New BRT Launching in Snohomish County, Washington

It's only the county's second bus rapid transit route, but planners hope the Swift Green Line will eventually connect with a more robust network of BRT and rail service.

2 minute read

March 21, 2019, 10:00 AM PDT

By Elana Eden


Bus Only

Mikel Ortega / Flickr

A new bus rapid transit line is coming to Snohomish County on March 24. The Swift Green Line, funded in part by $43.2 million federal grant awarded in 2018, will operate between Bothell and Everett, terminating at the new Seaway Transit Center across the street from a Boeing campus. The Urbanist reports:

"Service on the line will operate along Airport Way, 128th St SW, and Bothell-Everett Highway to serve unincorporated Snohomish County, Mariner Park-and-Ride, McCollum Park Park-and-Ride, and Mill Creek. The line will also intersect with the Swift Blue Line, which primarily operates on SR-99 between Everett Station and Aurora Village Transit Center in Shoreline. Passengers of the line will have good access to the new commercial passenger terminal at Paine Field with a station pair at 100th St SW."

Several more Swift BRT lines are in the works for Snohomish County, which will connect to planned Link light rail.

"Looking ahead, Community Transit plans to extend the Swift Green Line deeper into Bothell and the Swift Blue Line to NE 185th St Station to connect with Link light rail in 2024. The transit agency is also planning a new Swift Orange Line to coincide with the opening of the Lynnwood Link light rail extension in 2024 … This would provide further connections to the Swift Green and Blue Lines as well as Sound Transit's new I-405 'Stride' BRT line. The Swift Orange Line would eventually provide service to the future Ash Way light rail station in the 2030s.

Additionally, Community Transit has hinted at another BRT line, the Swift Red Line, that would operate from Everett Station to Smokey Point in Arlington via Marysville with possible opening in 2027."

Wednesday, March 6, 2019 in The Urbanist

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Get top-rated, practical training

Wastewater pouring out from a pipe.

Alabama: Trump Terminates Settlements for Black Communities Harmed By Raw Sewage

Trump deemed the landmark civil rights agreement “illegal DEI and environmental justice policy.”

April 13, 2025 - Inside Climate News

High-rise apartment buildings in Waikiki, Hawaii with steep green mountains in background.

Study: Maui’s Plan to Convert Vacation Rentals to Long-Term Housing Could Cause Nearly $1 Billion Economic Loss

The plan would reduce visitor accommodation by 25% resulting in 1,900 jobs lost.

April 6, 2025 - Honolulu Civil Beat

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

April 10, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

A line of white wind turbines surrounded by wheat and soybean fields with a cloudy blue sky in the background.

Wind Energy on the Rise Despite Federal Policy Reversal

The Trump administration is revoking federal support for renewable energy, but demand for new projects continues unabated.

April 15 - Fast Company

Red and white Caltrain train.

Passengers Flock to Caltrain After Electrification

The new electric trains are running faster and more reliably, leading to strong ridership growth on the Bay Area rail system.

April 15 - Office of Governor Gavin Newsom

View up at brick Catholic church towers and modern high-rise buildings.

Texas Churches Rally Behind ‘Yes in God’s Back Yard’ Legislation

Religious leaders want the state to reduce zoning regulations to streamline leasing church-owned land to housing developers.

April 15 - NBC Dallas