Link light rail is again visiting the Westlake station in the bus tunnel. Sound Transit got the "signal system" problem under control at about 11 p.m. last night. For riders complaining about the lack of information, set yourself up with a subscription to ST alerts. And then be nice and tell everyone else without a smart phone what's going on. more ›

Says Sound Transit: "Central Link light rail service has been temporarily suspended in the Downtown Seattle Transit Tunnel due to a loss of power at one of the stations and associated impacts to systems for controlling tunnel equipment. Crews are working to address the issue and expect to restore service soon. Bus service in the tunnel is continuing at this time. Northbound light rail trains are stopping and turning south at Stadium Station. Bus service northward into downtown Seattle is available just to the west of Stadium Station at the intersection of the Busway and Royal Brougham Way. Light rail service between Stadium Station and Tukwila International Boulevard Station remains in operation." [UPDATE: As of a 10:57 a.m. email, they're rolling in the tunnel once more! WHOOPS! As of an 11:25 a.m. email, they're not rolling. Buses are still rolling in the tunnel, but light rail is not. Crews working feverishly, etc.] more ›

• The bus tunnel shut down at 7:10 a.m. this morning for about 20 minutes, thanks to an automated (and false) alarm--for the third time in six months. Funnily enough, we think every time has been during morning rush hour, too.
• Publicola's newest addition, Erica Barnett, broke the news to Seattle taxpayers that we've paid over $43,000 since 2006 to send the City Council's Jan Drago to China, India, Iceland, the United Arab Emirates, and Finland.

In the bus tunnel, at least, where there's smoke there's not always fire. In fact, there may not even be smoke, as KIRO reports: "Tunnel traffic was rerouted to surface streets and the entrances were closed, but no fire was found, said Linda Thielke of Metro Transit." Doesn't sound like commuters were told why their routes were disrupted, so if you're curious, now you know. A tipster tells us: "Our 550 was just exiting the tunnel around 7:30 a.m. when the dispatcher announced over the driver's headset that the tunnel was closing and all tunnel bus drivers need to take the surface streets. (Our bus was full of sleepy commuters and was pretty quiet so I totally eavesdropped). At this point, our driver made some comment along the lines of 'good thing we just missed it'." more ›