Contents

RapidRide C Line

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 toWestlake 6th Ave toBallard & toShoreline Virginia St 1 Line toNorthgate Pike St (Westlake station) Seneca St (University Street station) 1 Line toAngle Lake via Airport Columbia St & toPioneer Square Seattle Ferry Terminal S Jackson St West Seattle Bridge over Duwamish Waterway toBurien 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 This diagram: view talk edit ← B Line  {{{system_nav}}}  D Line →

The C Line is one of seven RapidRide lines (routes with some bus rapid transit features) operated by King County MetroinKing 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 Westlake Avenue, 3rd Avenue, Washington State Route 99, the West Seattle Bridge, California Avenue and Fauntleroy Way.^[3]

History[edit]

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] A new C Line stop serving the waterfront, at Alaskan Way and South Jackson Street, opened in February 2022.^[9]

Service[edit]

Improvements[edit]

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).^[10]

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.^[11][12]

The second round of improvements came in March 2016 when the RapidRide C and D lines were split apart.^[10] C Line buses now continue north through parts of Belltown and onto transit only lanes Westlake Avenue in the South Lake Union neighborhood,^[13] 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.^[14]

References[edit]

External links[edit]

• C Line website