Two Axes to Swing for Metro in September

by
David Lawson
from Seattle Transit Blog on (#57KW8)
ax-650x249.pngAn ax. Public domain image.

Metro has been signaling for a long time that major service cuts were coming. Between the impending expiration of Seattle STBD funding (with only very partial replacement) and the major loss of sales tax revenue caused by COVID-19, the funding picture is drastically different than it was a year ago. Now we know just how major those cuts will be. On Saturday, September 19, Metro's network will regress to its worst state in years.

Very little is spared. We lose most of the additional frequency on the Seattle network that STBD funded. Much night and weekend service that became frequent in recent years won't be frequent anymore. Express service suspended during the pandemic because of lower commute ridership isn't coming back for the time being. Outside Seattle, service restructures built on increased frequency (including those in Kirkland and Kent) are going to lose some of that frequency. There are so many cuts, affecting so much of the network, that we have little choice but to present them in chart form. But the big picture is that local service is largely back to 2013 levels, and peak-hour commuters will have to use that reduced local service instead of the expresses they were used to before the pandemic.

This is not a formula for continuing Seattle's transit mode share growth, reducing carbon emissions, or improving mobility for people without cars. The reduced network makes both commute and off-work trips slower and wait times longer. More people are going to drive and park, especially those traveling nights and weekends. As traffic volume recovers, expect worse traffic than Seattle has seen before. The city is going to have a tough time meeting the mode share goals it set for the West Seattle bridge closure. Even once the pandemic is over, it is going to be a sustained and difficult political effort to restore Seattle bus service to where it was at the end of 2019, let alone to make any of the further improvements Metro imagined in Metro Connects..

If there is any good news, it is that Metro wisely has sought to spare those routes that have carried the most essential workers during the pandemic. Workhorse routes that have seen only modest drops in ridership, mostly in the south end, are almost totally unaffected.

In addition to the cuts, there is a significant restructure of service in and around Kent. Normally we would give this much more coverage, as it will improve service for Kent-Auburn riders (even after the cuts) and make some east-west trips faster and simpler. But since the cuts are so sweeping and will make this post so long, we'll refer riders in Kent to our earlier post for details. That post remains accurate except for COVID-related cuts detailed below.

Two charts listing out all the cuts are below the jump: one for all-day service and one for peak-hour service.

The all-day service chart below lists frequencies starting this month, with September 2019 frequency in parentheses if it is different. For instance, if a service is reduced from 15-minute to 30-minute frequency, it would say 30 (15)." Cuts are indicated in bold red text.

RouteM-F peakM-F middayM-F eveningM-F nightS/S middayS/S eveningS/S nightOwl
A1010153010153060
B10151530151530-
C*4-1012153012-15 (12)153060
D6-1010 (12)**1515-3015 (12)153060
E4-1010101510-15 (10)10-152060
F10151530151530-
11515303030 (20)3030-
2 (N)30303030303060 (30)-
2 (S)1515153030 (15)3030-
3/4 (N)15 (8)1530 (15)3030 (15)303060
3 (S)15-2030303030303060
4 (S)30303030303030-
515 (10)1520 (15)3020-30 (15)20-30 (15)60 (30)-
7*8-10101515-3010-121515-3060
810-1215 (12)20 (15)3015-2020-3030-
101015 (10)20 (15)30 (15)30 (15)30 (15)30 (15)-
111520 (15)303030 (15)3030- (60)
1210-121520 (15)3030 (15)30 (15)30-
1315-30303030303060 (30)-
141515303030 (20)3030-
21151520-3060 (30)20-30 (15)30 (15)60 (30)-
2415-30303060 (30)303060 (30)-
2610-30303030303030-
2720-303030- (60)30-60 (30)60 (30)- (60)-
2810-15303030303030-
3130 (20)3030-- (30)- (30)--
3230 (20)303030303030-
33153030- (30)30-60 (30)60 (30)- (60)-
36*8-10101515-3010-151515-3060
408-1015152015-20 (15)20
(15-20)		30-
41*5-10121515151530-
44101215-20 (15)20 (15)15
(12-15)		20 (15)20 (15)- (60)
4515151520-30
(15-20)		15-20 (15)15-30 (15)30
(15-30)		-
4812 (10)15 (10)20 (15)20-30
(15-30)		15
(10-15)		15***30
(15-30)		60
491215 (12)30 (15)30 (15)1530 (15)30 (15)60
502030
(20-30)		3030303030-
60*15153030303030-60 (30)-
627-81515301515-20 (15)30-
6515 (10)15 (10)1520-30 (15)1520 (15)30- (60)
6715 (10)15 (10)1520-30 (15)1520 (15)30- (60)
701015 (10)15
(10-15)		151520 (15)20-30 (15)- (60)
73/
373		20 (15)30- (30)-30- (30)--
7415-30- (30)------
7515 (10)15153030
(15-30)		30
(15-30)		30-
10115153060303060-
10515303030303030-
10610-151530 (15)301530 (15)30-
10715-30303030-60303060-
1183030-9090-90--
120*7-10121515-301515-2030-
12415153030-6030
(15-30)		3030-6060
12520-303045-45/ -
(30)		---
12820-30303030303030-
13115-30303060303060-
13230303060303060-
148303060-60---
15012-15153060153060-
1533030------
15615-303030-60-6060--
160
(169/
180S)		1515****306030306060
(part)
161
(180N)		15-3030306030306060
165
(164/
166)		303030-60
(30)		-30-6030-60--
168303030
(30-60)		6030 (60)30-60 (60)60-
18115-303030-60-3030-60--
1823030--60---
183303060-30/ ----
18420 (15)303060303060-
1873030--60---
2043060------
208100100--120---
221303060-30-6060--
224100100------
2253030-60 (30)60-6060--
226303060-60
(30-60)		60--
230303060-6060--
231303060-6060--
239303060-3060--
24020 (15)20-303030303030-
241303060-60
(30-60)		60--
24515 (12)1530603030-6060-
25015153060 (30)303060-
2557-1520 (15)20 (15)3015-20 (15)20 (15)30-
26930 (20)30--- (30)---
271*12
(8-10)		153060306060-
3306060------
33130
(15-30)		30--30-60---
34530
(15-30)		303060306060-
34630303060306060-
34730303060306060-
34830303060306060-
3727-15153030-6030
(15-20)		3030-
6313030------
6351530--30/ ----
901303060-3060--
9033060--30-60---
90620-303030-60---
907-60------
914-30--60/ ----
91540-6060--90---
91720-4035--60---
9303030------
*Frequencies stay largely the same, but isolated individual trips are cut.
**Increased for social distancing reasons.
***Not a typo. The 48 will have more frequent evening service weekends than weekdays.
****Improved from 30 minutes on the portion of the route that was formerly route 180.

All-day routes 22, 47, 71, 78, 200, 246, and 249, all coverage routes with low ridership, are suspended temporarily during the pandemic.

The weekday peak service chart lists weekday peak frequency, for those routes that are still operating, or either suspended" or deleted" depending on whether Metro plans to restore the route. Again, frequency cuts are marked in bold red text.

RouteFrequency or status
5XSuspended (use 5 local)
9Suspended (use 7)
15Suspended (use D Line)
17Suspended (use 40)
18Suspended (use 40)
19Suspended (use 24)
21X15-30
29Suspended (use 2N)
37Suspended (use 50 or 775)
4330 peak-direction (30 bidirectional)
55Suspended (use 50 or C Line)
56Suspended (use 50)
57Suspended (use 50)
63Suspended (use 41, 64, or 67)
6430
76Suspended (use 64 or 65)
77Suspended (use 73, 347, 348, or 73)
10230
11115-30
113Suspended (use 120 or 131)
114Suspended (use 111)
116Suspended (use C Line)
118XSuspended (use 118 local)
11930-120
119XSuspended (use 118/119 local)
121Suspended (use 120, 156, or 165)
122Suspended (use 120, 156, or 165)
123Suspended (use 120)
143Suspended (use 101)
154Suspended (use 124 or 150)
157Suspended (use 150, 153, 160, or Sounder)
16220-30
167Suspended (use 101, 150, STX 566, or Sounder)
177Suspended (use STX 577)
178Suspended (use STX 577)
179Suspended (use 181, 187, or STX 577)
186Deleted (use 915)
190Suspended (use 162 or 193)
19330
197Suspended (use STX 577)
21215 (7-10)
216Suspended (use 218 or 269)
217Suspended (use 212 or STX 554)
21815-20 (10-15)
219Suspended (use 218 or 269)
232Suspended (use STX 566 or B Line)
237Suspended (use STX 532 or 535)
252Suspended (use 257)
25730
268Suspended (use STX 545)
30115-30 (10-20)
30430
308Suspended (use STX 522)
30930
31130
312Suspended (use STX 522)
316Suspended (use 26, 64, 345, or 346)
342Suspended (use 331, 372, or STX 532, 535, or 566)
355Suspended (use 5, 45, or 74)
628Suspended (no alternative service)
630Suspended (use STX 550 or 554)
77330
77530
931Suspended (no alternative service)
952Deleted (no alternative service)
School
service		Bellevue school routes in 800 series deleted
Lakeside/UP school routes in 900 series suspended
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