Metro Connects
The Service Network
EXPRESS SERVICE Express service makes limited stops for faster and easier trips between growth centers across King County. Metro Connects includes new all-day express routes that support various schedules, destinations, and trip purposes, giving riders more flexibility.
What will express service look like? Express service will run all day, unlike traditional express buses that primarily serve commuters during peak times. As the number of people and jobs grow, 16 King County will need fast, reliable, all-day service to support changing travel patterns. Express service will move more people to work or other destinations quickly, and Metro and Sound Transit have worked together to develop a complementary network of express services connecting important corridors countywide. In the future, express buses will arrive more frequently during peak periods than during the off-peak. Some buses will arrive more frequently during the off-peak in high-demand corridors. Express stops will be spaced one to two miles apart, on average. Stops will be less frequent on highway segments and more frequent when serving local transportation hubs and stations. Express service will connect transit centers, employment hubs, and educational institutions along major corridors. It will connect small suburban cities to regional growth centers and the larger transit system. The proposed express network will be integrated with regional rail and bus rapid transit services. Express service will:
Connect areas that have concentrated demand at both ends of the route
Connect centers not well served by other regional high-capacity services such as light rail and bus rapid transit
Operate primarily on highways or major arterials where express buses can maintain a travel speed of more than 20 mph, or 45 mph on freeway portions
Provide significant and reliable travel-time savings compared to alternatives
Provide faster trips by using improvements that help buses move more quickly and reliably
Expand access to transit by connecting to parking facilities
Figure 16 shows how the Metro Connects 2050 network will benefit riders who travel during the morning peak period. The travel times savings will be significant. For example, a Microsoft employee who commutes from the Snoqualmie Ridge five days
16 More information and maps showing projected job and population growth in the Metro Connects Service Network Technical Report.
King County Metro Long Range Plan
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