RapidRide H Line

The H Line is a RapidRide bus route in Seattle and Burien in King County, Washington, United States. It is operated by King County Metro and incorporates bus rapid transit features, including transit signal priority, exclusive lanes, and off-board fare payment at some stations. Service began on March 18, 2023, replacing Route 120 after the construction of new stations and bus lanes at a cost of $154 million.^[1] The 13-mile (21 km) route begins in Downtown Seattle and travels south on Delridge Way and Ambaum Boulevard through West Seattle and White Center before terminating in Burien.

H Line
A southbound H Line bus at South Jackson Street
Overview
System	RapidRide
Operator	King County Metro
Garage	Atlantic Base
Began service	March 18, 2023 (2023-03-18)
Predecessors	Route 120
Route
Locale	King County
Communities served	Seattle, White Center, Burien
Start	Downtown Seattle
Via	Delridge Way SW Westwood Village 15th Avenue SW Ambaum Boulevard SW
End	Burien Transit Center
Length	13 miles (21 km)
Service
Frequency	Peak: 7 minutes Off-peak: 15 minutes
Weekend frequency	15 minutes (most times)
Journey time	49 minutes
Operates	Weekdays: 4:00 am–2:00 am Weekends: 6:00 am–11:00 pm
Timetable	kingcounty.gov
Route diagram Virginia St 1 Line to Lynnwood City Center Pike St (Westlake station) Seneca St (Symphony station) 1 Line to Angle Lake via Airport Columbia St & to Pioneer Square Seattle Ferry Terminal S Jackson St West Seattle Bridge over Duwamish Waterway to West Seattle SW Andover St SW Genesee St SW Hudson St SW Findlay St SW Graham St SW Holly St SW Myrtle St SW Holden St SW Thistle St SW Henderson St to Downtown Seattle Westwood Village 26th Ave SW 20th Ave SW SW Roxbury St SW 102nd St SW 107th St SW 112th St SW 116th St SW 122nd St SW 128th St SW 136th St SW 142nd St SW 148th St 6th Ave SW Burien Transit Center to Renton This diagram: view talk edit ← G Line  {{{system_nav}}}  I Line →

The line runs every 7 minutes during peak hours and 15 minutes off-peak, with service until midnight on weekdays and 11 p.m. on weekends.^[2][3] The H Line is the seventh RapidRide line to open and features stations with digital e-ink screens for real-time arrivals information, ORCA card readers, and larger shelters. It is the first RapidRide line to open under the Move Seattle program, which was funded by a levy approved in 2015.^[1]

History

Route 120, the H Line's predecessor, at Burien Transit Center in 2009

The Delridge Way corridor was previously served by King County Metro route 120, which was consistently one of the most highest-ridership routes in the system.^[4][5] Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, Route 120 saw about 9,200 passengers per weekday, and in 2022 ridership fell to 5,300.^[1][6] Development of the route into RapidRide service, alongside other improvements to the corridor, began in late 2017.^[7] The planned design would include bus-only lanes, bicycle lanes, and sidewalk improvements along the corridor.^[7]

Improvements to bus service include more frequent service, with typical headways of 10 minutes on weekdays; increased wheelchair accessibility at each stop; construction of new sidewalks; and updated pedestrian crossings. Dedicated bus lanes were installed on Delridge Way, and a median was constructed to allow for the planting of two new trees for every tree that had been removed during construction. 150 new trees were planted along the route as part of the construction.^[8]

The H Line opened on March 18, 2023.^[1] It had an average weekday ridership of 6,900 passengers in its first year of operation.^[6]

Route

The 13-mile (21 km) route has 65 stops.^[3] The northern terminus of the H Line is in Downtown Seattle at 3rd Avenue and Virginia Street. Between Downtown Seattle and West Seattle, H Line buses travel nonstop via State Route 99 and the West Seattle Bridge.^[3] The route continues down Delridge Way and Ambaum Boulevard through West Seattle and White Center, and terminates at the Burien Transit Center.^[9]

Stations

RapidRide H Line stations

Station[3]	Notes
Virginia Street	Northern terminus; connections to RapidRide C, D and E Lines.
Pine Street	Northbound-only Stop
Pike Street
Union Street	Northbound-only Stop
Seneca Street	Southbound Only Stop
Madison Street
Columbia Street
Seattle Ferry Terminal
S Jackson Street	Connection to the RapidRide C Line
SW Andover Street
SW Genesee Street
SW Hudson Street
SW Finlay Street
SW Graham Street
SW Holly Street
SW Myrtle Street
SW Holden Street
SW Thistle Street
SW Henderson Street	Connection to the RapidRide C Line
SW Barton Street/Westwood Village
26th Avenue SW
20th Avenue SW
SW Roxbury Street
SW 102nd Street
SW 107th Street
SW 112th Street
SW 116th Street
SW 122nd Street
SW 128th Street
SW 136th Street
SW 142nd Street
SW 148th Street
6th Avenue SW
Burien Transit Center	Southern terminus; connection to the RapidRide F Line

Service

The H Line runs at a maximum frequency of seven minutes during rush hours in the peak direction and ten minutes during mid-day on weekdays. During evenings and on weekends, buses run every fifteen minutes.^[1][3]