The Metropolitan King County Council today unanimously adopted an agreement with the city of Seattle that provides a plan for operation and maintenance of the South Lake Union Streetcar line, which is scheduled to begin service at the end of this year. The agreement also grants Seattle the authority reserved to King County to create the line.

“Streetcars are in our future, and the new South Lake Union Streetcar will help workers, residents, and shoppers conveniently navigate between downtown and our South Lake Union neighborhoods. It will also serve as a feeder system for the Link light rail system and Metro buses,” said Councilmember Larry Phillips, who represents South Lake Union on the King County Council. “The streetcar will not only help transform Westlake into a multi-modal transportation hub, but serve the many expanding and exciting new surrounding neighborhoods as a workhorse.”

The interlocal agreement calls for King County Metro to operate the South Lake Union Streetcar line as part of an integrated public transit system operated by King County that also includes Metro Transit buses, Sound Transit buses, the Link light rail system, and the Waterfront Streetcar. Fares for the new South Lake Union Streetcar will be integrated with Metro’s.

Under the agreement, Seattle will pay 100 percent of the streetcar’s net operating costs until Sound Transit’s Link light rail service begins in 2009. After that, King County will use a portion of the revenues from bus operating hours freed up by the launch of Link light rail to pay 75 percent of the streetcar’s net operating costs, with Seattle continuing to pay the remaining 25 percent. Seattle retains ownership of the streetcar and is responsible for repair and replacement costs.

The Seattle City Council on June 25 adopted its own ordinance approving the interlocal agreement, which runs through 2014 with an option to extend to 2019. Under state law, King County has the statutory authority to operate public transit lines in the county, and by this agreement it is granting Seattle the authority to create the South Lake Union streetcar line.

“Recent examples have shown that streetcars can be tremendous catalysts for growth and redevelopment,” said Phillips. “The South Lake Union Streetcar is already helping stimulate vibrant new neighborhoods and a business district, with over 2000 units of housing and 1.7 million square feet of office space newly completed or under construction in the area.”

Read more about this legislation on the King County Council’s LEGISEARCH system.
Type in “2007-0329”