With the recent opening of the expansion of the 2 line going to Lynnwood from Redmond, this…read moreWestlake Station (like all the other stations in downtown Seattle) now services both the 1 AND 2 lines of the Sound Transit Link system. This means that one can take one train without transfer from here to Bellevue and Redmond, crossing Lake Washington on the world's first light rail pontoon railway. My wife and I took this route while visiting our daughter and son-in-law in Bellevue, and the crossing was a routine non-event, just like it is supposed to be. My last review for this station was 2 years, at which time, only the 1 line serviced this station. Because of the way they designed the routes, the inclusion of the 2 line was seamless, requiring no station outages during the transition. My only small gripe is the signage at a major connection point at the center near the elevators, still only shows the 1 line (with its stops at the airport and university), instead of now the opening of the entire East side of Puget Sound area, accessible via the 2 line. It's confusing for visitors...better just to state that lower level is for Sound Transit, instead of explicitly naming each line, if they don't want to change the signage every time. Another big addition that occurred earlier this year (Feb '26), is the use of tap-to-pay (using a tap enabled payment card to pay for fare at the point of entry) at all stations and bus lines (like NYC and London has). We still ended up using our preloaded Orca card this trip, but can discontinue that for future (unless taking the Monorail, which still requires an Orca card). Transfers are free for 2 hours from the first tap (excluding the Monorail), with initial charge being $3. There are no gates, with the pay stations being intentionally out of the way...it really is about the honor system to tap. We also used Westlake station as the transfer point to get from the monorail on the 3rd floor of the Westlake shopping center down to the lower level where the station actually is. Connecting to the 1 line, we got to Sea-Tac airport station in 41 minutes (though from there, it's quite a walk to get to the terminal area).

So this is a major hub station and named after the most obvious point nearby - Westlake Shopping…read moreCenter - with its accompanying plaza (often free events and music here), major shopping, and major hotels and dining. This station has had some safety issues in the past so I don't frequent it as much as I would if it weren't for that concern.

The train takes you straight from the airport to the city. I paid $6 for a round trip. One way is…read more$3.50 or $3 I think. This is a lot cheaper than the train in Denver that does the same thing! Very convenient as you don't have to deal with traffic. Also lots of staff present! So it feels very safe. It makes many stops

SoDo Station. South of the Kingdome. I remember the implosion of the Kingdome. It was an iconic…read morestadium and I saw games here but after those ceiling tiles fell I was ok with the demolition. Art commissioned at this station is "Made in USA". What's unique about this location are the murals along E-3 Busway. Doesn't matter how many times I ride the bus or light rail I alway notice something new. You can also catch a glimpse of Starbucks HQ on 1st Ave. The light rail also parallels the SODO bike trail. Not much goes on at this station but if you're on the bus and want to take the light rail into downtown this is a transfer point. Metro and Sound Transit Buses roll through E-3 busway. I'm not going to list the details but here are the numbers: 50, 101, 102, 150, 177, 190, 590, 594, and 595.

I'm giving this five stars just because it can get you from the airport to downtown for just $3 one…read moreway! Waaaaay more affordable than Uber or Lyft which can be $50-$80, depending on the time of day, etc. While it takes longer, it's not THAT long, and if you time it right, you have a chill ride with money saved for lunch/dinner/shopping, etc. The train itself was clean and it automatically announces which station you're at and which is the next stop - great for anyone nervous about where you are - and there's plenty of signage showing the stops. The only thing about this particular station is that it was a little hard to find because it doesn't appear to be a train station at first, quick glance. It's on University and 2nd - look at the surrounding buildings and you'll see the subway looking tiles and where to go.

Within walking distance of Pike's Market in Seattle, the Symphony Station stop on the 1 Line Light…read moreRail is part of the Downtown Seattle Transit Tunnel, about 60 to 70 feet below ground. It is named such being next door to Benaroya Hall, the home of the Seattle Symphony. The entrances to the subway system in downtown Seattle are (unintentionally?) hidden. Google will get you to the right corner, but the entrance/exit is specifically in one place. In this case, it's the SouthWest corner of the building, so had to walk around until I found signs for it...even then, it's just not as easy to find as other stations in more transit-intensive cities. You need to choose which train you want to take, before going down the appropriate set of stairs. Once on the platform, one would notice the extreme amount of space between the tracks going in opposite direction, and the lack of height from the platform and the tracks. The gap between the tracks is wide enough to handle 3 or more lanes of cars...so I wondered "That's a lot of work to dig just to allow repair vehicles to come down". Later I learned the history behind it. The Downtown Seattle Transit Tunnel was initially built (dug) to handle transit buses, serving that purpose from 1990 to 2005, and then shared by light rail and buses from 2005 to 2019. During that time, it was one of only two tunnels shared by both buses and trains in the U.S. Now it is just for Light Rail, with the large bus lanes being a remnant of the past.

It is so extremely convenient to hop on the light rail and get dropped off almost directly to my…read morejob. I can go from SHORELINE to Sea tag on the number one light rail, which is great and super easy for me and saving gas. I really can't wait until Federal Way and Tacoma are completed probably it'll take another 10 years but it's definitely gonna be worth the wait On the down side, there are not enough handicap parking spaces on each floor

Using public transportation in Seattle…read more..... My friend told me that we were gonna catch the light rail to go to Lumen Field for the Seahawks football game, and he also mentioned to me that we could also stop by Pike Place Market to "holo-holo", as the light rail would take us all the way to where we needed to go. I guess the light rail system has been used in Seattle for sometime now, as I could see there were lots of rail stations throughout the city. The station that we used to get onto the rail was the - Angle Lake Station, because it was the closest station in proximity to where my friend lived. The Angle Lake Station had a very large parking garage. After parking our car, it was a breeze to get onto the light rail & make our way to Pike Place Market, as well as Lumen Field. I can see how effective it is when light rail is built, & utilized properly. It certainly saved us a lot of money in the sense that we didn't have to look for parking while attending the Seahawks game, as I saw some parking places charging like $90.00 for game day parking. More rail stations are still being constructed, and my friend said he couldn't wait till the rail station in Federal Way is finished.

Large underground train station that will become the main interchange for the 1 Line (North/South…read moreline connecting the University to the airport via downtown Seattle) to the 2 Line (East/West line connecting Seattle to Bellevue/Redmond). Currently, it serves as a connection point to many of the passengers being dropped off from the suburb buses, coming into downtown Seattle. There are already signs pointing to downtown Redmond (which has yet to go-live). Instead, my wife took the 1 line to the airport, running every 10 minutes. The journey took less than 30 minutes, with the cars being relatively modern, but not particularly well heated.

I love how conveniently located and accessible this light rail station is it is well lit and well…read moremaintained. In addition there is always ample amount of security walking on top or down below not to mention also on the light rail. I definitely feel safe and secure, catching the light roll here from the international District location at all hours of the day or night. I specifically enjoy getting off at this location when I go to the games at the stadium

I really like how convenient and easy it is to catch the light roll here at this location. It is…read morevery well lit and lots of security always on the light rail and in the landing pads of the light rail I definitely feel safe coming to this location or getting off at all hours of the day or evening.

Cleanliness is not much improved. Security and staff are more available, although don't seem…read moreinterested in enforcement. Escalators are working. It's grimy, and I wish they would clean it up.

Easily located downtown well it definitely Security is available and always seen. I have used this…read morelocation several times and find it very helpful and well lit Security does a good job of keeping transience from posting up.

Not the safest station in the downtown area. Pioneer square itself is not the greatest and it…read morefollows suit into the station. Although the station is clean, the people in this area are either putting their hands out, or not "fully there". Either way, I wouldn't recommend this station later in the evening if you are solo. Does it get you from point A to point B? Yes, but that's the LINK rail in general.

Driving used to be fun but not anymore…read more I took Driver's Ed in high school. Studied the WA DOL manual. Got up at 5am on the weekends and mastered parking maneuvers in empty parking lots. Practiced driving on I-5 and steering control on E Mercer Way. Passed the written and driving tests. It was a milestone celebration unlocking freedom and independence at 16 years old. Learned how to use the stick shift and feared the red light at 15th & Spokane St. on rainy days. Drove to Dick's on Capitol Hill with friends. Never had to share the road with electric bikes and scooters because they didn't exist. Never saw distracted drivers with smartphones because these devises weren't available to the public yet. We only had to worry about cars with California plates, the occasional BC plate, or someone who said, "DMV." ;p Driving in Seattle is different now. Traffic is worse. Nobody gives the "Thank you" wave anymore. I know someone who's been driving well over 10 years and they slapped a yellow New Driver sticker on their car and uses it as an excuse to drive like a crazy person. On I-5 I saw a guy texting at the wheel, saw a girl playing a game on her phone at the wheel. Cars without license plates, cars with expired tabs. People driving in the Bus Only lane, people driving with high beams. Motorcycle lane splitting. Witnessed illegal left turns from the far right lane and people driving down the yellow center lane. A lot of these habits and behaviors didn't happen when I first started driving. Seems like the WA DOL manual doesn't apply anymore. Unwritten driving rules taught and passed down by old school Seattleites are fizzling out. Those OGs have moved to Clark County near the WA/OR border, Eastern WA, out of state, and out of country. Gas is over $6+ a gallon and if theres an event near the stadiums parking can be between $70-$120. So if someone asks me why I take public transit, I have many reasons why. I take the light rail when my destination is near a station. I take it for peace of mind. I take it to save money. I've become mindful of my carbon footprint. The 2 Line trains from the Eastside are newer and cleaner than the workhorse 1 Line trains. There's the occasional smelly person, the sleeper, and the tweaker but I know have a choice to sit or stand away from them or get up and move. No fare gates or platform screen doors at the stations. Signage and announcements could be better too. As for the near future, I want to attend roll out celebrations for the Graham St. and Boeing Access Road infill stations. I'm also looking forward to the West Seattle and Tacoma expansions.

Overall pretty good with my experiences with Link. On our trips to Seattle if we are planning to…read morejust go to neighborhoods where the train stops through then we definitely utilize that over driving. There are a lot of shortened operation times due to upgrades, maintenance and expansion. As large as the Seattle metro area is I'm surprised there wasn't public transit train installed and with good coverage of stops long ago. But it seems to be happening now. I think of Campbell Scott in the movie Singles and how his plan gets shot down for a broader commute expansion with trains for a plan he submitted. It almost feels like an inside joke and maybe it always was or has been for a long time living in the metro area. Recently we rode on the new expansion that goes to Federal Way. We rode the train up from the large transit center and garage there and it was nice and smooth. A bit long but so much less stress not having to drive. I have my Orca Card handy with me and it's easy on and easy off. Overall good experiences with this train system!

This is an extremely convenient station to major stops in the u-district, including the university…read moreand nearby shopping. I've visited the university bookstore from this station, as well as the Burke Museum, and had coffee nearby in more than one location. This is a very well situated station. They have some cool station art here usually.

Part of the 1 Line in Seattle, the University of Washington Station is a large, very accessible…read morelight rail station, meant to handle the large crowds attending Huskie football games. It is connected right next to the stadium, and has multiple entrances at different levels, along with large land bridges to handle surging crowds. The platform is very deep, coming in at almost 100 feet below ground. I came during Winter Break, so it was pretty empty but could imagine the controlled chaos during football season.

Always an excellent experience and they are at least five minutes early. The cars are in top…read morecondition and the drivers are always friendly no matter the hour. Highly recommended!

Communication was great from the beginning. The picked our party of 6 up at the airport just as…read moreagreed and took us to our hotel. Our 2nd trip was a pickup at the cruise port and they were punctual again. I highly recommend them for your transportation needs in Seattle. Thanks for being dependable.