Revised bus service is announced

With the opening of Link light rail imminent, the bus' routes are being reworked.  Before the holidays metro asked for comments on proposals, and now they've released an updated proposal.

Big changes for Columbia City, straight from the news release:

Routes 7 Express and 34 Express - Keep some peak-period trips; no changes to routing.

Route 9 Express - Add more peak and midday service and extend route to Rainier Beach Link station.

Route 48 - Shorten to end at Mount Baker Station; improve weekday evening frequency.

Digging in a little deeper, some of the changes are extensive (goodbye 39!), some not so much.

Route 7

Increase night frequency from every 30 minutes to every 15 minutes until midnight seven days a week in 2010. This improvement will be made possible by a financial partnership between Metro and the City of Seattle.

Route 7 Express

Provide five morning peak-period trips rather than the current eight trips. Provide five evening peak-period trips rather than the current nine trips.

Coordinate schedule north of S Genesee Street with Route 34 Express so that buses are evenly spread out. (See more information about Route 34 Express).

Route 9 Express

Extend Route 9 Express to serve the Rainier Beach Link station at S Henderson Street/Martin Luther King Jr. Way S.

Increase frequency to every 15 minutes during peak periods in the peak direction (northbound in the morning and southbound in the afternoon).

Increase frequency to every 30 minutes during midday hours (9 a.m.-3 p.m.) on weekdays.

Route 48

Shorten route to end at Mount Baker Station instead of current terminals at Rainier Beach and Columbia City.

Improve weekday evening frequency to every 15 minutes until 9:30 p.m.

Route 34 Express

Provide service connecting Columbia City and Seward Park to Link light rail stations.

Provide an east-west connection between Rainier Valley and West Seattle.

Provide three peak-period trips in the morning and three in the afternoon instead of the current four trips each.

Coordinate schedule with Route 7 Express so that the buses are evenly spread out.

Route 35 and 39, replaced by 50

Discontinue routes 35 and 39. Replace portions of routes 35, 39 and 106 with new Route 50.

Route 50 would operate between Othello Link station and West Seattle by way of Seward Park, Columbia City Link station, the Veterans Administration Medical Center and SODO.

Metro is considering two routing options for Route 50—via either Edgar Martinez Way or S Lander Street. Route 50 would operate by way of the West Seattle Bridge except for two or three peak-period trips that would serve Harbor Island.

Improve peak frequency to every 15 minutes in the peak direction (to Seattle in the morning and from Seattle in the afternoon).

Route 50 would operate every 15 minutes during peak periods and every 30 minutes at other times. Route 50 would operate until 11 p.m. seven days a week.

All told, I think it makes sense.  We'll see if reality matches up with proposed theory though.  I do like the idea of being able to get to the trains quickly though - I imagine they'll always be the fastest way of getting downtown, no matter how many busses continue to run along Rainier or MLK.

Comments are welcome before February 6th.  See the schedule they have set up (and a way to comment even if you can't make it to a session in person) here.