Metro is installing the first RapidRide shelter frames this week on the A Line corridor, which is also sporting RapidRide banners from light poles to let people know about the new service. Still to come as the launch date draws near: more shelter frames, ORCA fare card readers, real-time arrival signs–and glass in the shelter frames!
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Is anyone monitoring this blog?
Still waiting since 8/28 for two questions above.
Is rapidride going to be slower than the current 174 between FW Transit Center and TIBS (Tukwila Intnl Blvd Stn)? According to 671 run cards and the 174 schedule, it looks like the same, or 2 min slower, but not faster in any case.
Also, when trying to access the A-line schedule and map, what route number will be used for the web site?
Metro’s A Line run card (which tells bus drivers where to be and when) may look similar to the Route 174 run card, but there are a number of differences that will mean faster service on the A Line.
Here’s a rundown:
Buses will come twice as often as they do now on Route 174.
Bus drivers will not have to slow down or wait at scheduled time points. For the A Line, an “on time” bus during daytime hours will be one that maintains the correct distance from the bus in front of it. This allows all the service on the corridor to move as quickly as possible.
Without fixed schedules or printed timetables, Metro can adjust service without having to wait for the next service change.
The transit signal priority system will give buses extra “green time” at 20 intersections along the corridor. This system can be fine-tuned after the A Line is in service to get the maximum benefit.
At our busiest stops, having ORCA card holders pay before they board and board through the back two doors (along with people who have paper transfers from an earlier Metro trip) will reduce the time the buses spend at each stop. This time savings should increase as riders become familiar with off-board fare payment and the additional door.
Metro has consolidated stops along the A Line, so the buses will stop less often than those on Route 174.
On Metro’s website, just enter “A” as the route “number” when looking for a schedule or map. When using the Tracker, enter “671” since the Tracker application at present accommodates only numbers.