(The Center Square) – The underperforming South Lake Union Streetcar in Seattle may soon close.
Seattle City Councilmember Rob Saka is proposing amendments to the 2025-2026 budget package that include plans to retire the 1.3 mile-long South Lake Union Streetcar line and transfer the existing funding used to operate the streetcar in favor of other transit service options.
Potential options for transferred funds could include more buses serving the South Lake Union area near downtown Seattle.
Saka’s plan would include a proposed timeline for ending the streetcar service before the anticipated multi-year shutdown of services in order to accommodate for the upcoming Sound Transit link light rail construction project.
The plan would also document the availability of other transit services in the impacted South Lake Union area including bus and rail.
The South Lake Union Streetcar was approved by the Seattle City Council in 2005 and opened in 2007. It was intended to help develop the South Lake Union neighborhood into a biotechnology and biomedical research hub, according to Seattle’s website .