King County Metro route 5 'Shoreline CC / Greenwood / Downtown Seattle'

5 Shoreline / Greenwood / Downtown Seattle
New Flyer XDE60 - 8222 operating on the route 5 Shoreline.
Service Area	Downtown Seattle, Fremont, Greenwood, Shoreline
Termini	Downtown Seattle (3rd Avenue) Shoreline (Shoreline Community College)
Operations	Central Base
Vehicles	NFI XDE60
Branches	5 Shoreline 5 Downtown Seattle
Route Diagram

5 Shoreline / Greenwood / Downtown Seattle is a bus route operated by King County Metro in Seattle, Washington State.

Route Details

This north-south route runs between Shoreline and Downtown Seattle via Greenwood and Fremont. Service runs from 4:15 AM to 12:45 AM every day. Service is interlined with route 21.

Northbound trips depart 4th Avenue S and S Royal Brougham Way coming off of route 21 north on 4th Avenue S, west on Prefontaine Pl S, west on Yesler Way, north on 3rd Avenue, east on Battery Street, north on Borealis Avenue, north on 7th Avenue N, north on Aurora Avenue N, west on N 38th Street, north on Fremont Way N, north on Fremont Avenue N, west on N 43rd Street, north on Phinney Avenue N, north on Greenwood Avenue N, north on Westminster Way N, north on Dayton Avenue N, west on N 160th Street and west on N Innis Arden Way to Shoreline Community College.

Southbound trips depart Shoreline Community College east on N Innis Arden Way, east on N 160th Street, south on Dayton Avenue N, south on Westminster Way N, south on Greenwood Avenue N, south on Phinney Avenue N, east on N 43rd Street, south on Fremont Avenue N, south on Fremont Way N, south on Aurora Avenue N, south on 7th Avenue N, west on Wall Street and south on 3rd Avenue, continuing as route 21 to Westwood Village.

Frequency

Branch	Weekdays							Saturday						Sunday
	Early AM	AM Peak	Midday	PM Peak	Early PM	Late PM	Overnight	Early AM	Morning	Afternoon	Early PM	Late PM	Overnight	Early AM	Morning	Afternoon	Early PM	Late PM	Overnight
5 Northbound	30-50	15	15	15	15-20	30	N/A	30-120	20-30	20	20	30	N/A	60-120	30	30	30	30-60	N/A
5 Southbound	15-30	15	15	15	15-20	30	N/A	30	20	20	20	30	N/A	30	30	30	30	30-60	N/A

Route History

Route 5 began as a historic bus route that began from a branch of the number 21 streetcar to Greenwood. The bus route was numbered route 5 and ran from Greenwood to Downtown.

In 1954, when the city of Seattle expanded the city limits to N 145th St, the route 5 was eventually expanded to serve N 145th St and Greenwood Ave N. It was later expanded in 1973, when Seattle Transit System became the Municipality of Seattle Metro, the route was extended again to the parking lot of Shoreline Community College. It also began interlining with the West Seattle route 54 and 55.

In 1987, the 5 was revised to serve Northgate P&R, and started to serve Northgate TC when it opened in 1992.

Route 5 was moved from Greenwood Ave to Dayton Ave north of N 145th St in Fall 2003.

This routing of the 5 remained until September 2012, when the route stopped serving Northgate TC. The 54 and 55 were revised, and would no longer interline with the route 5.

The same routing still remains, and the 5 has changed to interlining with the 21 ever since.

5X and 355

Throughout the 60s and 70s, the 5 had "Blue Streak" express buses that served Shoreline via I-5 and 85th St, and a seperate express service remaining on Greenwood Ave.

The I-5 Shoreline express was renamed to the 355 after 1978, and the 5 Espress became a peak only express that started only at Greenwood and ran to Downtown, after the Blue Streak branding was discontinued.

During the 80s, 90s, and 2000s, the 5X and 355X ran alongside each other during peak, and operated from 6 AM to 8 AM and 4 PM to 6 PM. Both routes ran out of Central Base and used Gillig Phantoms and New Flyer DE60LFs. The 355 had higher frequencies and more trips than the 5X, and it made a stop at I-5 NE 45th Station before serving 3rd Ave in Downtown Seattle.

The 5X and 355 had no major changes until they were suspended in 2020 and deleted in October 2021 with the opening of the Northgate Station. The 16 was created as an express service replacement serving the Broadview area, Greenwood corridor with limited stops, Downtown Seattle via Aurora Ave and NE 46th St, but that was deleted in 2024, with no express alternativesl.

Previous Route Diagrams

Express Stops

5X and 355 Express Stops

5X Downtown Make no stops between Phinney Av N/ N 65 St and 5 Av/ Battery St except at: Phinney Av N/N 55 St Phinney Av N/N 46 St Aurora Av N/John St 5X Greenwood Make no stops between Dexter Av N/Denny Wy and Phinney Av N/ N 64 St except at: Phinney Av N/N 46 St Phinney Av N/N 55 St 355 Downtown Between Shoreline CC and Wallingford Av N/ N 85 St, stop at: N Innis Arden Wy/ns Greenwood Av N Greenwood/N 145 St Greenwood/N 143 St Greenwood/N 134 St Greenwood/N 130 St Greenwood/N 125 St Greenwood/N 117 St Greenwood/N 110 St Greenwood/N 105 St Greenwood/N 97 St Greenwood/N 87 St N 85 St/Greenwood Av N N 85 St/Fremont Av N N 85 St/Aurora Av N 355 Shoreline Between Wallingford Av N/N 85 St and Shoreline CC, stop at: N 85 St/ Aurora Av N N 85 St/ Fremont Av N Greenwood/ N 85 St Greenwood/ N 87 St Greenwood/ N 97 St Greenwood/ N 100 St Greenwood/ N 103 St Greenwood/ N 110 St Greenwood/ N 117 St Greenwood/ N 125 St Greenwood/ N 130 St Greenwood/ N 134 St Greenwood/ N 143 St Greenwood/ N 145 St Greenwood/ N 160 St

Points of Interest

• King Street Station
• International District / Chinatown Station
• International District
• Downtown Seattle
• Seattle 3rd Avenue
• Pioneer Square
• Pioneer Square Station
• University Street Station
• Seattle Public Library - Central Branch
• Seattle Art Museum
• Westlake Center
• Westlake Station
• South Lake Union Streetcar
• Seattle Center Monorail
• East Queen Anne
• Fremont
• Woodland Park
• Woodland Park Zoo
• Phinney Ridge
• Greenwood
• Westminster Triangle
• Shoreline Community College