Community Transit Plans 'Swift Gold Line' Bus to Arlington

Community Transit has kicked off planning work for its fourth bus rapid transit lite line that could start service by 2029. Dubbed as the “Swift Gold Line,” the planned service will run between Everett Station and Smokey Point Transit Center in Arlington. This comes on the heels of the latest Swift line (the Orange Line) opening this past spring, which runs between Lynnwood’s forthcoming light rail station and McCollum Park Park-and-Ride.

“We are focusing on bringing our flagship service to some of the most booming areas of Snohomish County and indeed in the country,” Ric Ilgenfritz, Community Transit’s CEO, said in a statement on Thursday. “Marysville’s comprehensive plan calculations anticipate the city will grow by 35% over the next 20 years, while Arlington’s plan anticipates nearly 75% growth. By expanding access to fast, easy and reliable transportation we will keep our communities and our economy moving.”

When the Gold Line opens for service, riders can expect buses to come every 10 to 12 minutes on weekdays, and every 15 to 20 minutes on weekends and during early morning and evening periods. That’s a higher level of frequency than Community Transit offers on most other bus services, and should come with a broader span of service.

Bus stops along the Gold Line will also have superior amenities with lighting, modern bus shelters, off-board payment, and real-time arrival information signs. Those stops, however, may be fewer, with stops spread apart about every third of a mile in denser areas and every half-mile in low density areas. Consequently, Community Transit is contemplating around 20 to 27 stop pairs along the whole corridor. That’s comparable to Route 201, which the Swift line would potentially replace, but fewer than Route 202, a variant of the Route 201 that could also potentially be replaced.



https://www.theurbanist.org/2024/07/15/swift-gold-line/