Hello, thanks for checking out Transiterranean, a Tacoma-centric transit newsletter-blog exploring commuting, food, drink, and destinations across the City of Destiny, Western Washington, and beyond! 

I’m Michael Grass, a former journalist and communications professional who has lived car-free for about 25 years, including in Washington, D.C., New York City, Seattle, Bellingham, and now Tacoma.

Last Wednesday, while commuting from Tacoma to Seattle’s University District via transit, I emerged from Sound Transit’s U District Station at Brooklyn Avenue NE & NE 45th Street and soon saw a Sound Transit Express Route 586 bus from Tacoma heading toward the University of Washington. As someone who lives in Tacoma and commutes a few days a week to the U District, the 586’s one-seat ride is something that should, in theory, be an appealing choice. But I’ve never used it and instead lean on taking the Sounder S Line or Sound Transit Express Routes 590 and 594 into Seattle and transferring to the 1 Line.

South Sound commuters roll the dice with every Sound Transit Express bus trip they take to and from Seattle due to the realities of Interstate 5’s traffic congestion. Before I set out for Seattle on Wednesday morning, a KNKX Public Radio traffic report during NPR’s “Morning Edition” indicated that the trip between Tacoma and Seattle on I-5 would take 1 hour and 40 minutes! And while our regional express buses can bypass some of the congestion using I-5’s HOV lanes, when there’s especially bad traffic, a crash, or other disruption, the HOV lane can also slow to a crawl, just like motorists in the adjacent general traffic lanes.

Unlike 590 and 594 buses, which exit I-5 at Spokane Street to reach the SoDo Busway, the 586 continues north on I-5 to NE 45th Street in the U District through some of the most congested stretches of freeway in Washington state, through Downtown Seattle and over the I-5 Ship Canal Bridge. While I’ve said to myself on a couple of occasions, “I should really try out the 586 bus at some point,” last Wednesday’s traffic conditions certainly made it an inopportune time to attempt the trek.

When I encountered the 586 bus in the U District, I checked the Pantograph app to see just how far behind schedule it was. It was 51 minutes behind on a trip that’s already scheduled to take about 90 minutes! (Thankfully, that wasn’t as bad as some of the massive Pierce Transit bus delays in Tacoma two Fridays ago due to the extreme traffic congestion from the Washington State Department of Transportation’s emergency Tacoma Narrows Bridge expansion joint repairs on State Route 16.)

The 586 bus has long had a target on its back as an inefficient use of resources since Sound Transit’s Link 1 Line, which bypasses I-5 congestion through Downtown Seattle, started serving the UW and U District stations with light rail extensions northward in 2016 and 2021. It looks like the 586’s days are now officially numbered as a proposed Sound Transit Express bus network restructuring slated to bring changes to many routes in fall 2026, including those connecting Pierce County with Seattle and other points in King County.

While the opening of Sound Transit’s Federal Way Link extension before the end of the year, which will bring 1 Line service south to the Federal Way Downtown Station, is prompting some changes, other express bus routes South Sound transit commuters rely on will be staying the same. That’s a relief to many Tacoma-to-Seattle commuters and a recognition that a forced 1 Line transfer at Federal Way for all Sound Transit Express bus routes to and from Tacoma and other points in the South Sound would increase regional transit travel times.

The Urbanist’s Ryan Packer relayed dispatches via Bluesky from a Sound Transit Rider Experience & Operations Committee meeting on Thursday, chaired by Tacoma City Councilmember Kristina Walker, and laid out the proposed express bus changes across the region in an article published Saturday.

For Tacomans and other South Sound residents headed to points in King County, including Seattle and Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, here’s a rundown:

There is an important caveat, as noted in Sound Transit’s presentation materials: These proposed Sound Transit Express bus changes are contingent on local transit agencies in the region that provide those services — in the South Sound’s case, Pierce Transit — having enough drivers and operational capacity to make it all happen. Stay tuned …

On a Friday afternoon last month, I decided to use one of the quickest but infrequent transit connections in all of Tacoma: Hopping the Lakewood-bound Sounder S Line train out of Tacoma Dome Station to go one stop to the South Tacoma Station to start some transit-oriented eating along South Tacoma Way.

Although Pierce Transit’s Route 3, which connects Downtown Tacoma with Lakewood via South Tacoma Way, will take you to into the heart of the South Tacoma Way business district, between S. 52nd Street and S. 58th Street, the S Line is a non-stop express through the Nalley Valley industrial area, skipping Route 3’s deviation to (and brief pause at) the Tacoma Mall Transit Center before heading back west and out to South Tacoma Way.

When walking out to the main station platform at Tacoma Dome Station on a Friday afternoon, helpful security and station personnel may be confused by your platform choice. Normally, they’d expect train-bound passengers to be headed north toward Seattle, not south toward Lakewood. And they want to ensure you’re headed in the right direction. It can be confusing because Sounder S Line trains that start and end their trip at Tacoma Dome generally use the station’s second track, while trains headed to and from Lakewood generally use the main track, along with Amtrak Cascades and Coast Starlight trains. (Platform signage isn’t clear and Sound Transit says: “While S Line trains do not have assigned platforms, they generally use the same platforms each day.”)

Once you’re on the train, it’s a quick trip out to the South Tacoma Station — about 9 minutes. Southbound S Line trains between Tacoma Dome and Lakewood aren’t very full, so it’s a nice way to use some of the unused local capacity of a Sound Transit regional rail line when the schedule works in your favor. 

My first destination wasn’t in the South Tacoma Way business district, but a few miles south. You see, I had Salvadoran food on my mind and the thought of pupusas pulled me south into Lakewood. So I awaited the next Route 3 bus south and was soon heading to the L&I Public Marketplace (8012 South Tacoma Way at S. 80th Street Court, Lakewood). Note: Pierce Transit has two southbound stops in a row along Route 3 confusingly named S. 80th Street. Unless you’re heading to the South Tacoma Honda dealership at the first stop, when heading south, you’ll want the second S. 80th Street stop right out in front of the marketplace, just beyond S. 80th Street Court.

Approaching the nearly windowless building, it may be initially unclear where you’re supposed to enter. But once you find the food court located near India Bazaar amid the warren of vendors, you’ll be presented with a few options for Mexican, Salvadoran, and Chinese food. 

I made this trek specifically for pupusas at Cayaguanca, which has roughly a dozen options to choose from, including cheese and jalapeno, cheese and shrimp, and cheese and loroco. I opted for two pupusas: cheese and squash and cheese and pork. I’ve long said that pupusas are one of those food items that bring joy and happiness and I was very satisfied with Cayaguanca’s offerings. The cabbage slaw (curtido) served with the pupusas provided a fresh, crunchy contrast to the soft griddled cheesy goodness of the pupusas.

I look forward to future visits and eating my way around Cayaguanca’s menu. 

After another stop a few blocks south on South Tacoma Way, Birria Tijuana Lakewood (8302 S. Tacoma Way, Lakewood), for another bite — in this case tostada mixta, or a seafood salad served with a crispy tortilla — I took Route 3 back toward Downtown Tacoma via the Tacoma Mall Transit Center.

There’s currently no northbound S Line service at the South Tacoma Station in the afternoons and evenings, only southbound service to Lakewood. But Sound Transit is envisioning adding a northbound S Line trip in the late afternoon next year, departing Lakewood Station at 3:52 p.m. 

While The Urbanist’s Ryan Packer noted that would make some transit journeys from Olympia back to Seattle somewhat easier during the legislative session, it also enables a faster late afternoon trip into Downtown Tacoma from the South Tacoma Station area via Tacoma Dome. Until there’s more transit-oriented development near the South Tacoma Station, this infrequent but quick S Line connection will likely remain underutilized.  

While I didn’t get a chance to check out this weekend’s Tacoma Greek Festival at the St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church on S. Yakima Avenue at S. 15th Street, I did want to say ευχαριστώ (thank you) to the organizers for not overlooking something many special event organizers often forget: promoting transit access.

“We know that parking around the festival can be challenging,” organizers wrote on the Tacoma Greek Festival event information page, encouraging attendees to park for free at Tacoma Dome and take the T Line to the St. Joseph Station.

On Friday night, I attended Tacoma Opera’s momentous and ambitious kick-off Wagner’s full Ring Cycle over the next four years, which started with Das Rheingold on the stage of the Pantages Theater, at S. 9th Street & Broadway in the heart of the Theater District.

Living car-free in Tacoma, evenings out for dinner, drinks, and arts events usually involves the question: Can I get home via transit? In Tacoma, the situation is decidedly mixed and depends on the route and the day of the week. If you’re depending on a late-evening bus home from Downtown Tacoma, you are essentially limited to Pierce Transit’s Routes 1, 2, and 3.

If you live in the North End or the Proctor District and have Sunday dinner plans downtown, you better be paying your bill and making an exit by 5:45 p.m. in order to catch the last buses on Routes 11 or 16, which leave around 6 p.m.

Sound Transit’s last St. Joseph-bound T Line train serves the Theater District Station at 10:09 p.m. on weekdays and Saturdays, and 6:09 p.m. on Sundays. Meanwhile, the last Tacoma Dome-bound train serves the Theater District Station at 10:46 p.m. on weekdays and Saturdays and 6:46 p.m. on Sundays.

On Tuesday, October 7, there will be some later evening T Line trips for the Sleep Token concert at the Tacoma Dome — the last St. Joseph-bound train leaves Tacoma Dome at 11:48 p.m. — which would have come in handy for Friday’s opera performance.

In the case of seeing Das Rheingold at the Pantages Theater, it turns out I missed the last outbound T Line train to the Hilltop area by about 5 minutes. While my partner and I could have easily walked home (uphill), there was a TCC-bound Route 1 bus coming in about 10-15 minutes, so we chose to wait. Not surprisingly, we were the only opera-goers waiting at the S. 9th Street & St. Helens Avenue stop, which doubles as a City of Tacoma curbside trash storage zone, for a bus uphill.

Better evening transit service is something that can aid Tacoma’s struggling hospitality sector by helping diners, arts patrons, and nightlife revelers avoid parking headaches and impaired driving situations. But more importantly, Tacoma’s limited late-evening transit options also present workforce development challenges for hospitality workers and their employers, especially downtown.

Let’s take a look at the situation route by route …

Last Route 1 (Pacific Ave.-6th Ave.) buses from Pacific Avenue & S. 14th Street:

Last buses from Commerce Street Station in Downtown Tacoma:

All in all, local transit offerings are a mixed bag when it comes to supporting Tacoma’s nightlife economy and overall vitality as a city, especially when the span of service is limited on many Pierce Transit routes. There’s definite room for improvement, especially on Sundays.

Although later-evening bus service isn’t explicitly addressed in Pierce Transit’s recently adopted Destination 2040 long-range plan, it shouldn’t be overlooked by Tacoma-area civic, business, and hospitality stakeholders in the years to come.

The City of Tacoma is in the middle of rehabilitating ramps connecting Interstate 705 and S. Stadium Way near the T Line’s Old City Hall Station and the McMenamins Elks Temple. On September 29, the southbound ramp to I-705 closed after the northbound ramp leading from I-705 to Stadium Way reopened after being out of commission for many weeks this summer.

While the northbound ramp closure in August didn’t seem to snarl traffic through the Old City Hall Station area from my regular treks on the T Line, the southbound detour has, from what I’ve seen, created at least two minor issues impacting transit in this part of Downtown Tacoma.

When waiting for an outbound T Line train at the Old City Hall Station recently, I could easily see the frustrated faces of motorists heading southbound from Stadium Way onto Commerce Street momentarily stuck behind an inbound train serving the station platform. While this is more of an issue for motorists than it is for T Line trains, the posted detour sends those headed to I-705 to make a left at S. 9th Street, which has led to a long queue on Commerce Street turning left onto S. 9th Street at certain times. T Line trains, thankfully, can make their way through, though they may travel more slowly past the turning motorists.

Because there are detoured motorists on S. 9th Street east of Commerce Street, during certain times of heavier traffic in the Theater District, Pierce Transit Route 1 buses heading downhill on S. 9th Street toward Pacific Avenue can also get snarled. Essentially, the combination of too many cars trying to make their way through the traffic signals on S. 9th Street at Commerce Street and Pacific Avenue, can end up delaying Pierce Transit’s highest ridership bus route. 

The construction on the southbound ramp from Stadium Way to I-705 is anticipated to be wrapped up around October 19.