The A Line is one of eight RapidRide lines (routes with some bus rapid transit features) operated by King County Metro in King County, Washington. The A Line began service on October 2, 2010,[3] running from Tukwila to Federal Way, mostly along Pacific Highway South. The northern terminus is Tukwila/International Boulevard Station. From there, riders can transfer to Sound Transit's Link light rail, the RapidRide F Line, or to other King County Metro buses that serve Burien, Tukwila, SeaTac, Georgetown, SoDo, and downtown Seattle. Its southern terminus is Federal Way Transit Center[4] and connects riders to buses serving Tacoma, Pierce County, and Auburn. Between the termini there are a total of 13 stations[4] plus 13 intermediate stops.[5]

A Line
RapidRide bus operating on the A Line
Overview
SystemRapidRide
OperatorKing County Metro
GarageSouth Base
VehicleNew Flyer articulated buses[1]
Began serviceOctober 2, 2010
PredecessorsRoute 174
Route
LocaleKing County
StartTukwila International Boulevard station
ViaPacific Highway South (SR 99)
EndFederal Way Transit Center
Length11 miles (18 km)
Service
FrequencyPeak: 10 minutes
Off-peak: 15 minutes
Late night: 30-70 minutes
Weekend frequency15 minutes (most times)
Journey time44 minutes
Operates24 hours
Ridership10,100 (weekday average, spring 2015)[2]
TimetableA Line timetable
MapA Line map
Route diagram

to Burien
Tukwila International
Boulevard station
Parking
to Renton
S 160th St
S 170th St
S 176th St
(SeaTac/Airport station)
Seattle–Tacoma International Airport
S 180th St
S 182nd St
S 188th St
S 195th St
S 200th St
(Angle Lake station)
Parking
S 208th St
S 216th St
S 224th St
Kent-Des Moines Rd
S 240th St
(Highline College)
S 246th St
S 252nd St
S 260th St
S 268th St
S 272nd St
S 276th St
(Redondo Heights Park & Ride)
Parking
S 283rd St
S 288th St
S Dash Point Rd
S 308th St
(Federal Way High School)
S 312th St
S 316th St
Federal Way Transit Center
Parking
Key
station
stop
northbound only stop
southbound only stop
Parking
Park and Ride
Seattle–Tacoma International Airport
Airport
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History

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This corridor was previously served by King County Metro route 174[6] which carried an average of 5,570 riders on weekdays during the last month in service.[7] Since the implementation of RapidRide on the corridor, ridership has grown 81 percent and the A Line served an average of 10,100 riders on weekdays in spring 2015.[2]

Service

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Headways[8]
Time Monday-Friday Weekend/Holidays
4:15 am – 4:45 am 15 30
4:45 am – 7:00 am 15 15
7:00 am – 9:00 am 10 15
9:00 am – 2:00 pm 15 15
2:00 pm – 6:00 pm 10 15
6:00 pm – 10:00 pm 15 15
10:00 pm – 4:15 am 30-70 30-70

Between 10:00 pm and 4:15 am, service operates on a schedule; all other times are estimated headways.

References

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  1. ^ "King County Metro Transit's Bus Rapid Transit System". May 4, 2009. Retrieved June 21, 2015.
  2. ^ a b 2015 Service Guidelines Report (PDF). King County Metro. October 2015. p. A-22. Retrieved December 11, 2015.
  3. ^ "Metro's new RapidRide "A" Line to connect Tukwila and Federal Way launches Oct. 2" (Press release). King County Department of Transportation. October 1, 2010. Retrieved June 21, 2015.
  4. ^ a b "Pacific Highway South RapidRide". King County Metro Transit. October 9, 2007. Retrieved March 30, 2009.
  5. ^ "Pacific Highway South RapidRide > Map". King County Metro Transit. October 9, 2007. Retrieved March 30, 2009.
  6. ^ "Metro Route 174 Map". King County Metro Transit. Retrieved May 6, 2009.
  7. ^ Lindblom, Mike (July 7, 2014). "RapidRide use is way up". The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on February 17, 2016. Retrieved July 7, 2014.
  8. ^ "RapidRide A Line: Schedule". King County Metro. September 27, 2010. Retrieved October 4, 2010.
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