Summer 2025 Metro Service Change

17 Replies to “Summer 2025 Metro Service Change”

1. I spoke to the person at dart yesterday who said the 930 flexible service area extends NW to the Kingsgate 7 Eleven off 124th Ave NE &NE 143rd St ( not just NE 132nd St). Can we get the schedule updated?

   1. These are Metro’s maps and service levels; we can’t do anything about them. We’re just amateur transit enthusiasts, not connected to the agencies. You can send feedback to Metro via Metro’s comment form or phone number.

      It’s not uncommon for Metro’s service-change or service-proposal maps to have mistakes or some aspects aren’t updated. These are usually corrected in a few weeks. The primary issue will be if the map on the route schedule page is wrong, because that’s what people will use for actual trips that day.

2. They should probably just start 251 now as well. I don’t think cross-lake section of 2 Line is very relevant to this route.

   1. It is if the drivers to operate the 251 are coming from the 550.

      1. It will take a lot of operators to extend the 2 Line ca. 55 minutes in each direction. That’s more than the workforce that was needed to open Central Link.

         Those operators will be needed up front for the full schedule simulation.

      2. That’s right Brent.

         Because simulation will require lots of drivers, some driver shuffling will be needed.

         I even wonder how the bus schedules can be driven once simulation starts.

3. Is there any progress on Metro backfilling Lake City Way service from Roosevelt Station, so ST Express 522 can move to Shoreline South Station?

   Could City funding be used for that? (In place of funding poorly-used service on the 107 SFH milk run between Rainier Beach and Renton?)

   1. It’s not Lake City Way holding it back. ST doesn’t care about Lake City Way; it’s not part of the 522’s mission. What’s keeping the 522 going to Roosevelt is fears that the 1 Line would be overcrowded if the 522 switched to Shoreline South station before the 2 Line gets there.

      The dependency is the other way around. It’s the 522’s delay in moving and the fact that Pinehurst station isn’t open yet that’s keeping the 77 from being launched. Metro is assuming Pinehurst will open before the 522 moves, so the 77’s 130th phase would start before its Lake City Way phase. If it turns out to be the other way around, Metro may have to do some rethinking, because it wasn’t expecting to start Lake City Way service before 130th service.

      There has been more of this switcheroo. The full 2 Line was expected to start before other things, but now it’s starting afterward, so that threw off the 522’s move to Shoreline South station.

      1. Thanks.

         But I’m not understanding the overcrowding concern, at least on the 1 Line. During PM peak, is there some source of significant boardings at Roosevelt Station that they think will be larger than deboardings if the 522 terminus moves north?

         The lack of available operators to open up net platform hours I totally get. But I’m not sure SDoT gets it, based on its big buy of service hours on the 107 that took effect with the March service change. That came out of seemingly nowhere.

         I stand by my assessment that 20-minute headway on routes 60 and 107 off-peak is plenty if they are interlined somewhat evenly on 15th Ave S., to create roughly 10-minute headway on that corridor.. The largest barrier to improving ridership on the 107 was the darn Georgetown loop-de-loop just south of Cleveland High.

      2. I just want to add that the current 522 is better than the future 522 (and future Stride 3). It probably carries more riders (and more riders per service hour). It connects to more buses and more destinations. It really should be extended to the U-District which would give riders a direct connection to a major destination. But because it is a Sound Transit route it makes an awkward turn which screws up the network.

         But Metro is ready to backfill service on Lake City Way. It just won’t be as good a network as it could be. Here is a map of what it is supposed to look like: https://kingcounty.gov/~/media/depts/metro/programs-projects/link-connections/lynnwood-link/large/p3serviceproposal_areamap_lg.jpg. Note that the future 72 will be the only bus on Lake City Way north of the Lake City Fred Meyer. It won’t go to Kenmore (like the existing 372 and 522). Thus riders from Kenmore to Lake City will have to transfer (and the transfer will be a bit awkward). Some riders (e. g. Kenmore to Sand Point) will have to transfer twice. That’s because the 522 doesn’t just keep going straight.

         Meanwhile the 65 will also go from Lake City to 148th Station. But it will take a different path. This is a violation of Metro service guidelines and it is pretty easy to see why. Riders from the same area trying to go the same place have to choose between two unique buses each traveling on their own corridor. You haven’t added much coverage while you’ve made frequency a lot worse. Part of the blame goes to Metro but mostly it was a poor decision on ST’s part to send the 522 to 148th Station instead of sending it to the UW.

         Metro’s big mistake is how they plan on backfilling service on the southern part of Lake City Way. Rather than run a bus from the Lake City Fred Meyer to the U-District they will run the 77 — a bus that will barely skirt the heart of Lake City. As a result a lot of people will have a lot longer walk to a bus stop. It is easy to assume that a cash-starved agency is doing this to save money but that isn’t the case. If they did the following it would actually *save* money while providing a much better network:

         1) Send the 75 to Bitter Lake.
         2) Have the new 77 run from Lake City to the U-District.
         3) Backfill existing service with a new bus that starts at Northgate goes up 5th NE until 130th then loops around and heads back to Northgate (https://maps.app.goo.gl/kiCoFBApxq7inD4Z8).

         This is why we’ve spend billions of dollars on meaningful improvements to the transit system and yet ridership is largely unchanged. It isn’t enough to just send buses to Link. You need a good bus network to have a good transit network. Our bus network has major routing flaws *and* a shortage of funds. This pushes down ridership across the board — both our buses and Link don’t get nearly as many as riders as they should.

      3. “I’m not understanding the overcrowding concern, at least on the 1 Line.”

         It’s ST’s argument, and it doesn’t make much sense. If there is overcrowding it will be between Capitol Hill and Westlake, and it won’t matter whether the 522 terminates at Shoreline South or Roosevelt because the result would be the same either way.

         Two counterarguments might be that even if it doesn’t add to total crowding and the biggest bottleneck is further south, having the 522 go to Roosevelt means riders from Lynnwood will have a blissful five minutes more with more space until the Roosevelt riders get on.

         Another is that switching to Shoreline South would increase ridership on the 522 because it now takes less time to get downtown and that makes it a more ideal and desirable route. That’s the rationale behind Stride 3 terminating at Shoreline South: it gives Bothell, Kenmore, and Lake Forest Park faster travel time to downtown (and the U-District) than going to Roosevelt, and most Northshore constiuents don’t care about Lake City or Roosevelt.

      4. @Ross I think the future 522(S3) – 72 transfer will be very awkward. Here’s what someone travelling from Lake City to Kenmore has to do:

         Take the 72 to 145th Street and 30th Ave. This involves the bus making a left turn at 145th/Lake City Way and going through the 145th/30th traffic light

         Cross the street and catch the 522 (S3). This involves waiting at the 145th/30th traffic light to cross 2 sides

         Take the 522 to Kenmore. This involves making (another) left turn at 145th/Lake City Way.

         So in sum, the transfer involves an extra half mile of bus distance, which means an 2 additional left turns (at the same intersection!), crossing 2 sides of an intersection, and 2 additional traffic lights. How much time does that add compared to the current 372 or 522 just going straight north?

         @Mike you’re right. Since Stride 3 is an East King project, ST is laser focused on what East King riders want. That’s just Kenmore / Bothell / Woodinville. And ST’s answer is that their sole focus is providing a bus to Link. Not providing local service, and not considering what Shoreline / Lake City / Lake Forest Park wants.

      5. I think the future 522(S3) – 72 transfer will be very awkward.

         I agree. You described it well. Southbound isn’t much better. You are just making right turns instead of left turns. The only way you can go to a bus served by both the 72 and 65 would be to walk over to 27th (https://maps.app.goo.gl/sTBoRYpBS7a7ZXKD7). Very awkward indeed.

         I’m not understanding the overcrowding concern, at least on the 1 Line.

         Someone explained the logic behind it and it wasn’t obvious. It sounded reasonable I just forget what their thinking was. I think it had to do with the overall network and the frequency of Link. Once the 522 goes to 148th Station riders along the corridor will pretty much have to take Link. If the train runs every five minutes it is much better than every ten. Until then a lot of riders can find alternate routes that don’t involve Link.

         For example this is the fastest way to get from a 522/372 stop to the UW campus: https://maps.app.goo.gl/4Hsc2F6RENDCVSuT6. Notice that none of the options involve Link. The fastest way is via the 372 (no transfers). If you are headed towards 50th your best bet is usually to take the 522 and transfer to the 67 (https://maps.app.goo.gl/7ngcd4mGS6Fp79gW7). These sorts of bus-to-bus transfers won’t be a common. Riders will be heavily dependent on Link and ST wants to wait until the trains are running more often before they make the change. At least that is what I think this is about.

      6. Since Stride 3 is an East King project, ST is laser focused on what East King riders want. That’s just Kenmore / Bothell / Woodinville.

         And that is a dysfunctional approach to government. It is common in American transit projects and is a major problem with Sound Transit. To quote Stephen Fesler:

         The balkanization of funding can lead to balkanized decision-making, pushing the agency to pursue bad alignments out of deference to the local subarea and to lose sight of the bigger picture: creating the most effective transit network for the entire region.

         There is nothing fundamentally wrong with trying to spread the benefits around. But you shouldn’t lose sight of the big picture while doing so. Aside from the ridiculously high price tag, giving Kenmore/Bothell/Woodinville improved bus service is fine. But there has to be some give and take. There has to be a recognition of the overall network. The existing 522 benefits Metro. It would benefit it even more if it made a few more stops along Lake City Way and was extended to the U-District. Metro could (and should) chip in for the cost of operations which in turn could mean the buses could run more often.

         This extra funding could pay for running both routes during peak. The existing 522 (extended to the U-District) would run all day. During peak they could run a bus to 148th every so often. Riders who time their commute would have the same benefit as planned while other riders get a one-seat ride to the U-District.

4. What about getting DART service on State Rt 202 Woodinville to Redmond or at least 124th to downtown Redmond for the 2 Line?

5. See RossB suggestion. If route 75 served the Pinehurst station (if not SCC) and the Route 522 replacement service Route 77 used the Fred Meyer layover, both could serve the existing bus stops in Lake City and the improvements to and walking transfers of 30th Avenue NE would not be necessary. Route 77 is an awkward pairing and should be broken. Other routes could serve 5th Avenue NE. The ST timing is changing again?

6. When is the Admiral District going to see more 56/57?!! We’re tired of waiting only for it to be reduced over the years.

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