What route has been de-eletrified? IIRC Seattle made a big push to invest in the overhead catenary system just a few years ago, as the neighborhoods that have overhead catenary wires were in a frenzy over the mere suggestion that they'd be retired.
The overhead lines do force King County Metro to avoid changing routes (a boon for local riders), and are 50% faster at getting the bus up to speed after a stop. Short of something wrecking the overhead lines on most of a route, I doubt they'll be retired soon.
Ya, I thought they were moving away from it, but it turns out they are improving overhead lines by combining it with battery tech to allow for better performance (less chance of unhooking at greater speeds using batteries to fill in gaps at intersections). See the new first hill street car: https://sdotblog.seattle.gov/2015/05/04/first-hill-street-ca...
The overhead lines do force King County Metro to avoid changing routes (a boon for local riders), and are 50% faster at getting the bus up to speed after a stop. Short of something wrecking the overhead lines on most of a route, I doubt they'll be retired soon.