Preserving the concept with new technology. Maybe someday one of these will be in one of our museums. Note the map. Very aggressive.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/l ... rs10m.html

This quote alone demonstrates why rail has potential. The transit user base is already there to fill the system. The speaker argues it is a reason for more buses, but rail would handle the volumes better.

Imagine: "We have people waiting too long for an elevator, we need more elevators..."

No, maybe you need an escalator.

There's no mention of the mothballed Waterfront Streetcar in the article. Do they still plan to revive it?

The Waterfront Streetcar won't be re-activated any time soon, if at all.

It's directly under the soon to be demolished viaduct and over the tunnel project, so until that work is completed nothing will happen.

As for planning, that's Seattle's weak point. We have trains, buses, trolley buses, streetcars and light rail. Hardly any of them connect with one another. For example, transferring from the Sounder Commuter Train to the Light Rail/Bus Tunnel, you have to walk up a flight of stairs, (and you know how people love that!) cross a busy street, walk about 1/2 block, down another flight of stairs (back to the level you started at) and then walk down a long platform to your bus or LRV.

Compare that to Portland where the bus make a cross-platform transfer to the train at various locations...

Yep, Seattle spends millions on studies and planning, yet we still end up with a disjointed system that's difficult to use.

If anyone remembers the movie "Singles" from about 20 years ago, that was the same issue in Seattle. It is a shame that this much time has passed and things like this have not changed. Moving people throughout a community should be an easy thing to do. The demand is there, the infrastructure is there, and yet it is all disconnected.
By the way, "Singles" also features Pearl Jam "acting" :) If the movie was edited better, it would also have great performances by Alice in Chains, too.