Century 21 Described". The Seattle Times. January 27, 1959. p. 14.
  59. "2 More Firms To Submit Monorail Bids". The Seattle Times. December 11, 1958. p. 20.
  60. "S. F. Monorail Firm Submits Proposal for Century 21". The Seattle Times. April 8, 1959. p. 12.
  61. "Monorail With Radical Power Idea Proposed for Exposition". The Seattle Times. February 24, 1959. p. 17.
  62. "Monorail Will Be Built From 5th and Pine to Fair". The Seattle Times. April 29, 1959. p. 1.
  63. "Monorail Eyed for Fair". The Pasadena Independent. January 28, 1959. p. 2. Archived from the original on March 1, 2020. Retrieved February 29, 2020 via Newspapers.com.
  64. "Monorail May Insure Success Of Exposition". The Seattle Times. April 29, 1959. p. 12.
  65. Patty, Stanton H. (April 23, 1961). "Monorail Seen As Possible Transit Answer". The Seattle Times. p. 1.
  66. "Talks on Monorail Financing Planned". The Seattle Times. April 30, 1959. p. 18.
  67. "Lockheed Would Buy Back Monorail After Century 21 Exposition". The Seattle Times. October 8, 1959. p. 9.
  68. "Century 21 Still Hopes For Monorail". The Seattle Times. November 21, 1959. p. 2.
  69. "Monorail Has Been Off Again, On Again". The Seattle Times. January 31, 1960. p. 18.
  70. Patty, Stanton H. (February 2, 1960). "Swedish Firm Would Build Century 21 Monorail Free; Offer Made to Transit System". The Seattle Times (Night Sports Final ed.). p. 1.
  71. "Transit Commission, Fair Officials To Confer on Monorail". The Seattle Times. February 3, 1960. p. 37.
  72. "Contract For Fair Monorail Expected Soon". The Seattle Times. April 29, 1960. p. 44.
  73. "Decision On Monorail Due in Week". The Seattle Times. March 7, 1960. p. 17.
  74. "Monorail Decision Due In 30 Days". The Seattle Times. March 25, 1960. p. 7.
  75. "Preliminary Pact on Monorail to Be Signed May 20". The Seattle Times. May 11, 1960. p. 2.
  76. "Green Light Given on Monorail Pact with Alwac". The Seattle Times. May 13, 1960. p. 10.
  77. Patty, Stanton H. (September 13, 1960). "Final '21' Monorail Contract Due to Be Signed Next Month". The Seattle Times (Night Sports Final ed.). p. 1.
  78. "Association Seeking Permanent Mall in Westlake". The Seattle Times. October 30, 1960. p. C10.
  79. Patty, Stanton H (December 17, 1961). "Seattle World's Fair to Be Monorail Test Site". Independent Press-Telegram. Long Beach, California. pp. A1, A14. Archived from the original on March 2, 2020. Retrieved February 29, 2020 via Newspapers.com.
  80. Patty, Stanton H. (December 22, 1960). "Monorail Stations, Cars to Be Bigger". The Seattle Times. p. 1.
  81. Lange, Greg (January 17, 1999). "Seattle's Monorail construction contract is signed on May 13, 1961". HistoryLink. Archived from the original on December 18, 2019. Retrieved March 1, 2020.
  82. Patty, Stanton H. (April 21, 1961). "100 Small 'Space Cars' To 'Orbit' Century 21". The Seattle Times (Night Sports Final ed.). p. 1.
  83. "No Monorail To Be Inside Fairgrounds". The Seattle Times. September 27, 1961. p. 55.
  84. "Permit For Monorail Work O. K'd". The Seattle Times. March 2, 1961. p. 34.
  85. "Monorail Financing Agreed Upon". The Seattle Times. January 3, 1962. p. 4.
  86. Patty, Stanton H. (November 8, 1961). "Challenge Thrills Construction Firm". The Seattle Times. p. 68.
  87. "Civic Center Speeded Up 25 Years by Fair, Braman Declares". The Seattle Times. October 10, 1961. p. 3.
  88. Patty, Stanton H. (March 13, 1961). "Century 21 Monorail Unveiled". The Seattle Times (Night Sports Final ed.). p. 1.
  89. "Monorail Day Marked by Music And Speeches". The Seattle Times. April 6, 1961. p. 19.
  90. "500 to Get Free Rides On Monorail". The Seattle Times. April 5, 1961. p. 14.
  91. Becker, Paula; Stein, Alan J.; HistoryLink Staff (2011). The Future Remembered: The 1962 Seattle World's Fair and Its Legacy. Seattle Center Foundation and HistoryInk/HistoryLink. p. 39. ISBN 9780615469409. OCLC 759609759.
  92. "Monorail-Pillar Forms Erected". The Seattle Times. May 10, 1961. p. 1.
  93. "Monorail Concrete Poured". The Seattle Times. May 23, 1961. p. 6.
  94. "Monorail Column Put in Place". The Seattle Times. June 15, 1961. p. 9.
  95. "Concrete for Monorail Piers". The Seattle Times. June 28, 1961. p. 55.
  96. "Hauling of Monorail Beams Approved". The Seattle Times. April 14, 1961. p. 36.
  97. "Concrete Beam for Monorail Placed". The Seattle Times. September 21, 1961. p. B.
  98. "'Rails' Put in Place for Monorail". The Seattle Times. September 30, 1961. p. B.
  99. "Girders for Monorail Terminal". The Seattle Times. October 26, 1961. p. B.
  100. Gordon (2003), p. 15.
  101. "Two Monorail Trains to Be Shipped Soon". The Seattle Times. December 8, 1961. p. 1.
  102. "The End: Last Beam Laid For Monorail". The Seattle Times. January 10, 1962. p. 3.
  103. "5,200-Foot Trip". The Seattle Times. April 8, 1962. p. C19.
  104. "Contract For Monorail Jobs Approved". The Seattle Times. February 21, 1962. p. 46.
  105. "Rapid Transit On Trial: Monorail Is Magic Carpet to Fair". The Seattle Times. April 8, 1962. p. C20.
  106. "Monorail Uniform Modeled at Show". The Seattle Times. January 15, 1962. p. 9.
  107. "Seattle Fair Train Here From Bremen". The New York Times. February 6, 1962. p. 48. Archived from the original on March 2, 2020. Retrieved March 1, 2020.
  108. "First Monorail Train Arrives". The Seattle Times. February 19, 1962. p. 3.
  109. Patty, Stanton H. (March 4, 1962). "Magic Carpet: Monorail Makes Trial Run". The Seattle Times. p. C1.
  110. Reddin, John J. (April 9, 1962). "Faces of the City: Monorail Fans Keep Gripman On The Jump". The Seattle Times. p. A.
  111. "TV Camera To Preview Ride On Monorail". The Seattle Times. March 4, 1962. p. 3.
  112. "Officials See Monorail Train Tested". The Seattle Times. March 12, 1962. p. 3.
  113. "Monorail Train Finds Its Mate". The Seattle Times. March 27, 1962. p. B.
  114. "Second Monorail Train (Red) Makes Test Run Successfully". The Seattle Times. April 10, 1962. p. 3.
  115. "Monorail Trains Meet". The Seattle Times. April 11, 1962. p. 3.
  116. Fleming, Ken (March 25, 1962). "Monorail Opens Doors To Crowds" (PDF). Seattle Post-Intelligencer. p. 1. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 31, 2016. Retrieved March 2, 2020.
  117. McNerthney, Casey (August 11, 2016). "Seattle's Monorail: a history beyond the World's Fair". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Archived from the original on March 3, 2020. Retrieved March 2, 2020.
  118. Patty, Stanton H. (March 25, 1962). "Needle Thrills Thousands on Opening Day". The Seattle Times. p. C1.
  119. Patty, Stanton H. (March 26, 1962). "Needle, Monorail Lure Many". The Seattle Times. p. 19.
  120. Patty, Stanton H. (April 20, 1962). "World's Fair Toasted". The Seattle Times. p. 2.
  121. "Times Answers Questions About Fair". The Seattle Times. November 12, 1961. p. 19.
  122. "Your Twelfth Week at the World's Fair". The Seattle Times. July 6, 1962. p. C4.
  123. "Big Magnets Of Fair Are Drawing 'Em In as Before". The Seattle Times. February 13, 1963. p. 21.
  124. "Changes Set In Operation Of Monorail". The Seattle Times. October 25, 1962. p. 18.
  125. Patty, Stanton H. (January 22, 1963). "Monorail Rolls On Amid Questions As to Its Future". The Seattle Times. p. 27.
  126. "City Is Asked For Monorail Decision". The Seattle Times. November 10, 1962. p. A.
  127. Patty, Stanton H. (March 17, 1963). "End of Line?: Deadline Near For Decision On Monorail". The Seattle Times. p. C1.
  128. "Decision on Monorail Due April 1". The Seattle Times. December 3, 1962. p. 17.
  129. Patty, Stanton H. (May 22, 1963). "Alweg Gift: $4.5 Million Monorail Given C-21 Center". The Seattle Times. p. 1.
  130. "Center Corp. Takes Over Monorail". The Seattle Times. June 3, 1963. p. 3.
  131. Patty, Stanton H. (September 13, 1964). "City, Century 21 Corp. In Life-of-Death Talks". The Seattle Times. p. 1.
  132. "Innovation: Ticket-Takers On Monorail Trains". The Seattle Times. October 16, 1964. p. 4.
  133. Patty, Stanton H. (December 8, 1964). "C-21 Corp. Plagued by Finances, Other Problems". The Seattle Times. p. 7.
  134. Patty, Stanton H. (December 28, 1964). "Official Ending: Liquidating Trustees To Give Final Report On World's Fair". The Seattle Times. p. 32.
  135. Patty, Stanton H. (April 6, 1965). "City Sets Stage For Center Change-Over". The Seattle Times. p. 18.
  136. "Greater Seattle Takes Over Center's Promotional Activity". The Seattle Times. May 5, 1965. p. 12.
  137. "Center Will Open Tomorrow; Monorail Fare Cut Tuesday". The Seattle Times. May 30, 1965. p. 11.
  138. "Monorail Thrives On Lower Fares". The Seattle Times. June 8, 1965. p. 43.
  139. Moody, Dick (February 14, 1965). "Counsel Reports Monorail Purchase Won't Affect Suits". The Seattle Times. p. 10.
  140. "Monorail Cost City $776,249". The Seattle Times. June 8, 1968. p. 12.
  141. "Monorails Near 400,000-Mile Mark". The Seattle Times. October 19, 1969. p. 32.
  142. "Metro OK's contracts with two transit lines". The Seattle Times. December 8, 1972. p. E7.
  143. Gordon (2003), p. 17.
  144. "Monorail spruceup: Trains, terminal to get paint job". The Seattle Times. June 18, 1978. p. C1.
  145. Davies, Lawrence E. (February 25, 1962). "Seattle Gives Monorail A Trial". The New York Times. p. X23. Archived from the original on March 3, 2020. Retrieved March 3, 2020.
  146. Willix, Douglas (December 28, 1967). "Advertising Benches at Bus Stops Rejected by Public Works Board". The Seattle Times. p. 11.
  147. "Work Begins On Monorail Terminal". The Seattle Times. January 24, 1968. p. 18.
  148. "Central Association Report Lists 61 Major City Projects". The Seattle Times. May 12, 1968. p. C6.
  149. "Monorail Terminal Is Getting Smaller". The Seattle Times. March 11, 1968. p. 51.
  150. "Work to Begin On Monorail Terminal". The Seattle Times. January 5, 1968. p. 4.
  151. "Fast action hoped for repair of terminal". The Seattle Times. July 3, 1974. p. A4.
  152. Dougherty, Phil (January 10, 2008). "Westlake Center opens in downtown Seattle on October 20, 1988". HistoryLink. Archived from the original on February 29, 2020. Retrieved February 29, 2020.
  153. Lane, Polly (May 23, 1971). "Pine Street: open or shut case?". The Seattle Times. p. D1.
  154. Rinearson, Peter (October 23, 1979). "Council clears mall plan, with a hitch". The Seattle Times. p. A14.
  155. Schaefer, David (May 20, 1985). "Monorail snags Westlake Mall plans". The Seattle Times. p. A1.
  156. Turner, Wallace (February 1, 1986). "Seattle Redevelopment Plan Aims at Downtown". The New York Times. p. 14. Archived from the original on March 3, 2020. Retrieved March 3, 2020.
  157. Crowley, Walt (November 2, 2004). "George Benson: Seattle's Favorite Unpolitician". HistoryLink. Archived from the original on December 17, 2019. Retrieved March 7, 2020.
  158. Schaefer, David (June 29, 1985). "Plan puts monorail plan back on track". The Seattle Times. p. A7.
  159. Schaefer, David (August 7, 1985). "Failure of monorail measure puts projects in jeopardy". The Seattle Times. p. A10.
  160. Maier, Scott (January 16, 1986). "Grant to overhaul monorail is denied". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. p. A1.
  161. Robinson, Herb (July 14, 1985). "Tear it down? The 'unthinkable' monorail option". The Seattle Times. p. A22.
  162. Maier, Scott (February 20, 1986). "One-train monorail studied". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. p. A10.
  163. Maier, Scott (March 6, 1986). "Monorail plan rolls past a key roadblock". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. p. D1.
  164. Schaefer, David (June 4, 1986). "Westlake Mall 'off and running'". The Seattle Times. p. A1.
  165. "Seattle gets grant to move the monorail". The Seattle Times. July 25, 1986. p. D1.
  166. "Monorail to close for two weeks". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. September 1, 1986. p. D1.
  167. Fair, Don (September 6, 1986). "Monorail station won't fall easily—or cheaply". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. p. A3.
  168. "Monorail gets rolling once again". The Seattle Times. September 18, 1986. p. B2.
  169. Gordon (2003), p. 16.
  170. Maier, Scott (March 10, 1987). "Westlake foes dealt a setback". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. p. D1.
  171. Carlton, Debera (May 13, 1987). "The bite of Seattle: below us monsters will roar". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. p. A8.
  172. Gordon (2003), pp. 15–17.
  173. Maier, Scott (November 10, 1987). "Monorail job $1.7 million over budget". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. p. B3.
  174. "Monorail service set to resume". The Seattle Times. October 16, 1988. p. D5.
  175. Hunt, Judi (October 18, 1988). "Officials promise Westlake Center will open on time, finished or not". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. p. C1.
  176. Gorlick, Arthur C. (October 20, 1988). "A tight spot for monorail: Surprise, surprise! It's 2 inches too close to the Westlake Center". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. p. A1.
  177. Lane, Polly (October 20, 1988). "Westlake Center station proves tight fit: It scratched the monorail". The Seattle Times. p. A1.
  178. Wallace, James (November 11, 1988). "Monorail project back on track – Westlake Center platform fixed, but waterfall plans spring leak". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. p. B2.
  179. Wallace, James (January 13, 1989). "Engineers still on a glitch-hunt at Westlake Center monorail station". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. p. B1.
  180. "Westlake monorail opening". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. February 25, 1989. p. B1.
  181. Angelos, Constantine (December 1, 1993). "Private monorail could bring city $74,000 in a year". The Seattle Times. p. B3.
  182. Brady, Noel S. (May 5, 1998). "EMP challenge: turning sculpture into a building". Seattle Daily Journal of Commerce. Archived from the original on August 5, 2007. Retrieved March 7, 2020.
  183. Parvaz, D. (September 2, 1999). "A new level of experience: Paul Allen's high-tech rock 'n' roll museum is really taking shape". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. p. E1.
  184. Nance, Darrell (June 15, 2000). "How to drive a monorail through the EMP". Seattle Daily Journal of Commerce. Archived from the original on March 2, 2020. Retrieved March 1, 2020.
  185. Murakami, Kery (April 17, 2003). "Monorail is declared historic". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. p. B2. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved March 5, 2020.
  186. Murakami, Kery; Hadley, Jane (August 5, 2003). "Monorail to ride into the sunset". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. p. A1. Archived from the original on March 2, 2020. Retrieved March 6, 2020.
  187. "Effective March 16, 2020 at 7pm, Monorail Temporarily Closed". Seattle Center Monorail. Seattle Monorail Services. March 16, 2020. Archived from the original on April 1, 2020. Retrieved March 16, 2020.
  188. Charles, Alfred (May 29, 2020). "Seattle's iconic monorail service, halted because of COVID-19, running again". KOMO News. Archived from the original on May 29, 2020. Retrieved May 30, 2020.
  189. "Seattle Center Monorail Reopening Information". Seattle Center Monorail. Seattle Monorail Services. May 27, 2020. Archived from the original on June 15, 2020. Retrieved May 30, 2020.
  190. Groover, Heidi (February 25, 2020). "Free transit passes, monorail improvements aim to entice Seattle hockey fans to leave their cars at home". The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on February 26, 2020. Retrieved February 25, 2020.
  191. Lindblom, Mike (June 5, 2018). "Station expansions can double Seattle monorail capacity, new report says". The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on February 26, 2020. Retrieved March 7, 2020.
  192. Merten, Paxtyn (February 25, 2020). "NHL Seattle becomes part owner of monorail operations firm". Puget Sound Business Journal. Archived from the original on January 20, 2021. Retrieved March 1, 2020.
  193. Miletich, Matt (February 24, 1963). "Seattle's Dreams of a Monorail System". Charmed Life Magazine, The Seattle Times. pp. 12–13.
  194. Kershner, Jim (2019). Transit: The Story of Public Transportation in the Puget Sound Region. HistoryLink, Documentary Media. pp. 71–75. ISBN 9781933245553. OCLC 1084619121.
  195. "Forward Thrust Forum: Monorail Presents Problems". The Seattle Times. February 8, 1968. p. 3.
  196. Rowe, Cliff (February 23, 1976). "Not now; maybe later?". The Seattle Times. p. A13.
  197. Reiner, Cathy (August 8, 1979). "Rapid-transit plan rises from the dust". The Seattle Times. p. H1.
  198. "City to Offer Traffic Plan". The Seattle Times. March 13, 1970. p. A9.
  199. Rockne, Dick (July 26, 1970). "Stadium Proposal Resubmitted". The Seattle Times. p. C5.
  200. "City wants Metro OK of Monorail extension". The Seattle Times. August 18, 1977. p. A9.
  201. Lane, Bob (January 6, 1978). "People mover: Seattle invited to seek planning grant for Monorail". The Seattle Times. p. B2.
  202. Fancher, Michael R. (March 1, 1979). "Monorail perks planners' interest again". The Seattle Times. p. B5.
  203. McDermott, Terry (July 4, 1996). "A gridlocked city could take the monorail to new lengths". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. p. B1.
  204. Godden, Jean (November 8, 1996). "Monorail X plan is still RTA plan B". The Seattle Times. p. B1.
  205. Modie, Neil (November 14, 1996). "Monorail extension up for vote". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. p. B1.
  206. Crowley, Walt (April 14, 2003). "Seattle voters approve Initiative 41 Monorail plan on November 4, 1997". HistoryLink. Archived from the original on December 18, 2019. Retrieved March 3, 2020.
  207. Murakami, Kery; Foster, George (May 31, 2000). "City council kills monorail vote". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. p. B1.
  208. Garber, Andrew (November 9, 2000). "Voters seem ready to hop on buses and monorail". The Seattle Times. p. B7.
  209. Lindblom, Mike (November 24, 2002). "Follow the Green Line: SPMA gears up for building the 14-mile, $1.75 billion system". The Seattle Times. p. B1.
  210. Lange, Larry (April 19, 2004). "Monorail team hit by firms' pullout". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Archived from the original on March 21, 2020. Retrieved March 20, 2020.
  211. Skolnik, Sam (July 15, 2004). "Monorail opening is delayed". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. p. A1. Archived from the original on March 21, 2020. Retrieved March 20, 2020.
  212. Lange, Larry (November 3, 2004). "Monorail recall: Support lines up for monorail". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. p. A1. Archived from the original on March 21, 2020. Retrieved March 20, 2020.
  213. Hadley, Jane (June 3, 2005). "Monorail agency reaches a deal with builders". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. p. A1. Archived from the original on March 21, 2020. Retrieved March 20, 2020.
  214. Hadley, Jane (July 1, 2005). "Monorail financing plan killed". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. p. A1. Archived from the original on March 21, 2020. Retrieved March 20, 2020.
  215. Kershner (2019), pp. 144–145.
  216. Lange, Larry (October 25, 2005). "Short monorail to cost $4 billion to $5 billion". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. p. B1.
  217. Murakami, Kery (January 17, 2008). "Monorail agency officially dissolves; cost taxpayers $125 million". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Archived from the original on March 21, 2020. Retrieved March 20, 2020.
  218. "Loaded Monorail Train Hits Bumper". The Seattle Times. October 21, 1962. p. 12.
  219. "Bumper Bumped: Repairs Rushed on Monorail Train Damaged in Crash". The Seattle Times. August 15, 1963. p. 31.
  220. Stover, Ed; Works, Martin (July 26, 1971). "Monorail Crashes At The Center, 27 Injured" (PDF). Seattle Post-Intelligencer. p. 1. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 16, 2012. Retrieved March 6, 2020.
  221. Dougherty, Phil (December 1, 2005). "Monorail crashes into steel girder at Seattle Center injuring 26, on July 25, 1971". HistoryLink. Archived from the original on October 19, 2016. Retrieved April 12, 2011.
  222. Henderson, Paul (July 26, 1971). "26 hurt as Monorail train crashes". The Seattle Times. p. A1.
  223. "Monorail's red train goes back on track". The Seattle Times. June 6, 1973. p. B4.
  224. "Red Monorail train may be out til September". The Seattle Times. April 30, 1972. p. B6.
  225. "Mechanic hurt in Monorail fall, dies". The Seattle Times. March 10, 1972. p. A14.
  226. Walker, Wendy (May 23, 1979). "Monorail brake system to be inspected". The Seattle Times. p. A14.
  227. Gilmore, Susan (June 8, 1979). "Monorail speed-control device designed, never used". The Seattle Times. p. A6.
  228. Morrow, Theresa (August 28, 1987). "Bang! Monorail hits wall with shower of glass". The Seattle Times. p. B1.
  229. "Metro blames driver for monorail accident". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. September 5, 1987. p. A1.
  230. Turnbull, Lornet (June 1, 2004). "Fire shuts down monorail; riders flee smoke-filled train". The Seattle Times. p. A1. Archived from the original on January 20, 2021. Retrieved March 5, 2020.
  231. Burrows, Alyssa (July 10, 2005). "Fire halts the Seattle Monorail's "blue train" and passengers are evacuated on May 31, 2004". HistoryLink. Archived from the original on March 28, 2020. Retrieved March 5, 2020.
  232. Lange, Larry (December 17, 2004). "The old monorail rides again". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. p. B1. Archived from the original on November 28, 2020. Retrieved March 5, 2020.
  233. Lindblom, Mike (November 29, 2005). "Monorail's two trains pulled apart by crane". The Seattle Times. p. B4.
  234. Phillips, Cheryl; Lindblom, Mike; Carter, Mike (November 27, 2005). "Monorail trains collide". The Seattle Times. p. A1. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved April 12, 2011.
  235. Lange, Larry (January 4, 2006). "Monorail damage more than just dents". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. p. B1. Archived from the original on August 12, 2014. Retrieved April 12, 2011.
  236. Lindblom, Mike (April 5, 2006). "Monorail needs TLC to tune of $15 million". The Seattle Times. p. B1.
  237. Lindblom, Mike (May 19, 2006). "Unlikely monorail-door maker: the opera". The Seattle Times. p. A1. Archived from the original on January 20, 2021. Retrieved March 6, 2020.
  238. Lange, Larry (July 18, 2006). "Monorail buildup becomes letdown over safety issues". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. p. B1. Archived from the original on January 20, 2021. Retrieved March 6, 2020.
  239. Phuong Cat Le (August 12, 2006). "Seattle Center key attraction back in action: Monorail again on track". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. p. B1. Archived from the original on January 20, 2021. Retrieved March 6, 2020.
  240. Van Bronkhorst, Erin (August 26, 2013). "List: The 25 most attractive tourist attractions in Washington". Puget Sound Business Journal. Archived from the original on July 19, 2015. Retrieved March 11, 2020.
  241. "Space Needle, Monorail Are On Seattle World's Fair Stamp". The Seattle Times. April 15, 1962. p. 19.
  242. "National Magazine Again Features Fair". The Seattle Times. May 3, 1962. p. A.
  243. Kugiya, Hugo (April 28, 1996). "Downtown fax". The Seattle Times. p. 24.
  244. Allison, Melissa (February 23, 2010). "Last call for coffee carts". The Seattle Times. p. A1. Archived from the original on March 24, 2020. Retrieved March 7, 2020.

Further reading

KML is from Wikidata
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.