Columbia City station
At-grade | ||||||||||||||||
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Parking | Paid parking nearby | |||||||||||||||
Bicycle facilities | Lockers | |||||||||||||||
Accessible | Yes | |||||||||||||||
History | ||||||||||||||||
Opened | July 18, 2009 | |||||||||||||||
Passengers | ||||||||||||||||
1,763 daily weekday boardings (2023)[1] 589,901 total boardings (2023)[1] | ||||||||||||||||
Services | ||||||||||||||||
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Columbia City station is a light rail station located in Seattle, Washington. It is situated between the Othello and Mount Baker stations on the 1 Line, which runs from Seattle–Tacoma International Airport to Downtown Seattle and the University of Washington as part of the Link light rail system. The station consists of two at-grade side platforms between South Alaska Street and South Edmunds Street in the median of Martin Luther King Jr. Way South in the Columbia City neighborhood, part of Seattle's Rainier Valley.
The station opened on July 18, 2009. Trains serve the station twenty hours a day on most days; the
Location
Columbia City station is located in the
The station is located downhill from Cheasty Boulevard South, a preserved Olmsted boulevard and city landmark running along the east edge of Beacon Hill;[4] other parks in the area include Genesee Park to the east of the Columbia City business district, Columbia Park, the Rainier Playfield, and Hitt's Hill Park.[5][6]
Transit-oriented development
The area surrounding Columbia City station consists primarily of
The construction of the light rail station has triggered interest in transit-oriented development by private developers in proximity to Columbia City station.[9] New market rate apartments, the first in four decades for the neighborhood, were opened by Harbor Urban in 2012.[10] The Zion Preparatory Academy sold its campus to developers in 2009 for $5 million;[11] the 6-acre (2.4 ha) site was redeveloped into a six-building complex with 244 apartments by The Wolff Company in 2015.[9][12]
History
A modern
Concerns from Rainier Valley residents over blocked intersections, property acquisition and equity led the RTA (later re-branded as Sound Transit) to study a $400 million tunnel through the Rainier Valley.[22] In November 1999, the Sound Transit Board instead selected an at-grade alignment on Martin Luther King Jr. Way to the west of Rainier, with a station at South Edmunds Street.[23]
Sound Transit awarded a $128 million contract to the
The station was opened on July 18, 2009, on the first day of Central Link service from Downtown Seattle to Tukwila International Boulevard station.[29] Local businesses celebrated the arrival of light rail by offering discounts and free samples to patrons with light rail tickets.[30]
Sound Transit began replacing damaged tactile tiles on the Columbia City station platforms in July 2022, which forced trains to single-track through the station.[31] The northbound platform was closed for nine days while service on the line south of Stadium station was reduced to 20-minute frequencies.[32] The southbound platform was closed for eight days in late August with a similar service reduction.[33]
Station layout
Side platform, doors will open on the right | |
Northbound | ← 1 Line toward Northgate (Mount Baker) |
Southbound | 1 Line toward Angle Lake (Othello) → |
Side platform, doors will open on the right |
Columbia City station consists of two at-grade
To the east of the station's south entrance on Edmunds Street is a small public
Art
Columbia City station also houses four
The most prominent piece at the station is
At the station's public plaza at South Edmunds Street, two installations from Juan Alonso and Norie Sato create an enclosure of the public space. Sato's "Pride" consists of stone, bricks and bronze lions, in the style of various cultures, that were placed to guard the plaza's entrances. Alonso's "Garden Windows" is on the back wall of a systems building and consists of several glass windows in the brick wall, with abstract depictions of circulatory systems found in the human body, plants and the Interstate highways.[39][41]
The station's
Services
Columbia City station is part of the 1 Line, which runs from Seattle–Tacoma International Airport through the Rainier Valley, Downtown Seattle, and the University of Washington campus to Northgate. It is the fifth northbound station from Angle Lake and thirteenth southbound station from Northgate, and is situated between Othello and Mount Baker stations. 1 Line trains serve Columbia City twenty hours a day on weekdays and Saturdays, from 5:00 am to 1:00 am, and eighteen hours on Sundays, from 6:00 am to 12:00 am; during regular weekday service, trains operate roughly every eight to ten minutes during rush hour and midday operation, respectively, with longer headways of fifteen minutes in the early morning and twenty minutes at night. During weekends, 1 Line trains arrive at Columbia City station every ten minutes during midday hours and every fifteen minutes during mornings and evenings. The station is approximately 19 minutes from SeaTac/Airport station and 19 minutes from Westlake station in Downtown Seattle.[45] In 2019, an average of 2,888 passengers boarded Link trains at Columbia City station on weekdays.[1]
Columbia City station is also served by two bus routes operated by
Metro also runs the Route 97 Link Shuttle, a shuttle service serving Link stations along surface streets during Link service disruptions, between Downtown and Rainier Valley stations.[51] During the annual Seafair, free shuttle buses are used between Columbia City station and hydroplane races on Lake Washington at Genesee Park.[52]
References
- ^ a b c "Link Ridership". Sound Transit. Retrieved February 1, 2024.
- ^ a b Lindblom, Mike (July 11, 2009). "Columbia City light-rail station: Off the beaten path". The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on August 17, 2016. Retrieved August 16, 2016.
- ^ Seattle Department of Neighborhoods. "Columbia City Landmark District". Historic Districts. City of Seattle. Archived from the original on March 31, 2016. Retrieved August 16, 2016.
- ^ "Cheasty – Getting There". Cheasty Greenspace. Archived from the original on August 16, 2016. Retrieved August 16, 2016.
- NAVTEQ. City of Seattle. Archivedfrom the original on August 15, 2016. Retrieved August 16, 2016.
- ^ Columbia City Station Link Light Rail Parking Management (PDF) (Map). Seattle Department of Transportation. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 5, 2016. Retrieved August 16, 2016.
- ^ Growing Transit Communities Oversight Committee (October 2013). "Columbia City: Light Rail/Bus" (PDF). The Growing Transit Communities Strategy. Puget Sound Regional Council. Retrieved August 16, 2016.
- ^ Surdyke, Scott (June 28, 2012). "The key to successful TODs lies in taller buildings". Seattle Daily Journal of Commerce. Archived from the original on August 18, 2016. Retrieved August 22, 2016.
- ^ a b Levy, Nat (September 3, 2013). "Developers find fertile ground for apartments in Columbia City". Seattle Journal of Commerce. Archived from the original on August 22, 2016. Retrieved August 22, 2016.
- ^ Lang Jones, Jeanne (September 18, 2012). "First market-rate apartment complex in Columbia City in 43 years opens this weekend". Puget Sound Business Journal. Archived from the original on August 26, 2016. Retrieved August 22, 2016.
- ^ Pryne, Eric (November 26, 2009). "Zion Prep sells campus in Columbia City to developer for $5 million". The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on August 23, 2016. Retrieved August 22, 2016.
- ^ Shapiro, Nina (November 18, 2014). "Where Development Is Not Happening in Seattle and Why". Seattle Weekly. Archived from the original on August 26, 2016. Retrieved August 22, 2016.
- ^ Stripling, Sherry (March 21, 2002). "Columbia City: Strolling past some Seattle history". The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on August 26, 2016. Retrieved August 16, 2016.
- ^ Tate, Cassandra (June 2, 2001). "Seattle Neighborhoods: Columbia City -- Thumbnail History". HistoryLink. Archived from the original on May 18, 2016. Retrieved August 16, 2016.
- ^ "Board Summons Rainier Crews". The Seattle Times. January 3, 1937. p. 8.
- ^ "Valley Line May Receive $50,000". The Seattle Times. December 2, 1936. p. 12.
- ^ "The Regional Transit System Proposal" (PDF). Central Puget Sound Regional Transit Authority. February 1995. pp. 1–2. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 30, 2015. Retrieved August 16, 2016.
- ^ Schaefer, David (January 11, 1996). "RTA ready to unveil new plan: rapid transit proposal's cost, scope downsized". The Seattle Times. p. A1. Archived from the original on January 5, 2017. Retrieved August 16, 2016.
- ^ "Sound Move: Launching a Rapid Transit System for the Puget Sound Region" (PDF). Sound Transit. May 31, 1996. p. 21. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved August 16, 2016.
- ^ Schaefer, David (November 6, 1996). "Voters back transit plan on fourth try". The Seattle Times. p. A1. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved August 16, 2016.
- ^ Schaefer, David (November 7, 1996). "Transit plan can trace surprise success to suburbs; new support found on Eastside, in Snohomish County". The Seattle Times. p. B1. Archived from the original on January 5, 2017. Retrieved September 2, 2016.
- ^ Serrano, Barbara; Schaefer, David (January 29, 1999). "Calls get louder for rail tunnel: south end turns out en masse to argue against street-level trains". The Seattle Times. p. B1.
- ^ Fryer, Alex (November 19, 1999). "A milestone for light rail: regional board selects station sites, alignment". The Seattle Times. p. A1. Archived from the original on December 22, 2015. Retrieved August 16, 2016.
- ^ Hadley, Jane (February 24, 2004). "Sound Transit signs light rail contract". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Archived from the original on October 3, 2016. Retrieved August 22, 2016.
- ^ "Initial Segment—Rainier Valley". Link Light Rail Progress Report, June 2006 (Report). Sound Transit. June 2006. p. 27.
- ^ "Sound Transit Motion No. M2005-09" (PDF). Sound Transit. January 13, 2005. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 4, 2016. Retrieved August 22, 2016.
- ^ "Initial Segment—Rainier Valley". Link Light Rail Progress Report, September 2008 (Report). Sound Transit. September 2008. p. 25.
- ^ Lindblom, Mike (August 13, 2008). "Sound Transit to run test trains through Rainier Valley". The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on January 5, 2017. Retrieved August 22, 2016.
- ^ "Link light rail launches new era of mobility for central Puget Sound" (Press release). Sound Transit. July 18, 2009. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved August 16, 2016.
- ^ Vinh, Tan (August 13, 2009). "Take light rail to Columbia City and get deals when you show your ticket". The Seattle Times. p. D12. Archived from the original on August 17, 2016. Retrieved August 16, 2016.
- ^ Lindblom, Mike (June 21, 2022). "Cracked tiles mean light rail in Rainier Valley will run less often this summer". The Seattle Times. Retrieved July 26, 2022.
- ^ Lindblom, Mike (July 20, 2022). "Sound Transit will restore full light-rail service by Thursday". The Seattle Times. Retrieved July 26, 2022.
- ^ Lindblom, Mike (August 26, 2022). "Sound Transit tile job wraps early. What it means for train frequency". The Seattle Times. Retrieved August 27, 2022.
- ^ "Columbia City Station" (PDF). Sound Transit. November 2012. Archived (PDF) from the original on January 5, 2017. Retrieved August 29, 2016.
- OCLC 49259323. Archived from the original(PDF) on February 8, 2006. Retrieved August 29, 2016.
- ^ Cheek, Lawrence (September 29, 2008). "On Architecture: Light rail stations are on the right track". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Archived from the original on September 30, 2008. Retrieved May 27, 2017.
- ^ "New options for bike commuters at Rainier Valley light rail stations" (Press release). Sound Transit. October 31, 2011. Archived from the original on August 28, 2016. Retrieved August 22, 2016.
- ^ "STart Public Art Program". Sound Transit. Archived from the original on June 12, 2010. Retrieved August 29, 2016.
- ^ a b c "Columbia City Station – Public Art". Sound Transit. Archived from the original on June 12, 2010. Retrieved August 29, 2016.
- ^ "Global Garden Shovel". Victoria Fuller. Archived from the original on August 30, 2016. Retrieved August 29, 2016.
- ^ a b "STart – Sound Transit Art Program: Guide to Art" (PDF). Sound Transit. April 2014. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 6, 2015. Retrieved August 29, 2016.
- ^ Upchurch, Michael (July 12, 2009). "Sound Transit light rail's public art makes a big splash". The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on January 5, 2017. Retrieved August 29, 2016.
- ^ "Stellar Connections". Sound Transit. Archived from the original on June 12, 2010. Retrieved September 5, 2016.
- ^ "Stellar Connections: The story of the pictograms at Link light rail stations" (PDF). Sound Transit. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 8, 2015. Retrieved September 5, 2016.
- ^ "Link 1 Line (Northgate — Angle Lake) schedule" (PDF). Sound Transit. October 2021. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 2, 2021. Retrieved October 3, 2021.
- ^ Lindblom, Mike (April 23, 2012). "Metro bus riders face big changes". The Seattle Times. p. A1. Archived from the original on August 20, 2016. Retrieved August 19, 2016.
- ^ Ride the Wave Transit Guide (PDF) (September 2016 ed.). Sound Transit. September 10, 2016. p. 15. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 11, 2016. Retrieved September 11, 2016.
- ^ Metro Transit System: Central Area (PDF) (Map). King County Metro. September 2016. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 20, 2016. Retrieved September 11, 2016.
- ^ Columbia City in Motion (Map). King County Metro. September 16, 2009. Archived from the original on September 20, 2016. Retrieved August 19, 2016.
- ^ "Metro Transit Service Change: March 26, 2016". King County Metro. March 2016. Archived from the original on August 15, 2016. Retrieved August 19, 2016.
- ^ "No Link light rail service on Nov. 15 for system upgrades" (Press release). Seattle, Washington: Sound Transit. November 3, 2014. Archived from the original on August 27, 2016. Retrieved August 19, 2016.
- ^ McKenzie, Madeline (August 2, 2016). "How to celebrate Seafair this weekend". The Seattle Times. p. E30. Archived from the original on August 18, 2016. Retrieved August 19, 2016.