RapidRide C Line

The C Line is one of six RapidRide lines (routes with some bus rapid transit features) operated by King County Metro in King County, Washington. The C Line began service on September 29, 2012,[2] running between downtown Seattle, West Seattle, Fauntleroy and the Westwood Village Shopping Center in the Westwood neighborhood. The line runs mainly via 3rd Avenue, the Alaskan Way Viaduct, the West Seattle Bridge, California Ave SW and Fauntleroy Way SW.[3]

C Line
RapidRide bus running on the C Line
Overview
System	RapidRide
Operator	King County Metro
Garage	Atlantic Base
Vehicle	New Flyer articulated buses
Began service	September 29, 2012
Predecessors	Route 54, 54X
Route
Locale	King County
Communities served	South Lake Union Downtown Seattle West Seattle Fauntleroy Westwood
Landmarks served	Lake Union Park Alaska Junction Morgan Junction Fauntleroy Ferry Terminal
Start	South Lake Union
Via	Westlake Ave N 3rd Avenue Alaskan Way Viaduct West Seattle Bridge California Ave SW Fauntleroy Way SW
End	Westwood Village
Length	12 miles (19 km)
Service
Frequency	Peak: 6-8 minutes Off-peak: 12-15 minutes Late night: 30-75 minutes
Weekend frequency	Saturday: 12-15 minutes (most times) Sunday: 15 minutes (most times)
Journey time	56 minutes
Operates	24 hours
Ridership	8,300 (weekday average, spring 2015)[1]
Timetable	C Line timetable
Map	C Line map
Route diagram Valley St Fairview Ave N Valley St South Lake Union Streetcar to Fred Hutchison Cancer Center Mercer St Harrison St Denny Way South Lake Union Streetcar to Westlake 6th Ave to Ballard & to Shoreline Virginia St Line 1 to University of Washington Pike St (Westlake station) Seneca St (University Street station) Line 1 to Angle Lake via Airport Marion St Columbia St & to Pioneer Square Alaskan Way (Colman Dock) West Seattle Bridge over Duwamish Waterway SW Bradford St SW Yancy St SW Avalon Way (West Seattle Recreation Center) Fauntleroy Way SW California Ave SW (Alaska Junction) SW Findlay St Fauntleroy Way SW (Morgan Junction) SW Myrtle St SW Webster St SW Rose St (Lincoln Park) SW Barton St (Fauntleroy Ferry Terminal) 45th St SW California Ave SW 35th Ave SW SW Roxbury St 28th Ave SW 26th Ave SW (Westwood Village) Legend station stop northbound only stop southbound only stop ← B Line  {{{system_nav}}}  D Line →

History

This corridor was previously served by King County Metro routes 54 and 54 express.[4] which carried a combined average of 4,650 riders on weekdays during the last month in service.[5] Since the implementation of RapidRide on the corridor, ridership has grown 79 percent and the C Line served an average of 8,300 riders on weekdays in spring 2015.[1] The C Line originally interlined with the D Line, which continued north from downtown to Lower Queen Anne, Interbay, and Ballard. The two routes were uncoupled during a service change on March 26, 2016, and the C Line was moved onto Westlake Avenue to terminate in South Lake Union, sharing several stops with the South Lake Union Streetcar.[6][7]

The C Line originally accessed downtown via State Route 99 and the Alaskan Way Viaduct, using the Seneca Street and Columbia Street ramps. The viaduct closed on January 11, 2019, and the route was moved to a new alignment in SoDo using the SODO Busway and 4th Avenue.[8]

Service

Headways

Time	Weekdays	Saturday	Sunday/ Holidays
5:00 am – 6:00 am	15	15	15
6:00 am – 8:00 am	6-8
8:00 am – 9:00 am		12
9:00 am – 3:00 pm	12
3:00 pm – 6:00 pm	6-8
6:00 pm – 7:00 pm	10
7:00 pm – 11:00 pm	15	15
11:00 pm – 1:00 am	30	30	30
1:00 am – 5:00 am	60-75	60-75	60-75

Improvements

The city of Seattle made major improvements to the RapidRide C and D lines with money generated by Proposition 1 (which increases sales tax by 0.1 percent and imposes a $60 annual car-tab fee).[9]

The first round of improvements came in June 2015 when headways on the RapidRide C and D lines were decreased. Buses will arrive every 7–8 minutes during weekday rush hour, every 12 minutes during the midday hours on weekdays, every 12 minutes during the daytime on Saturday and every 15 minutes on Sunday and during weekday and weekend nights.[10][11]

The second round of improvements came in March 2016 when the RapidRide C and D lines were split apart.[9] C Line buses now continue north through parts of Belltown and onto transit only lanes Westlake Avenue in the South Lake Union neighborhood,[12] terminating on Valley Street near the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center campus. D Line buses now continue south on 3rd Avenue into Pioneer Square, using layover space on 5th Avenue south of Terrace Street.[13]

References

1. 2015 Service Guidelines Report (PDF). King County Metro. October 2015. p. A-22. Retrieved December 11, 2015.
2. "RapidRide". King County Metro Transit. Retrieved March 30, 2009.
3. "RapidRide C Line Route Map". King County Metro. Retrieved June 28, 2015.
4. "Meet the C Line on Sept. 29". King County Metro Transit. Retrieved September 30, 2012.
5. Lindblom, Mike (July 7, 2014). "RapidRide use is way up". The Seattle Times. Retrieved July 7, 2014.
6. "More frequent, reliable bus service will soon connect more riders to congestion-free light rail" (Press release). King County Metro. March 9, 2016. Retrieved January 11, 2019.
7. "RapidRide C and D line extensions". King County Metro. Archived from the original on April 4, 2016. Retrieved January 11, 2019.
8. "Alaskan Way Viaduct Closure" (PDF). King County Metro. January 2019. Retrieved January 11, 2019.
9. Lindblom, Mike (November 4, 2014). "Metro bus service to get boost with passage of Prop. 1". Seattle Times. Retrieved January 20, 2015.
10. "RapidRide C Line Schedule". King County Metro. Retrieved June 28, 2015.
11. "Metro Transit Service Change Effective Saturday, June 6, 2015". King County Metro. June 6, 2015. Archived from the original on September 14, 2015. Retrieved September 13, 2015.
12. Lindblom, Mike (March 22, 2015). "Transit plan for South Lake Union: Drop 2 car lanes". The Seattle Times. Retrieved August 25, 2015.
13. "RapidRide C and D Lines Extension". King County Metro. Retrieved August 25, 2015.

External links

• C Line website