New Seattle Streetcars Begin Tests

Preliminary tests are in progress for Seattle's new baby-blue First Hill streetcars. A total of six cars will serve central Seattle, part of a broad vision to extend streetcar service throughout the city. Previous mayor Mike McGinn envisioned the streetcar project as a tool to revitalize Broadway.

From the article: "Delivery of the streetcars has caused multiple delays for the more-than-$130 million project, but passenger service is expected to start this summer. The First Hill line is expected to serve about 3,500 riders a day, making 10 stops on its 2.5-mile route through Capitol Hill, First Hill, the International District and ending in Pioneer Square. Eventually, the city plans to connect the First Hill and South Lake Union routes."

Plans are currently in the works for an estimated $25 million Broadway extension of the streetcar route, "showing an additional half-mile north to Roy Street that would significantly change the landscape of Broadway by cutting multiple left turns and improving the streetscape."