King County Metro’s Bredas making the switch

King County Metro's Bredas making the switch

Newly refurbished Breda 4200 series electric trolley coach.

King County Metro Transit began operating the Breda 5000 series, dual mode buses when the Downtown Seattle Bus Tunnel first opened in 1990. The buses ability to switch from trolley to diesel power and vice versa made it the tunnel workhorse for more than 14 years. With Metro scheduled to convert the tunnel bus fleet to the new hybrid electric buses by the end of this year, the Breda 5000's are being phased out. But they're not going away. Metro vehicle maintenance crews are giving 60 of the buses a makeover, disabling the diesel components and converting them into the next generation of electric trolleys.

“We have a tremendous investment in the Breda fleet,” said Jim Boon, Metro Vehicle Maintenance Manager. “When we bought the Bredas in 1990 we paid about $425,000 per bus. An equivalent replacement trolley would cost us one million dollars today. By converting these buses we'll get an extra ten years of life out of them and the county will save about $54 million. It's an efficient capital investment and is part of an ultimate recycling effort to give our existing assets longer life.”

In addition to the mechanical changes, the Breda trolleys will be completely refurbished on the inside. Operator, ACCESS, maintenance and safety focus groups provided suggestions on how areas could be improved.

“The ergonomics we now have in the driver area of these buses are equal to or better than brand new buses we would get from the factory,” Boon added. “It's custom tailored and we've moved controls and gauges to make them more convenient. It's a safer and more comfortable bus.”

Maintenance crews plan to convert the Breda buses within the next year.

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PSP

Metro Transits Public Safety Partnership (PSP) celebrates its tenth anniversary this year. What began as a grassroots effort to answer questions about safety on buses and in transit areas has led to the formation of a group of dedicated Metro operators who have attended more than 1,000 public meetings and met with almost 40,000 community members.

PSP encourages riders to be active in helping to keep buses and transit areas safe and to coordinate with us on safety problems such as lighting, accessibility and security. Our goal is for riders to feel safer on the bus.

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New Inside Transportation highlights road projects

“Inside Transportation” is a half-hour program designed to help you understand how the King County Department of Transportation serves the public and how you can take advantage of the transportation options we offer to you.

The June edition of the program shows how construction crews were able to keep traffic moving on Northeast 124th Street near Redmond while moving concrete bridge girders into place over the Sammamish River trail, as well as profiling the new Edgewick Bridge. We'll also show you the new Mobile Data Terminals deployed in Metro's ACCESS vans and introduce you to the “In Motion” campaign designed to help residents take advantage of alternative forms of transportation in their communities.

"Inside Transportation" airs on King County Civic Television (KCTV) Tuesday nights at 5 p.m., Wednesday mornings at 5 a.m., and various other times during the week.

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Roadwork ahead

Graphic: Road closed ahead sign

Here is a list of King County Department of Transportation projects that may disrupt traffic and travel in the coming weeks:

Southeast 213th Street, near Shadow Lake – Southeast 213th Street will be closed between 196th Avenue Southeast and 191st Avenue Southeast from 7 a.m. Monday, June 14 to 6 p.m. Wednesday, June 23 while a culvert is replaced.

Northeast 124th Street, north of Redmond – Work continues through October 2004 on Northeast 124th Street between Willows Road and State Route 202. Expect periodic traffic delays, particularly during paving which is planned for the week of June 14.

Duvall Bridge – Crews will be working on a seismic upgrade of the Duvall Bridge on the Woodinville-Duvall Road through September. Most of the work will occur underneath the bridge. Full road or bridge closures are not expected, but flaggers will be controlling truck and equipment traffic.

Wyanco Bridge, east of Auburn – The Wynaco Bridge on 168th Way Southeast is closed through September for repairs and upgrades. Motorists should detour to Auburn-Black Diamond Road and Kent-Black Diamond Road.

Edgewick Bridge, east of North Bend - The Edgewick Bridge on 468th Avenue Southeast remains closed, and traffic has been diverted to a temporary one-lane bridge. The project is expected to last through mid-October.

South 277th Street, between Auburn and Kent – There will be no lane closures, but motorists may experience periodic traffic disruptions on South 277th Street between the West Valley Highway and 72nd Avenue South through October 2005 as a result of this major reconstruction project.

124th Avenue Northeast, in Kingsgate – Private utility relocation is underway, and will be followed by street improvements along 124th Avenue Northeast between Northeast 132nd Street and Northeast 146th Place.

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STOP — there's more...

PSP celebrates 10th anniversary
New Inside Transportation highlights road projects
Roadwork ahead

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