GRTC Pulse

The GRTC Pulse (often abbreviated as The Pulse) is a bus rapid transit line in Richmond, Virginia, United States, operated by the Greater Richmond Transit Company. The line runs along Broad Street and Main Street in central Richmond, between The Shops at Willow Lawn and Rockett's Landing. It opened on June 24, 2018, and is the third bus rapid transit service to be constructed in Virginia. The Pulse is the first regional rapid transit system to serve Richmond since 1949. The Institute for Transportation and Development Policy (ITDP), under its BRT Standard, has given the Pulse corridor a Bronze ranking.^[1]

GRTC Pulse
GRTC Pulse bus in 2018
Overview
System	Greater Richmond Transit Company
Vehicle	Gillig BRT Plus CNG
Began service	June 24, 2018
Routes
Routes	1
Locale	Richmond, Virginia
Start	Willow Lawn
End	Rocketts Landing
Length	6.8 mi (11 km)
Stations	14
Service
Ridership	~7,000 daily (2019)
Route map Legend Willow Lawn Henrico County Richmond US 33 Staples Mill I-195 Scott's Addition SR 161 Science Museum Allison Street VCU–VUU US 301 Arts District Convention Center Government Center VCU Medical Center Broad Street Main Street I-95 Main Street Shockoe Bottom East Riverfront Rocketts Landing This diagram: view talk edit ← {{{previous_line}}}  {{{system_nav}}}  {{{next_line}}} →

History

Richmond Union Passenger Railway was Richmond, Virginia's first notable mass transit system.

Before the bus rapid transit system, the city was served by conventional buses operated by the Greater Richmond Transit Company. Bus service in the city began on February 1, 1923, and replaced the city's streetcar system when it ceased operations in 1949. From 1888 until 1949, the city was also served by streetcars via the Richmond Union Passenger Railway.^[2]

Original plans for rapid transit in Richmond originated as early as the 1990s, with case studies for light rail and bus rapid transit being studied by the City of Richmond. In 2003, Richmond's Department of Transportation conducted a two-year feasibility study on commuter and light rail in the Greater Richmond Region. The studies found that the lines would be moderately successful, but population in Richmond was not dense enough to demand either said service. Since the studies, other independent groups have begun their own series of studies given Richmond's higher than expected population growth and the region's expected population growth.^{[citation needed]}

In 2010, formal studies began to test the feasibility of a bus rapid transit line, rather than light rail line. The decision to pursue BRT rather than LRT prompted mostly negative reactions from the community, who primarily preferred light rail over bus rapid transit.^{[3][failed verification]} The Greater Richmond Transit Company has remained open about upgrade the Pulse's initial line to a light rail line in the foreseeable future, should ridership dictate capacity beyond that a BRT system. Feasibility studies, stakeholder analysis, alternative assessments, and environmental impact studies, research was complete in mid-2014.

In late 2014, GRTC unveiled the first set of bus rapid transit plans, which involved several stations stretching from Willow Lawn down to Rocketts Landing. The Main Street Station would serve as the central transportation hub for the Pulse, linking the line with Amtrak, Transdominion Express, Megabus and Central Virginia Express.

On March 17, 2015, GRTC announced that the line would be called the Pulse.^[4]

The project had an estimated construction cost of $53 million to provide service from Willow Lawn in the west to Rocketts Landing in the east, including fourteen stations and over three miles of dedicated travel lanes. Half of the final design and construction costs came from the federal TIGER grant ($24.9 million). The other half came in the form of a 50% match funded by both state and local sources. The Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation (DRPT) provided 34% ($16.9 million) with the remaining 16% provided by the City of Richmond ($7.6 million) and Henrico County ($400,000). Operation of the service was estimated to cost $2.7 million per year. Some of the operating cost would be covered by fares and the remainder to be provided by local funding sources.^[5]

In August 2016, construction began on the BRT line with a goal to complete the service by October 2017.^[6][7] The opening was delayed by several months due to difficulty in relocating utility lines at the stations.^[7] The Pulse began service on June 24, 2018. The opening ceremony was attended by the Mayor of Richmond, Virginia, Levar Stoney; the Chairperson of the Henrico County Board of Supervisors, Frank Thorton; and the Governor of Virginia, Ralph Northam.^[8][9] Stoney stated that the $65 million project will generate $1 billion in economic activity over the next 20 years, resulting in a $15 return on investment for every dollar invested.^[10]

Within a year of its opening, the line was averaging around 7,000 daily riders – over double its initially projected ridership.^[11]

In 2023, it was announced that GRTC would purchase four 60-foot (18 m) New Flyer XN60 articulated buses to relieve congestion on the route. GRTC plans to eventually replace all of the 40-foot (12 m) buses used on the Pulse with XN60 buses. The new buses were scheduled to go into service in 2025.^[12]

Service

The Pulse runs along U.S. Route 250 (Broad Street) before shifting south to Main Street downtown via 14th Street. The initial Pulse line links suburban Willow Lawn to Rocketts Landing, both in suburban Henrico, with at least a dozen stations within the city limits of Richmond.^[13] During the morning peak, midday, and evening peak on weekdays, buses come to each station every 10 minutes, with off-peak evening and weekend service every 15 minutes and late night service every 30 minutes.^[14]

List of stations

Stop[15]	Intersection	Area	GRTC bus connections
Willow Lawn	Broad Street and Willow Lawn Drive	West End	18, 19, 50, 75, 76, 77, 79, 91
Staples Mill	Broad Street and Staples Mill Road		18, 19, 50, 91
Scott's Addition	Broad and Cleveland Streets	Museum/VCU	20, 50
Science Museum	Broad Street and Terminal Place		20, 50, 76, 77
Allison Street	Broad and Allison Streets		50, 76, 77
VCU–VUU	Broad and Shafer Streets		14, 78
Arts District	Broad and Adams Streets		3A/3B/3C, 14, 78
Convention Center	Broad and Fourth Streets	Downtown	1A/1B/1C, 2A/2B/2C, 3A/3B/3C, 12, 14, 78
Government Center	Broad and Ninth Streets		1A/1B/1C, 2A/2B/2C, 5, 12, 14, 23, 26, 27, 28, 29, 56, 64, 82, 95, 102
VCU Medical Center	Broad and Twelfth Streets		1A/1B/1C, 2A/2B/2C, 23, 26, 27, 28, 29, 56, 64, 82, 95, 102
Main Street Station	Main Street east of I-95 bridge	East End	14, 95
Shockoe Bottom	Main and Twenty-fourth Streets		4A/4B, 12, 13, 14
East Riverfront	Main and Nicholson Streets		4B
Rocketts Landing	Orleans and Old Main Streets		4B

Proposed expansion

In 2022, studies began on a North-South BRT corridor, travelling along U.S 1^[16] In October 2023, the GRTC Board of Directors approved the recommended route for the proposed North-South BRT.

The North-South Pulse project aims to introduce 12 miles of high-capacity rapid transit, connecting northern and southern parts of the Richmond region via downtown. The route will run from Azalea in Henrico County, down U.S. Route 1, through downtown Richmond, and across the 9th Street Bridge to Southside Plaza. It will then continue along Belt Boulevard and the Midlothian Turnpike, terminating at Springline & Stonebridge. Studies on this Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) corridor began in 2022, and by October 2023, the GRTC Board of Directors approved the recommended route. Currently in Phase 2, focusing on station location and environmental assessments, the project is slated to begin construction in 2029.^[17]

References

1. "BRT Rankings". Institute for Transportation and Development Policy. 2020. Archived from the original on February 7, 2015. Retrieved April 26, 2020.
2. IEEE Richmond Section (February 1992). "Milestones:Richmond Union Passenger Railway, 1888". IEEE Global History Network. IEEE. Retrieved August 9, 2014.
3. Ned, Oliver. "At Least They Didn't Call it Blynk". Style Weekly. Retrieved March 29, 2015.
4. Moomaw, Graham (March 17, 2015). "Richmond bus rapid transit system named GRTC Pulse". Richmond Times-Dispatch. Richmond.com. Retrieved March 29, 2015.
5. "Study History - GRTC". www.ridegrtc.com. Retrieved January 9, 2018.
6. ""GRTC Pulse" Bus Rapid Transit (BRT): Frequently Asked Questions" (PDF). Greater Richmond Transit Company. July 13, 2016. p. 1. Retrieved December 8, 2022.
7. Zullo, Robert; Robinson, Mark (April 30, 2018). "Prepare for the Pulse: Richmond's bus rapid transit system launches June 24". Richmond Times-Dispatch. Retrieved May 9, 2018.
8. Lilly, Shannon (June 24, 2018). "GRTC Pulse launches in Richmond; riders offer first impressions". CBS 6 News. WTVR. Retrieved June 25, 2018.
9. Bolster, Karina (June 24, 2018). "State, city leaders celebrate opening of GRTC's Pulse service". NBC12.com. WWBT. Retrieved June 25, 2018.
10. Robinson, Mark (June 24, 2018). "Local, state leaders celebrate launch of GRTC Pulse bus rapid transit line". Richmond.com. Richmond Times-Dispatch. Retrieved June 26, 2018.
11. "GRTC Reports 17% Ridership Increase During Past Year" (Press release). Greater Richmond Transit Company. May 5, 2019.
12. Jacobs, Jack (October 30, 2023). "GRTC to introduce larger, articulated buses on the Pulse line". Richmond BizSense. Retrieved October 31, 2023.
13. System Map (PDF) (Map). Greater Richmond Transit Company. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 9, 2019. Retrieved May 8, 2019.
14. "GRTC Pulse schedule" (PDF). Greater Richmond Transit Company. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 28, 2019. Retrieved May 8, 2019.
15. "Pulse Corridor Map January 17 2018" (PDF). ridegrtc.com. January 17, 2018. Retrieved May 9, 2018.
16. Schwartzkopf, Robin (November 7, 2022). "RIC Today". Retrieved October 10, 2023.
17. Oliver, Ned (October 16, 2023). "GRTC proposes route for north-south bus rapid transit line". Axios Richmond. Retrieved December 12, 2023.

External links

• GRTC Pulse