Proposal Released for Bus Connections to Northgate Light Rail

Public invited to comment on refined ideas for bus connections with light rail when Northgate Link opens in 2021

Community Transit and Sound Transit are exploring bus service changes to connect riders with fast, reliable service to the University of Washington, downtown Seattle and other regional destinations when light rail reaches Northgate in 2021. Link light rail trains will depart Northgate every six minutes during peak hours. Travel time on Link from Northgate to the U District is expected to take five minutes; Northgate to downtown Seattle will take 14 minutes.

After receiving feedback from riders last year, the agencies refined their ideas for bus connections to light rail. Sound Transit and Community Transit are presenting these updates and collecting additional feedback in an online open house open through June 4 at https://northgate.participate.online/.

While current bus and light rail service has been temporarily reduced due to the COVID-19 pandemic, planning and approval for future service changes must continue in order to meet the scheduled opening of Northgate Link in 2021.

Revised Service Proposal

In the first phase of outreach, riders said they are willing to transfer from bus to light rail to improve the speed and reliability of their commute, but wanted more frequent bus service to minimize transfer times at Northgate. They also expressed a desire for more options to reach their destinations.

The updated proposal includes increased trip frequency and longer operating hours on select routes, especially in the evening; and more choices for riders to transfer to light rail at Northgate or continue to downtown Seattle by bus.

Potential changes to Snohomish County bus service include:

• Maintaining direct bus service from Everett to downtown Seattle on ST Express Route 510.
• ST Express routes 511, 512 and 513 that currently run between Snohomish County and downtown Seattle will connect to Link at Northgate instead.
• Community Transit 400 series bus routes will maintain direct service to downtown Seattle.
• Community Transit routes 810, 821, 860, 871 and 880 will connect to Link at Northgate.
• Community Transit Route 821 service will replace Route 855 at Lynnwood Transit Center.

King County Metro Transit will also change bus service to connect to the new Link stations. Changes to service may occur in North Seattle, U-District, Shoreline, Bothell, Kenmore, Lake Forest Park, and Woodinville. Metro proposed concepts for these changes earlier this year. (Find out more on Metro’s North Link Connections webpage.)

Sound Transit and Community Transit will consider the feedback they receive to finalize the proposal, which they will present to their respective boards of directors for approval in the summer of 2020.

For more information about Northgate Link, visit www.soundtransit.org/system-expansion/northgate-link-extension.