New to Seattle light rail? Here’s a beginner’s guide

A light rail train heads west from the Judkins Park light rail station in Seattle. This station and Mercer Island’s open Saturday, connecting Seattle with the Eastside across Lake Washington. (Ellen M. Banner / The Seattle Times)

By
Mike Lindblom

Seattle Times transportation reporter

Traffic Lab is a Seattle Times project that digs into the region’s transportation issues to explore the policies and politics that determine how we get around and how billions of dollars in public money are spent.

Light rail’s long-awaited crossing of Lake Washington will bring thousands of first-time riders looking for a new way to commute, for new places to dine or go for entertainment and for quicker trips to see friends.

Here are some how-to-ride basics:

Route: Trains will travel at speeds up to 55 mph between South Bellevue Station and International District/Chinatown Station in Seattle, with new stops at Mercer Island and Judkins Park, for a trip time of 16 minutes.

Schedule: 2 Line trains will cross the lake into Seattle from 4:17 a.m. until 12:15 a.m., and toward Bellevue from 5:44 a.m. until 12:30 a.m. Trains will arrive every eight minutes at peak times, every 10 minutes middays and weekends, and 15 minutes apart late nights. (On the 1 Line, some stations are open from just after 4 a.m. until nearly 1 a.m.)

Fares: A standard, one-way adult fare is $3 throughout the 58-mile network between Redmond, Seattle, Lynnwood and Federal Way. Most customers will tap their ORCA fare cards at yellow scanners at the stations, but you can buy a paper ticket, day pass or new ORCA card from machines. Riders 18 or younger go for free. Low-income riders holding ORCA Lift fare cards pay $1, as do passengers 65 and older and disabled customers holding regional reduced-fare permits. King County Metro’s Transit Go phone app can book light rail tickets, and Tap to Pay allows the $3 adult fare to be paid by smartphone or credit card.

Mercer Island riders will tap their payment cards at machines near the station entrance. (Ellen M. Banner / The Seattle Times)

There are no fare gates. “Fare ambassadors” in blue and yellow uniforms rove a tiny proportion of trains and ask riders to show proof of payment. They canvass about 2% of riders, of whom 65% typically show proof they paid. Current financial plans call for fares to cover less than 20% of operating costs.

Navigation, and a new transfer hub: You’ll find route diagrams inside railcars and stations. After crossing the lake, westbound 2 Line trains turn north into downtown Seattle and serve all 13 stations from International District/Chinatown to Lynnwood. The 1 Line and 2 Line trains share the tracks both northbound and southbound.

The cross-lake extension transforms International District/Chinatown Station into a regional transfer hub. When traveling from the Eastside to SeaTac/Airport Station, for example, riders will exit the 2 Line at International District/Chinatown, ascend to the outdoor plaza, then walk down to the southbound entrance to catch a 1 Line train displaying “Federal Way.”

If you want to go from Lynnwood, North Seattle or downtown to the Eastside, be sure to look for a 2 Line train flashing “Downtown Redmond.” Otherwise, you’ll end up on a 1 Line train and need to get off at International District/Chinatown Station, where you’ll wait for a 2 Line train.

A light rail train on a test run heads east through Mercer Island Station, which is on the 2 Line. (Ellen M. Banner / The Seattle Times)

Parking: There’s no parking at the new Judkins Park Station in Seattle. The other new station, Mercer Island, provides 447 spaces, but the odds of finding a spot are better in the 1,524-stall South Bellevue Station garage, near the junction of Interstate 405 and Intrerstate 90. Sound Transit provides a total 2,026 additional parking spaces farther east at BelRed, Redmond Technology and Marymoor Village stations.

Bicycles: Each railcar contains two nooks for bikes or luggage, first-come, first-served. Bicycle lockers are available at both new stations (and most others) for 5 cents an hour; enroll at bikelink.org.

Restrooms: Not all stations have restrooms. Neither Judkins Park nor Mercer Island, the two new stations, do. You will find public restrooms inside historic Union Station (in the Joni Earl Great Hall), next to International District/Chinatown Station, but they’re only open weekdays 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Otherwise, the nearest stations with restrooms are Northgate or SeaTac/Airport.

Traffic Lab | Light rail

Mike Lindblom: 206-515-5631 or mlindblom@seattletimes.com. Mike Lindblom is a transportation reporter at The Seattle Times.

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