RapidRide H Line

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 Northgate 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 ← G Line  {{{system_nav}}}  I Line →

The H Line is a RapidRide bus route in Seattle, Washington, United States. It is operated by King County Metro and uses bus rapid transit features, including transit signal priority, exclusive lanes, and off-board fare payment at some stations. The H Line began service on March 18, 2023, replacing Route 120 after the construction of new stations and bus lanes at a cost of $154 million. 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.

History

The Seattle-Delridge-White Center-Burien corridor was previously served by King County Metro's Route 120, which was consistently designated one of its 10 most frequently traveled routes. Development of the route into RapidRide service began in Fall of 2017. King County Metro produced surveys, held open houses, and got in touch with the different organizations within communities living along the corridor. Surveys included questions about various potential improvements to the route, including prompts about bus-only lanes, bike lanes, sidewalk improvements alongside a section for open comment at the end. By 2020, outreach concluded and construction began in 2021.

Improvements 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. Alongside dedicated bus lanes down Delridge Way, a median was constructed to allow for the planting of 2 new trees for every 1 tree taken down during construction totaling to 150 new trees planted along the route. RapidRide buses feature multi-door boarding, which simplifies the fare-paying process due to the multiple ORCA readers at each entrance, and dedicated bus lanes. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, Route 120 saw about 9,200 passengers per weekday, and in 2022 ridership fell to 5,300. Since the opening of the H Line, ridership increased to 6,900 passengers per weekday.

Route

The 13-mile (21 km) route, which spans across 65 stops, begins in Downtown Seattle on Third Avenue and Virginia Street, travels south via State Route99 and across the West Seattle Bridge. The route continues down Delridge Way and Ambaum Boulevard through West Seattle and White Center before terminating in Burien.

Stations

RapidRide H Line Stations

Station	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 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.

External links

• Official website
• Route schedule and map