Update on Seattle King Street Station Restoration

[The Chief]

Has a Metropolitan Lounge ever been worked into the renovation? I figure with 2 flagship trains operating from there, SEA would be an ideal Lounge candidate.

Read this thread you're in -- it's on Page 1. Okie.

 

[busboy]

Looks nice! I'm leaving from there on the EB on Feb 29, hope it's open by then! I remember coming thru the station a few years ago and thinking what a miserable dump it was, these renovations are long overdue.

 

[CHamilton]

From SDOT - King Street Station on Facebook.

We are currently advertising for bids. Construction for the phase IIB will begin in March and anticipate to be completed by Spring 2013. Amtrak will be moving into their new space this coming Spring after the installation of a new baggage carousel.

The graffiti removal work above the east canopy will begin in the next week. Thank you for everyone's interest in the project.

 

[CHamilton]

An article and some great pics at seattlepi.com.

...the historic train hub is getting ready for its biggest chapter yet in a years-long, $50 million restoration. The next phase of work, starting this month, will result in major systems upgrades and seismic retrofits. But passengers will also see a new baggage area, ticketing hall and waiting room.

King Street Station gets more rehab

 

[City of Miami]

Really nice photos - but, boy, are those accompanying popups annoying h34r: :angry2: :angry:

 

[CHamilton]

Really nice photos - but, boy, are those accompanying popups annoying h34r: :angry2: :angry:

Sorry, I don't see stuff like that thanks to Adblock.

 

[mfastx]

Cool photos. Does anyone know if they will do any platform renovations as well (i.e. make platforms level with train doors)?

 

[EMDF9A]

I enjoyed the slides also, but one note, the slide of the Cascades F59 is actually taken in Portland's Union Station. (Shame on the PI!)

 

[D T Nelson]

The Seattle Times has an article about the beginning of the next phase of the restoration.

"In May, the main waiting hall will be closed and passengers will be detoured through a newly rebuilt Amtrak warehouse room for several months, while construction workers install seismic braces in the main hall, and repair the tile floors. 'The whole waiting room will look spectacular when this is done. It will all be nice and clean,' pledges Trevina Wang, program manager for the Seattle DOT.

"Next year will be more space to wait, because baggage and ticketing are moving to the back, or north end, of the building. New ticket counters, surrounded by with marble-lined columns, will open to the public this spring."

 

[CHamilton]

One of All Aboard Washington's board members has posted some photos of yesterday's ceremony, and the work that has already been completed, on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.2657336527242.96608.1670730615&type=1 I'm not sure if you need to be friends with her in order to see the gallery. I wasn't able to attend, but I'll be going to the NARP regional meeting in WFH this weekend. Will post if there's any news.

 

[CHamilton]

From Amtrak Cascades on Facebook:

The next phase of the King Street Station Renovation is underway. This photo shows steel columns in the main waiting area. The exposed steel column on the right has been stripped and prepared for added steel reinforcement to help the 100-year-old building better withstand earthquakes. Visit Seattle DOT's Flickr site for more photos.

 

[CHamilton]

Amtrak Cascades on Facebook says:

Heads up for passengers departing from Seattle: Due to construction at King Street Station and other construction projects near the station, you may run into delays getting to the station. Please arrive at the station even earlier than the recommended 30 minutes before your train is scheduled to depart. You may want to know that parking in the area is severely limited.

 

[zephyr17]

Amtrak Cascades on Facebook says:

Heads up for passengers departing from Seattle: Due to construction at King Street Station and other construction projects near the station, you may run into delays getting to the station. Please arrive at the station even earlier than the recommended 30 minutes before your train is scheduled to depart. You may want to know that parking in the area is severely limited.

Parking has always been an issue at King Street, although it is no doubt worse now. Just an FYI if you are going to leave a car, Everett, Tacoma, and Tukwila have free parking. At Everett, if you are going to leave your car for more than 72 hours, you need to fill out a form with the agent so the security company doesn't tow it. Nothing needed at Tacoma (and no agent at Tukwila).

And I got my beater truck broken into at Tacoma Amtrak...but it was free...

 

[fairviewroad]

Amtrak Cascades on Facebook says:

Heads up for passengers departing from Seattle: Due to construction at King Street Station and other construction projects near the station, you may run into delays getting to the station. Please arrive at the station even earlier than the recommended 30 minutes before your train is scheduled to depart. You may want to know that parking in the area is severely limited.

Seems like getting there more than 30 minutes early is a huge waste of time for a short corridor trip. (Do a lot of people even drive there? It's pretty easy to get to w/o

a car.)

 

[D T Nelson]

The new ticketing and baggage areas go into service tomorrow, May 23, says the City of Seattle in this press release. As I understand it, now the seismic retrofit of the waiting room will begin and the waiting room will be in the temporary white structure attached to the station:

 

[Rail Freak]

The new ticketing and baggage areas go into service tomorrow, May 23, says the City of Seattle in this press release. As I understand it, now the seismic retrofit of the waiting room will begin and the waiting room will be in the temporary white structure attached to the station:

Trying to get my bearings, is the white wall addition attached to the south side toward the elevator to cross the tracks?

 

[EMDF9A]

The new ticketing and baggage areas go into service tomorrow, May 23, says the City of Seattle in this press release. As I understand it, now the seismic retrofit of the waiting room will begin and the waiting room will be in the temporary white structure attached to the station:

Trying to get my bearings, is the white wall addition attached to the south side toward the elevator to cross the tracks?

Its on the West Wall to the north of the clock tower

. The Photographer is standing just off King Street facing southeast

 

[D T Nelson]

The new ticketing and baggage areas go into service tomorrow, May 23, says the City of Seattle in this press release. As I understand it, now the seismic retrofit of the waiting room will begin and the waiting room will be in the temporary white structure attached to the station:

Trying to get my bearings, is the white wall addition attached to the south side toward the elevator to cross the tracks?

Its on the West Wall to the north of the clock tower

. The Photographer is standing just off King Street facing southeast

The photographer is standing just south of Jackson Street facing southeast. King Street is the street that runs into the main entrance to the station. The elevator and stairs to the Weller Street footbridge over the tracks are out of the picture to the right (south).

 

[CHamilton]

I was at King Street Station today, and took a bunch of pictures. The new ticket office and baggage room are very nice, but the waiting area will be quite cramped until the next phase is done. But it sure is nice to see progress.

 

[The Chief]

Thanks, Charlie, for taking and posting/sharing these pics. Nice to see some non-DOT photos.

I laughed at the FB comment from Zack, who I reckon is a Seattleite. And he's right.

 

[trainman74]

I was at King Street Station today, and took a bunch of pictures.

The photos of the new temporary signs being put up are great -- glad you were in the right place at the right time to get them.

 

[CHamilton]

I was at King Street Station today, and took a bunch of pictures.

The photos of the new temporary signs being put up are great -- glad you were in the right place at the right time to get them.

It was fun to watch. They had a pile of signs and a big roll of two-sided tape -- applied the latter to the former and pounded the signs into place, generally with another sign. I think the guy doing the pounding must be a drummer, since he was doing interesting riffs with the pounding

 

[GoldenSpike]

Anybody know if there will be a FC lounge?

 

[CHamilton]

Anybody know if there will be a FC lounge?

There has not yet been any formal announcement about that. There's room for one, but I think that the city of Seattle (which now owns the station) isn't committing to one until they know whether they'll have enough money in the budget.

 

[Rail Freak]

Thanx Charlie! I know what to look for now, as I'll be flying there in August for a trip to another refurbishing project in Denver!!!