C-TRAN celebrating the grand opening of The Vine on Mill Plain during a ribbon-cutting event Sept 30. The new line went into service Oct. 1.
The Vine on Mill Plain, C-TRAN’s second bus rapid transit (BRT) line, will serve 37 new stations along a 10-mile corridor between downtown Vancouver, Wash., and the new Mill Plain Transit Center, located near Mill Plain at 184th Avenue. The Vine on Mill Plain replaces C-TRAN’s Route 37, which previously served the Mill Plain corridor.
“The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) is proud to support The Vine on Mill Plain, which will create exciting opportunities by connecting people in Clark County with jobs and higher education while reducing pollution and congestion along the way,” said FTA Administrator Nuria Fernandez, whose agency provided more than $30 million in federal funds to support the line.
“It’s such an exciting time to see this important milestone become a reality. We’re thrilled for the new opportunities The Vine will bring to Mill Plain and the larger community,” said Shawn M. Donaghy, C-TRAN’s CEO. “This new line builds on the success of the original Vine route and we’re not done yet.”
The Vine on Mill Plain represents an expansion of The Vine system. The first segment, serving Vancouver’s Fourth Plain corridor, began operating in 2017. Future Vine corridors are already in planning for Highway 99 and East Fourth Plain/162nd Avenue. By creating an interconnected network of BRT service in Clark County, C-TRAN aims to improve access to transportation for the entire community.
When The Vine first opened on Fourth Plain in 2017, it became the region’s first BRT system. It saw immediate success. By the end of 2017, ridership on The Vine was 45 percent higher than the service it replaced. Additional ridership increases followed in 2018 (19 percent) and 2019 (10 percent). In 2019 alone, The Vine carried more than 1.4 million trips. Since The Vine opened, C-TRAN notes there have been more than 2,000 housing units added within a half-mile of Fourth Plain and roughly $250 million in development value.
To differentiate the two Vine segments operating on Fourth Plain and Mill Plain, C-TRAN will also use color designations. The Vine on Fourth Plain is known as the Green Line and Mill Plain will be served by the Red Line.
Opening The Vine on Mill Plain culminates a five-year process that began with broad outreach along the corridor and community in 2018. Construction officially kicked off with a groundbreaking ceremony at the Mill Plain Transit Center site in September 2021. The Vine on Mill Plain opened ahead of schedule and under budget.
