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Community Transit's Monthly Newsletter April 2021 |
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FTA awards $37 million to build Swift Orange Line
U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg this week announced approval of a $37 million federal grant to fund Community Transit’s Swift Orange Line project.
The Swift Orange Line will run between McCollum Park Park & Ride and Edmonds College, traveling through Mill Creek and Lynnwood. The Orange Line will serve the Lynnwood Link light rail station when it opens in 2024.
“This is wonderful news for Snohomish County, as this project guarantees fast and frequent bus service to Link light rail when it arrives in our county,” said Community Transit Board Chair Kim Daughtry, a Lake Stevens City Council member.
Community Transit introduced Swift bus rapid transit service to Snohomish County in 2009 with the opening of the Swift Blue Line between downtown Everett and Shoreline. The Swift Green Line opened in March 2019 between Seaway Transit Center and Canyon Park. The two Swift lines are Community Transit’s highest ridership routes.
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Northgate Link to open Oct. 2
Sound Transit today announced that the Northgate Link light rail extension will open to passenger service on Saturday, October 2.
The new extension, which is moving forward under budget, will offer riders reliable, traffic-free trips of only 14 minutes between Northgate and downtown Seattle. In addition to the elevated station at Northgate, trains will stop at new underground stations serving Seattle’s U District and Roosevelt neighborhoods. Of the 4.3-mile extension, all but the 0.8 miles of elevated track at Northgate are located underground.
Community Transit's six University District (800 series) routes will truncate at Northgate Station when light rail opens there. It is a six-minute trip from Northgate to the U District Link station, which will save many commuters time. Details about schedules for those routes will come out this summer.
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First hybrid Vanpool vans go into service
Beginning last week, five Community Transit vanpool groups are now driving new hybrid vans to work every weekday, using less gas and reducing air pollution.
“Exploring hybrid minivans is part and parcel of Community Transit’s commitment to environmental stewardship, an agency core value,” said Community Transit CEO Ric Ilgenfritz. “As many of our customers begin to rethink their commutes, we hope that they will consider our Vanpool program — and the many safety protocols we have adopted — as a greener option to get to work.”
Keep your eyes peeled for vans like the one pictured above when you’re out on the road. The plug-in electric hybrid 2020 Chrysler Pacifica is one of the first hybrid minivans on the market and is powered by 97 percent carbon-free electricity. The vans can travel 32 miles on battery alone and can seat up to seven passengers when social distancing is not in place.
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Agency gets AAA Stable credit rating
Standard & Poor’s (S&P) Global Ratings recently revised Community Transit’s credit rating to AAA with a stable outlook. Community Transit has held the AAA credit rating since 2017, the highest rating available to public agencies.
The stable outlook was upgraded from negative to stable based on diligent budget management by Community Transit during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the resilience of the local sales tax. Sales tax funds approximately 67% of the agency’s operating budget.
The previous indication of a negative outlook was typical for agencies like Community Transit, due to the pandemic and the predicted economic downturn. Sales tax revenues in Snohomish County have been stronger than expected in recent months.
Favorable credit ratings allow Community Transit and similar public agencies to borrow money for public projects at a low rate of interest, which saves the public money.
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Partnerships fuel major transit projects
This past Monday I received a call from Nuria Fernandez, Acting Administrator for the Federal Transit Administration, to tell me that Community Transit was awarded a $37 million grant to build the Swift Orange Line.
That was wonderful news, for our agency and our community. The Swift Orange Line will provide a much-needed east-west transit connection to Link light rail when it opens in Lynnwood in 2024.
That personal phone call was a great reminder of the relationships we have with the many partners we work with on projects like this. Our staff have worked closely with FTA staff in our region since we applied for this grant more than a year ago. It was professional courtesy and recognition of our close collaboration that led to the phone call.
We received similar calls and tweets of congratulations from Sen. Patty Murray, Sen. Maria Cantwell, Rep. Rick Larsen and Rep. Suzan DelBene, who all supported this project for their constituents in Snohomish County.
Local partnerships are also central to what we do. Nothing shows this more clearly than the big announcement today of the Oct. 2 opening date for Northgate Link. Sound Transit held this event with Community Transit and King County Metro because our agencies’ bus service will be integrated with light rail at the new stations, providing convenient transfers and faster connections to places people want to go.
The behind-the-scenes cooperation on Northgate has been going on for years. The value of this for our shared customers is a reliable and seamless connection on regional transit.
Each day, we work with partners in Snohomish County, in Washington State, and in Washington, D.C., to plan, design and build transit projects that keep you moving. It’s what we do.
Ric Ilgenfritz Community Transit CEO
Photo: King County Metro General Manager Terry White, Sound Transit CEO Peter Rogoff, and Community Transit CEO Ric Ilgenfritz gathered at the announcement of Northgate Link opening day.
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If you have any questions about what you've read in this newsletter, please email TheRouteAhead@commtrans.org.
Chair Kim Daughtry, Lake Stevens City Council Member; Vice Chair Joe Marine, Mukilteo City Council Member; Secretary Jan Schuette, Arlington City Council Member; Jared Mead, Snohomish County Council Member; Tom Merrill, Snohomish City Council Member; Jon Nehring, Marysville Mayor; Lance Norton, Labor Representative; Sid Roberts, Stanwood City Council Member; Nicola Smith, Mayor of Lynnwood; and Stephanie Wright, Snohomish County Council Member.
Board Alternates: Mike Gallagher, Brier City Council Member; Kristiana Johnson, Edmonds City Council Member; James McNeal, Bothell City Council Member; Nate Nehring,Snohomish County Council Member; and Kyoko Matsumoto Wright, Mountlake Terrace Mayor.
© 2021 Community Transit | Agency Communications
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