The C Line is one of seven

RapidRide RapidRide is a network of limited-stop bus routes with some bus rapid transit features in King County, Washington, operated by King County Metro. The network consists of six routes totaling 64 miles that carried riders on approximately 64,860 tr ...

lines (routes with some

bus rapid transit Bus rapid transit (BRT), also called a busway or transitway, is a bus-based public transport system designed to have much more capacity, reliability and other quality features than a conventional bus system. Typically, a BRT system includes ...

features) operated by

King County Metro King County Metro, officially the King County Metro Transit Department and often shortened to Metro, is the public transit authority of King County, Washington, which includes the city of Seattle. It is the eighth-largest transit bus agency in t ...

King County, Washington King County is located in the U.S. state of Washington. The population was 2,269,675 in the 2020 census, making it the most populous county in Washington, and the 13th-most populous in the United States. The county seat is Seattle, also the st ...

. The C Line began service on September 29, 2012, running between

downtown Seattle Downtown is the central business district of Seattle, Washington. It is fairly compact compared with other city centers on the U.S. West Coast due to its geographical situation, being hemmed in on the north and east by hills, on the west by ...

West Seattle West Seattle is a conglomeration of neighborhoods in Seattle, Washington, United States. It comprises two of the thirteen districts, Delridge and Southwest, and encompasses all of Seattle west of the Duwamish River. It was incorporated as an i ...

, Fauntleroy and the Westwood Village Shopping Center in the Westwood neighborhood. The line runs mainly via

Westlake Avenue Westlake Avenue is a major street in Seattle, Washington (state), Washington, connecting Downtown Seattle to the neighborhoods of South Lake Union, Seattle, South Lake Union, Westlake, Seattle, Westlake and northeastern Queen Anne, Seattle, Queen ...

, 3rd Avenue,

Washington State Route 99 State Route 99 (SR 99), also known as the Pacific Highway, is a state highway in the Seattle metropolitan area, part of the U.S. state of Washington. It runs from Fife in the south to Everett in the north, passing through the citie ...

, the

West Seattle Bridge The West Seattle Bridge, officially the Jeanette Williams Memorial Bridge, is a cantilevered segmental bridge that serves as the primary connection between West Seattle and important highways such as State Route 99 (and the tunnel through downt ...

, California Avenue and Fauntleroy Way.

History

This corridor was previously served by King County Metro routes 54 and 54 express. which carried a combined average of 4,650 riders on weekdays during the last month in service. 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. The C Line originally interlined with the D Line, which continued north from downtown to

Lower Queen Anne Lower Queen Anne (officially known since 2021 as Uptown) is a neighborhood in Seattle, Washington (state), Washington, at the base of Queen Anne, Seattle, Queen Anne Hill. While its boundaries are not precise, the toponym usually refers to the sho ...

, Interbay, and Ballard. The two routes were uncoupled during a service change on March 26, 2016, and the C Line was moved onto

to terminate in

South Lake Union South Lake Union (sometimes SLU) is a neighborhood in Seattle, Washington, so named because it is at the southern tip of Lake Union. The official boundaries of the City of Seattle Urban Center are Denny Way on the south, beyond which is Denny ...

, sharing several stops with the

South Lake Union Streetcar The South Lake Union Streetcar, officially the South Lake Union Line, is a streetcar route in Seattle, Washington, United States, forming part of the Seattle Streetcar system. It travels and connects Downtown Seattle to the South Lake Union ne ...

. The C Line originally accessed downtown via State Route 99 and the

Alaskan Way Viaduct The Alaskan Way Viaduct ("the viaduct" for short) was an elevated freeway in Seattle, Washington, United States, that carried a section of State Route 99 (SR 99). The double-decked freeway ran north–south along the city's waterfront for , ...

, 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 The SODO Busway, also referred to as the E-3 Busway, is a busway in the SoDo neighborhood of Seattle, Washington. It has four stops, including two that connect to Link light rail stations, and functions as an extension of the Downtown Seattl ...

and 4th Avenue. A new C Line stop serving the waterfront, at Alaskan Way and South Jackson Street, opened in February 2022.

Service

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). 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. The second round of improvements came in March 2016 when the RapidRide C and D lines were split apart. C Line buses now continue north through parts of Belltown and onto transit only lanes Westlake Avenue in the

neighborhood, terminating on Valley Street near the

Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center The Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, formerly known as the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and also known as Fred Hutch or The Hutch, is a cancer research institute established in 1975 in Seattle, Washington. History The center grew out o ...

campus. D Line buses now continue south on 3rd Avenue into Pioneer Square, using

layover 250px, Layover for buses at LACMTA's Warner Center Transit Hub, Los Angeles ">Los_Angeles.html" ;"title="Warner Center Transit Hub, Los Angeles">Warner Center Transit Hub, Los Angeles In scheduled transportation, a layover (also waypoint, way ...

space on 5th Avenue south of Terrace Street.

References

External links

C Line website
{{Puget Sound Transit Bus transportation in Washington (state) Transportation in King County, Washington Transportation in Seattle 2012 establishments in Washington (state) 2012 in transport King County Metro