Update on Seattle King Street Station Restoration

[inspiration100]

Looks terribly cramped right now, but I'm excited with the progress. Thanks for the pictures, saves me the time of having to go in and check it out. Do they have temporary bathrooms too, or can you access the old ones?

 

[CHamilton]

There are temporary bathrooms. I included a picture of them toward the end of the album.

 

[inspiration100]

One more question, any idea how many/if any shops there will be once reopened? I figured that 2nd floor (the balcony area) might be a good place for a coffee shop etc. No idea if they have plans for it or not.

 

[CHamilton]

One more question, any idea how many/if any shops there will be once reopened? I figured that 2nd floor (the balcony area) might be a good place for a coffee shop etc. No idea if they have plans for it or not.

Again, the city of Seattle is being very stingy about publicizing their plans. I sure hope that there will be shops, but it's been many years since we've had anything other than vending machines. Someone mentioned in another thread that there used to be an espresso cart, but it went away a long time ago. If it were up to me, I'd invite the people who run the shop in PDX to rent space, as they have a good feel for the sorts of items that train riders might want to buy.

 

[inspiration100]

Doesn't sound too crazy to attempt to put in a starbucks or cinnabon (both founded in Seattle) in the depot at some point. I don't see who would complain if the chains were willing to pay enough rent.

 

[CHamilton]

Just left King Street Station on my way to BEL for the weekend. After a week of using the temporary waiting room, the staff seems to have improved their systems for boarding trains. Still limited space, but should be manageable.

 

[CHamilton]

Amtrak Cascades on Facebook posts:

Construction crew selectively removes ceiling plaster in King Street Station's main waiting room. Crews will then install large steel beams help the station better withstand earthquakes.

 

[MeisterEric]

I asked someone the same question not too long ago (regarding first class lounge), and was told that it wasn't in the plans for King Street Station. :mellow:

As for Starbucks (and Tully's)...they are both right across the street (4th Ave)

at street-level of International District light rail station.

Walk out the front door of Amtrak station, turn left (south) to the big parking lot, go up the stairs (or elevator),

cross 4th Ave, and keep walking into the plaza area....you'll see Tullys and Starbucks.

 

[CHamilton]

More photos of the King Street renovation from seattlepi.com. Weirdest headline I've seen lately.

 

[The Chief]

Thanks, Charlie, for the link.

Their work pace isn't pokey,,,

 

[CHamilton]

A friend posted this image with the caption "King Tut Street Station"

 

[Big Green Chauvanist]

More photos of the King Street renovation from seattlepi.com.

Great update. But the caption accompanying photo 12 is incorrect. It's how the station LOOKED a couple of weeks ago before the main waiting room was closed for further restoration. It is NOT how it will look when completed. I'm hoping its original grandeur will be recaptured to the greatest extent possible.

 

[Big Green Chauvanist]

Click on the video for current footage of the enshambled Main Hall. It only gets better from here!

http://www.seattle.gov/transportation/kingstreet.htm

 

[fairviewroad]

Having made connections at King Street Station twice in the past two weeks...I can say that the current situation is a bit of a cluster_ _ _ _.

We arrived on a 30-minute late n/b 506 connecting to #8...normally a one-hour layover but now reduced to 30 minutes. We had roomette tickets in hand with assigned car #, etc. Yet the EB crew insisted we (me, wife + 13 month old baby) head into the station. No reason given.

Once inside we -- along with the 150+ other people disembarking -- ran headlong into the crowd waiting for the soon-to-depart #8. It was absolute gridlock. A complete fire hazard. We were pretty much pushed into the station by the crush of people behind us. We literally could not move any which way. So having no other options we simply stood there, about 15 feet from the door leading to/from the tracks. Five minutes after we got there, the first call for sleeping pax on the Builder was made and we "EXCUSED ME'D" our way through the crowd (people did have the courtesy to allow us to pass...) back to the door and boarded the sleeping car which just 5 minutes ago was somehow not ready for us.

Glad to see EB crews follow protocol ahead of common sense. :unsure:

Yesterday, we arrived into SEA on a 3-hour late EB and knew we had missed our connection to the s/b 513. Crew on-board the EB told us we'd be protected on the 507, which was scheduled to depart 1-hour after our arrival. But getting the new ticket required threading our way through the crowd gathering for the 507, which was completely sold out. Fortunately I was able to use the BC line to get our new tickets, only to discover we had been downgraded to coach, which meant then standing in the long line for seat assignments in what passes for the waiting area. Fortunately the fact that 200 or so people were in line meant that they weren't currently taking up seats in the lobby so wife/baby had a place to sit. I stood in the line (which to the conductors' credit, moved quite fast once they started handing out seat assignments.)

Anyhow...not the end of the world, but just brace yourself for a less-than-enjoyable situation if you pass through SEA this summer.

 

[jccpbc]

Having made connections at King Street Station twice in the past two weeks...I can say that the current situation is a bit of a cluster_ _ _ _.

We arrived on a 30-minute late n/b 506 connecting to #8...normally a one-hour layover but now reduced to 30 minutes. We had roomette tickets in hand with assigned car #, etc. Yet the EB crew insisted we (me, wife + 13 month old baby) head into the station. No reason given.

Once inside we -- along with the 150+ other people disembarking -- ran headlong into the crowd waiting for the soon-to-depart #8. It was absolute gridlock. A complete fire hazard. We were pretty much pushed into the station by the crush of people behind us. We literally could not move any which way. So having no other options we simply stood there, about 15 feet from the door leading to/from the tracks. Five minutes after we got there, the first call for sleeping pax on the Builder was made and we "EXCUSED ME'D" our way through the crowd (people did have the courtesy to allow us to pass...) back to the door and boarded the sleeping car which just 5 minutes ago was somehow not ready for us.

Glad to see EB crews follow protocol ahead of common sense. :unsure:

Yesterday, we arrived into SEA on a 3-hour late EB and knew we had missed our connection to the s/b 513. Crew on-board the EB told us we'd be protected on the 507, which was scheduled to depart 1-hour after our arrival. But getting the new ticket required threading our way through the crowd gathering for the 507, which was completely sold out. Fortunately I was able to use the BC line to get our new tickets, only to discover we had been downgraded to coach, which meant then standing in the long line for seat assignments in what passes for the waiting area. Fortunately the fact that 200 or so people were in line meant that they weren't currently taking up seats in the lobby so wife/baby had a place to sit. I stood in the line (which to the conductors' credit, moved quite fast once they started handing out seat assignments.)

Anyhow...not the end of the world, but just brace yourself for a less-than-enjoyable situation if you pass through SEA this summer.

Wow. With the terrible on time record of the EB this summer and now to read this, I can't wait for my SEA to CHI travel next month.

 

[Steve4031]

The entire seat assignment thing on the cascades is a major annoyance IMHO.

 

[Eric S]

The entire seat assignment thing on the cascades is a major annoyance IMHO.

Are seat assignments only given out at SEA and PDX? (In other words, are those the only 2 stations at which you have to check in before you can board?)

 

[zephyr17]

The entire seat assignment thing on the cascades is a major annoyance IMHO.

Are seat assignments only given out at SEA and PDX? (In other words, are those the only 2 stations at which you have to check in before you can board?)

VAC, too. The others are train shows up, you get on.

 

[fairviewroad]

VAC, too. The others are train shows up, you get on.

You will often be directed to a specific car depending on your destination. But yeah, once you get to that car, it's

find your own seat.

The seat assignment thing is among the best reasons to purchase BC when departing from PDX or SEA. And--to get back to the

topic of this thread--that's even more true right now in SEA.

 

[OlympianHiawatha]

How frantic is boarding for the Coast Starlight now? Last Summer they had an area of benches set aside for Sleeper pax along with a dedicated check in booth and we simply walked right out to the train at boarding time with our carry on luggage carted out to the car door.

 

[gswager]

Seattle King St. Station is under major remodeling. So it'll be a mess, including ped traffic flow inside the station. Both Seattle and Portland stations have large number of passengers, so seats are assigned to speed up the boarding process. I can't imagine without it, people would creating a jam (even on both ways) in the aisle trying to pick the seats.

 

[Eric S]

Both Seattle and Portland stations have large number of passengers, so seats are assigned to speed up the boarding process. I can't imagine without it, people would creating a jam (even on both ways) in the aisle trying to pick the seats.

But would it really be much different than San Diego (to pick a station that had slightly greater ridership in 2011) or Milwaukee (to pick a station that had slightly less ridership in 2011)?

 

[fairviewroad]

Both Seattle and Portland stations have large number of passengers, so seats are assigned to speed up the boarding process. I can't imagine without it, people would creating a jam (even on both ways) in the aisle trying to pick the seats.

But would it really be much different than San Diego (to pick a station that had slightly greater ridership in 2011) or Milwaukee (to pick a station that had slightly less ridership in 2011)?

One difference is that the passenger cars on the Talgo trainsets on the Cascades are much smaller than most Amtrak stock.

So it wouldn't be long before traffic jams occurred as people would be entering cars, finding them full, and not knowing whether

to turn around or proceed ahead to the next one. At intermediate stops with moderate usage such as VAN or TAC this can be an

issue. The typical Amfleet car or Surfliner car is much larger so bottlenecks are less likely.

 

[AlanB]

The reason that they assign seats is really simple. That's what the State's of Washington & Oregon want. They pay for the train, they set the rules.

 

[Eric S]

OK. So OR/WA decided that, rather than Amtrak. I'm still curious why OR/WA wanted to do that, and given the generally negative reactions voiced here about the seat-assignment check-in, I'm curious if OR/WA/Amtrak receive similar negative feedback. (Of course, it's possible that the only opinions voiced here are negative, but that most are positive or at least indifferent.)