Lynnwood Link Debut Will Change ST 2024-2029 Development Plan

The Transit Development Plan 2023-2028 details Sound Transit plans to use light rail extension to replace Express Bus Routes into Seattle.  Section 7. “Planned Operating Changes” detail how Line 1, Line 2 extension and Stride BRT S1, S2, and S3 service will replace the routes.

For example, their plans for 2024 to extend light rail from Northgate to Lynnwood include the following:

Evaluate routing for Routes 510, 511, 512 ,513  -  Supports expansion of 1 Line

For 2025 the 2 Line service from Redmond to Lynnwood results in the following: 

Evaluate routing for Routes 522, 542, 544, 545, 550, 554, 556, - Supports expansion of 2 Line.

 For 2026 the 1 Line from Angle Lake to Federal Way results in

Evaluate routing for Routes 574, 577, 580, 592, 595 - Supports expansion of 1 Line.

For 2027 the Stride BRT service on I-405 between Burien and Bellevue and Between Bothell and Shoreline results in

Evaluate routing for Routes 522, 560, 566, 567 - Supports expansion of S1 & S3 Line

For 2028 the Stride BRT service between Lynnwood and Bellevue results in

Evaluate routes for Routes 532, 535 - Supports expansion of S2 Line.

Thus by 2028 Sound Transit plans to “evaluate” 22 ST Express Bus Routes presumable meaning either ending the route or terminating it at Line 1, Line 2, or S route stations. Snohomish Community Transit intends to end SCT 400 routes into Seattle when Lynnwood Link debuts.  King County Metro will terminate all I-90 corridor bus routes at Mercer Island when East Link debuts and presumably route all their buses to Line 1 when Federal Way debuts.

The result being Everett commuters will no longer have bus routes into Seattle or Bellevue.  I-90 corridor and Bellevue commuters won’t have bus routes into Seattle or South to SeaTac.  South end commuters won’t have access to Bellevue.

The bottom line is the Transit Development Plan continues Sound Transit’s refusal to recognize the folly of using light rail trains to replace bus routes into Seattle.  What was initially demonstrated in 2021 with the Northgate Link debut and would have been confirmed this year if East Link had not been delayed will now be demonstrated by the Lynnwood Link debut in 2024.  

That, as a result Sound Transit’s Transit Development Plan 2024-2029 will "likely" look much different.