Trolleybuses in Seattle
| Seattle trolleybus system | |
 | |
|---|---|
| Gillig Phantom trolleybus at Seattle First Baptist Church. | |
| Operation | |
| Locale | Seattle, Washington, United States |
| Open | 28 April 1940 |
| Operator(s) | Seattle Transit System (1940–1972) King County Metro (since 1973) |
| Infrastructure | |
| Depot(s) | Atlantic |
| Stock | 159 |
| Overview | |
| Website | Metro online |
The Seattle trolleybus system forms part of the public transportation network serving Seattle, in the state of Washington, United States. Opened on April 28, 1940,[1] it comprises 15 lines, and is operated with 159 trolleybuses by the King County Metro, commonly known as Metro.
Of the five trolleybus systems currently operating in the U.S., the Seattle system is the second largest (by ridership, number of routes and fleet size), after the San Francisco system.
Lines
line 4, August 2005.
The following list of Seattle trolleybus lines reflects the situation as of 2013:[citation needed]
| Route No. | Off-Peak | Sat | Sun | Start | Via | End | Upon arriving in downtown, continues as |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Downtown Seattle | Belltown, Seattle Center West, Queen Anne | Kinnear | 14 |
| 2 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Madrona | Central District, First Hill, Downtown Seattle, Belltown, Seattle Center West | West Queen Anne | 13 (Select Trips from Madrona) |
| 3 | Yes | Yes | Partial | Madrona | Central District, First Hill, Downtown Seattle, Belltown, Seattle Center East | North Queen Anne | 13 (Select Trips from Madrona) |
| 4 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Judkins Park | Central District, First Hill, Downtown Seattle, Belltown, Seattle Center East | East Queen Anne | 13 (Select trips from Judkins Park) |
| 7 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Downtown Seattle | International District, Mount Baker Transit Center, Rainier Valley, Columbia City | Rainier Beach | 49 (select trips) |
| 10 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Downtown Seattle | Seattle Central Community College, Group Health Hospital, 15th Ave E | Capitol Hill | |
| 12 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Downtown Seattle | Seattle University, First Hill, Capitol Hill, 19th Ave E | Interlaken Park | |
| 13 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Downtown Seattle | Belltown, Seattle Center West, Queen Anne | Seattle Pacific University | 2/3 |
| 14 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Downtown Seattle | International District, Central District, Mount Baker Transit Center | Mount Baker | 1 |
| 36 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Downtown Seattle | Pacific Medical Center, Beacon Hill, Jefferson Park, VA Hospital | Othello Station | |
| 43 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Downtown Seattle | Capitol Hill, Group Health Hospital, Central District, Montlake, UW Campus | University District | 44 (select trips) |
| 44 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Government Locks Signed as "Ballard" |
Ballard, Wallingford, University District, UW Campus | Montlake | 43 (select trips) |
| 47 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Downtown Seattle | Capitol Hill | Summit | |
| 49 | Yes | Yes | Yes | University District | Capitol Hill, Broadway, Seattle Central Community College | Downtown Seattle | 7 (select trips) |
| 70 | Yes | Yes | No | Downtown Seattle | Fairview Ave N, Eastlake | University District |
Route 7 provides a Night Owl service.
Current fleet
The Metro trolleybus fleet presently comprises two types, conventional (40-foot (12 m)) buses and articulated buses.
In 2001–03, Metro acquired 100 new conventional length trolleys using new Gillig Phantom shells, to replace its 109 AM General trolleys. The drive train of the AMG coaches was retained with new electronics, saving approximately $200,000 per coach.
Metro later rebuilt 59 of the 236 now retired dual-mode Breda articulated "tunnel buses", converting them to electric-only operation and refurbishing them to replace aging MAN articulated trolleybuses. The rebuild included new Vossloh-Kiepe current-collection equipment, new interior upholstery, a completely new driver's compartment, and new LED destination signs.
| Fleet numbers | Quantity | Manufacturer | Electrical equipment | Model No. | Configuration | Year built |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4100–4199 | 100 | Gillig | GE/Alstom | Phantom/ETB | Conventional | 2001–2003 |
| 4200–4258 | 59 | Breda | AEG/Westinghouse | Original: ADPB 350 (ADPB = articulated dual-power bus). After conversion to electric-only: unknown | Articulated | 1990–91 (converted 2004–2007) |
Depot
Only one of Metro's seven bus garages, known locally as "bases", is used to store and maintain trolleybuses: Atlantic Base, at 1555 Airport Way S., Seattle.
Atlantic, Central, and Ryerson Bases are located close together near Safeco Field south of downtown Seattle and are known as the Central Campus.
See also
References
- ↑ "Trolleybus city: Seattle USA". TrolleyMotion website. TrolleyMotion. Retrieved August 25, 2011.
External links
Media related to Trolleybuses in Seattle at Wikimedia Commons
- Trolleybus city : Seattle at Trolleymotion (English)
- Seattle database / photo gallery and Seattle trolleybus list at Urban Electric Transit – in various languages, including English.
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