Link Light Rail – SeaTac/Airport Station

When I heard about the new light rail station and the the bus route changes, I was a little annoyed since the bus in front of my house that took me straight to downtown was going to be deleted. However, I’m actually glad that they’re routing everybody to the light rail and making better use of it. It’s extremely convenient to get to downtown or Cap Hill from UW now and it’s basically free for UW students. It’s also good for people who want to avoid the traffic going into downtown, as the light rail can get from UW to downtown in 10 – 15 minutes. The new stations at UW and Cap Hill look awesome too. With the established light rail, it definitely makes Seattle a more commutable city, even though the buses were pretty good already!

Landed at SeaTac Airport after 10pm last Friday and my hotel was all the way over in Downtown via the Westlake stop. That’s about 11 stops and time flew by. The ride was about 30 minutes and it was smooth riding. I’m from L.A. where some day in the next 100 years we will be trying to catch up to the speed and efficiency of something like Seattle’s Link Light Rail. You don’t need a car here when you have this mighty train. I also did get to see the Transit police bust a hipster who didn’t buy a pass. They took him off the train, made him buy a pass from them, and then they gave him a big ass ticket and he still had to wait for the next train. He was definitely made an example of.

We live in a city where mass transit is a joke and traffic jam is constant. It was so refreshing and stress free to be able to access the core Seattle areas by The Link. We used Sea-​Tac station as a base and basically traveled up and down the line sight seeing. I only rented a car for one day to visit Mount Rainier. The best deal is to buy the daily pass for $ 6.

I got initiated to Seattle’s light rail only recently. And I love it! I only wish Seattle had more extensive light rail that is comparative to other cities it’s size.
If you are a local the best way to go is with the Orca Pass and you can get around pretty much anywhere by train or bus! And even better is getting a day pass for that Orca card!
This Light Rail station at the airport feels secure, clean and has frequent departure times to downtown which is great! Not a lot of waiting around! Since I’m new to the whole light rail thing here I notice that after you get off at whatever stop you may use many people scan their cards on a scanner as a tagging technique. It’s a good idea I suppose to use it in case your card gets stolen and is used all over town.
More Light Rail expansion is coming soon, not fast enough or extensive enough but at least it’s happening and that is better than at a stand still.

Whether you’re visiting Seattle for business, pleasure, or like me a bit of both, the Century Link Light Rail is a great way to get to and from SEA. Its cheap (~ $ 3 to $ 4 one-​way), convenient, clean, and comfortable. It also has limited space for roller bags.
They are not as expensive or elaborate as BART in the Bay Area. Instead of ticket agents, they have an innovative honor system where you are expected to buy a ticket. There will be random security folks getting on and off stations to randomly check. It discourages fare evaders/​freeloaders since the fine can be 40x the price of a ticket.
The other cool thing is that currently the Link travels on a single line, from SEA on one end to the University of Washington (Class of 94, Go Dawgs!!) at the other. In between are all key stops hitting places of interest like Westlake (downtown Seattle), Chinatown (good eats!), and Pioneer Square (old-​school downtown). Best of all, it stops by Beacon Hill which is my hometown and an easy walk to my parents house!

As always, Porsche C. managed to beat me in reviewing the SeaTac — Link Light Rail; thereon, I’m led to digress as it’s because of her that we managed to take advantage of it — and while I wouldn’t do it again (no judgment there), I’m affording 5 stars as by far does it stand out as a definite contender to the variance in options from trekking one place to the next around this gorgeous town…
Let’s face facts:
Los Angeleans are sooooo– spoiled.
We drive EVERRRRY place and would likely valet’ after driving to a neighborhood block party!
Hailing from Mississippi, prior to making our way to CA, I was afforded my driver’s license at 14 years of age and received my first car at 15 – 16. This provides a much overdue explanation to any such road rage.
To further it all and for the most part and with EVERYONE within the «City of Angels» seemingly possessing their own car, …something like a «Link Light Rail» serving as an option for local transport when visiting Seattle, conversed in hieroglyphic form to me!!!
Need I say, despite Porsche’s being a self proclaimed vet-​, I possessed a NUMBER of reservations prior to taking this thing, in her absence:
— What about my luggage? —- Ungh unh. I gaht’ Lewey and shyt!
— Will I be murdered? Mamed? Dismembered??? —- Ain’t nobody gaht’ time tuh’ become Seattle’s next statistic!
— What about the crazies? —– Do I need to pack my taser???
— Is there WiFi? —— Papa’s gada’ stay connected!
— Are you SURRRRRRRE this is safe? (caus’ if I die, I’m haunting dat’ azz from the after life, lol!)
For what it’s worth, fellow Unilocalers, the Link Light Rail comes to you «Kenny Ken Approved»!!!
(sighs…) _​_​_​_​_​_​_​_​_​_​_​_​_​_​_​_​_​_​_​_​_​_​_​_​_​_​_​_​
This is SERIOUSLY one of those things that I really wish LA would catch on to and follow pursuit upon.
As it appears, EVERY city that I visit tends to be light years (pun VERY much intended on this being a light rail review) ahead of us in terms of transit and Seattle, ladies and gents is NO EXCEPTION.
Connecting from the SeaTac Airport and traversing all the way to the downtown «core» portion of Seattle for all of $ 3.00 (one way), this train is EVERYTHING!!!
Tickets are afforded by way of self-​service, touch screen kiosks and upon selecting one’s destination, the fare for such is provided shortly before the request of currency.
With trains departing an average of every 7 – 15 minutes as well as there being a mere 11 stops within the short-​lived 35 – 40 minute trip, –NOT– taking this train would be the ONLY qualm enough to raise an eyebrow on my end.
Four days in, we departed our hotel (shout out to the Alexis Hotel staff, …whoop whoop!!!) to begin our trek back to LA, and in addition to having to wake up at the butt-​crack of dawn to make it back to the airport, Über fares and cab rides were all of $ 50.00+!!!
#hell-​2-​da-​nawl!
$ 50.00 when compared to $ 3.00 seems to pretty much make one’s mind up for them, now doesn’t it?!
In summary, with Seattle’s alias being «Emerald City», by far do I consider the Link Light Rail to be the YELLOW BRICK ROAD! If only LA could get the red, blue, purple or gold lines to connect to LAX, but sadly,…we’re too busy profiting from what used to be carpool lanes.
(…sighs)
Seattle — I truly applaud you all; for ditching the archaic method founded eons ago by the Flintstones to show us how the Jetsons live… all the while continuing to bring us ONE STEP CLOSER to the futuristic progression of mankind!

On principle alone, this Light Rail Station gets 5 stars because it means that one can finally get from Seattle to SeaTac Airport on a modern light rail mass transit system for a small fee. Seattle, so progressive relative to most major American urban centers on a number of environmental issues, was embarrassingly slow to get to this point, but huzzah huzzah, we have emerged from the Stone Age at last.
Other than that, the station itself is pretty straightforward… it is a no-​frills station that gets you on-​and-​off a train or up-​and-​down an escalator or elevator. There aren’t a lot of aesthetic qualities to remark upon, unless stainless steel, glass and concrete is your thing.
The walk from the station to the airport is 5 – 10 minutes depending on how poky you are and what end of the airport you’re walking to/​from. If you’re walking toward the airport, you can use these 5 – 10 minutes to get good and sweaty for the TSA pat-down…they love that. If you’re walking toward the train, you can use these 5 – 10 minutes to acclimate to Seattle weather after your time in whatever inevitably warmer, drier place you just flew in from.

As an LA native, I was seriously blown away the first time I used the Link rail. A train that takes you to and from the airport into the city?! What a concept. No such thing exists in the City of Angels and the journey to LAX (and LAX in general) is a hot mess. Seriously so grateful for this method of public transportation! 40 min to SeaTac from Westlake Station, it’s clean, reliable, and cheap! Love love love. Thank youuu Sound Transit!

I live in Chicago and use the El system there daily. I also used to live in Seattle and appreciate the public transpo upgrade from SeaTac!
So there were a couple things that shocked me about this.
1.)the cleanliness. The cars didn’t smell of pee or rape. That was new and different.
2.) The price! A one way ticket for $ 3? I couldn’t find a weekend pass option or anything more than a day pass. This significantly made me rethink my day to day travel.

Seattle finally does transportation right! Love the light rail. Easiest way to get to Seattle from airport. You are downtown in 35 minutes. Even better two weeks ago they opened stations at capitol hill and the University of Washington. Wish they had this back when I was living in Seattle. The trains are clean and inform you of stops over the intercom. I feel like I am in Switzerland again.

Seattle is so lucky to have such a great, easy to use public transportation system.
The Sea-​Tac station is convenient and offers accessibility to all airport terminals via a short covered walk way.
There are stations to print boarding passes along the walk to the terminals too.

Awesome method of transportation! Its fast and convenient. I only wish that they construct the North Seattle stop faster. Its under construction and they plan to build a stop by Northgate!
There are a lot of stops so you have to account for this. It takes about 1 hour to get from downtown to the airport. However, seats are really clean and comfortable. The ticket costs less than $ 5. It beats paying $ 35 for an über or taxi.
The only drawback is that there are some sketchy folks who get on later in the day. I’ve been harassed while taking the Light Rail. Just be alert and near people and you should be fine.

Taking the Link Light Rail train to the airport has the three C’s going for it. That is cheap, comfortable and convenient. For $ 3, you can ride from the airport into Downtown Seattle.
It was just announced that the new University Link Extension with new stations on Capitol Hill and the University of Washington will open in March meaning it will become even more convenient for many to take the train to and from the airport. Unfortunately, I happen to live in Bellevue where we don’t have Light Rail and will need to wait another 7 years at the very least to get it.
When I go to the airport, I typically take the Sound Transit 560 bus at Bellevue Transit Center as it is the fastest public transportation option to get to the airport from where I live. However on occasion, I venture into Seattle to take Light Rail.
When I do, it is from the International District Station and the wait is never long for a train. Waiting times for a train are between 6 to 15 minutes depending on day and time. Trains run from 5 am to 1 am on weekdays and Saturday. On Sunday, it runs from 6 am to midnight. Taking a train is a good option if you have a late flight into Seattle as you can catch one of the late buses into town. But it is difficult if you are taking an early morning flight out.
The train ride to the airport if you are riding the whole way is 38 minutes which is not bad. Especially if you are traveling during rush hours. It is likely that driving to the airport will take longer. So taking the train is a lot more dependable in terms of time.
The SeaTac/​Airport Station is quite large. The train platform is above ground level so you need to take the escalator to reach it. Downstairs you will find a passageway to the airport terminal. Depending on how fast you walk and which part of the terminal you need to get to, it will take about 5 to 10 minutes.
On the street side of this station, there are buses that run by this station which are convenient if you need to connect with one of those buses that go to destinations like Burien, Federal Way and Tukwila. So this is an important transit center not only for airport travelers, but also commuters.
If you need to travel from downtown Seattle to the airport, I highly recommend taking the Light Rail train to this station. This station will be of benefit to more people once the new University Link Extension opens up in a couple months.

«Everything that Oahu would want»
In Hawaii, Oahu is in the midst of building it’s rail system to link west Oahu with the Ala Moana area of Honolulu via Honolulu International Airport.
This particular rail link in Seattle runs from Seatac airport to downtown Seattle with several stops in between. My impressions of riding this rail system:
Depending upon where you arrive at the airport, the walk to the rail station can be somewhat long, especially if you have a lot of luggage. (Better to take a cab or van service at that point) If you aren’t burdened by lots of luggage this has to be the way to go.
A bargain at $ 3.00 each way, it takes about 40 minutes to get from Seatac to the Westlake terminus. There are eleven stops between the starting and ending points including stops at Pioneer Square, the International District and the Stadiums.
Clean, efficient and not too noisy, the riders were respectful of other riders and the ride into Seattle was smooth. There are no ticket takers or scanners when you board but there are Fare Enforcement Officers that will slap you with a fat citation if you try and ride for free. They board the rail cars at different locations and times and check the riders’ tickets to make sure there are no freeloaders. (No be cheap, buy your ticket bruddah)
If Honolulu’s rail system can run like Seattle’s system it’s going to be great.

Coming to Seattle I didn’t know what to expect when it came to transportation.
I was staying downtown and walking EVERYWHERE. One thing was for sure… I SURE wasn’t walking to the airport. When I called to see how much Taxis were I was quoted $ 45.00! WTF? Really?
I did some research and found that I was able to get on the light rail for $ 3.00 (One way pass) and it took me directly to the airport. It was about a 15 – 20 minute ride! How reliable and convenient is that?!
Link light rail connects downtown Seattle to SeaTac Airport with 11 stops in between. The ride only takes 37 minutes from Airport to Westlake Center and costs only $ 3.00 each way (Youth 6 – 18: $ 1.50; Seniors 65+ & Disabled: $ 1.00)
The station was super easy to get to walking and to pay at their automated machines was super easy and quick as well.
LIGHT RAIL TIPS & INFO:
TRAVEL TIMES:
~Airport to Westlake Station: 37 minutes
~Airport to University Station: 34 minutes
HOURS OF SERVICE:
Northbound (Airport to Westlake Station)
*Monday thru Saturday: 5:04 a.m. — 12:10 a.m.
*Sunday: 6:19 a.m. — 11:05 p.m. Southbound (Westlake Station to Airport)
Monday thru Saturday: 5:05 a.m. — 12:37 a.m. Sunday: 6:20 a.m. — 11:37 p.m.
TRAIN FREQUENCY:
Trains depart every 7 ½ — 15 minutes and departure times depend on the time
of day.
WHICH STATION TO USE:
*Use Westlake Station for the Washington State Convention Center and
hotels north of University Street
*Use University Station for hotels on or south of University Street
*Other downtown Seattle stations include Pioneer Square, International District/​Chinatown and Stadium.
PURCHASE YOUR TICKET BEFORE BOARDING:
Ticket kiosks are touch screens with easy-​to-​follow directions. After you select your destination, you’ll be
asked to deposit your fare. Payment can be made by cash or credit card, and multiple tickets can be purchased in one transaction for group travel.
I definitely believe transportation in Seattle is a «piece of cake». Forget Taxicabs and Über they cost WAY too much to get from A to B!

I used Link Light Rail to get from Downtown Seattle to Sea-​Tac Airport. Arriving at 7:30 pm on a weekday, the Station was really quiet aside from a few commuter like myself that were trying to catch a late flight out from the Airport.
There are tons of signage to direct you to the correct check in area for your specific airlines.
At $ 3 one way, it is the quickness and cheapest way to get to and from Airport. There is also area to store your luggage on board.
Walking from the Station itself to the Airport is around 5 – 10 minute depends on which Airline you are flying. And no stairs involved so great even if you have bulky luggage!
The Station is clean and I did feel save even as a single traveler.

This isn’t just the best value to get to and leave the airport but it’s the best way possible in general as you don’t have to fuss with traffic. Since this review is for the airport specific station, you’ll need to know a few things:
You have to get your ticket on the first level and then go up the escalator. There is no ticket person to give it to so it’s the honor system and by that I mean they have their King County bus police folks watching you with cameras and in person.
As mentioned in my general review of Link Light Rail, if you plan on staying in town without a car, you’d really help yourself out if you get an ORCA card instead. It’s 5 bucks for the unregistered card and you can fill up the Epurse with money so you won’t have to worry about exact change. You can also buy a day pass for $ 8 which pays for it self after 3 trips a day or $ 81 for a monthly pass which really pays for itself after a week or so (you do the math).
One thing you’ll learn about Seattle is there are a lot of people asking you for money and they may not look like the typical panhandler — ie, they’re dressed nice, etc. I thought the airport was a safe haven so as I was putting my money in, and got my change back (change is given via dollar coins), he asked if he could get it so he could get home. I fell for it… not the end of the world, but it did leave a bad taste in my mouth because the guy just disappeared.
So in that regard, having the ORCA card will also mean that you won’t have to take out your wallet when paying in case someone is watching you. Unless of course you want to pay a couple of bucks to strangers on the street in which case, bring about a $ 100 worth of singles.

The LRT stations in the Seattle area are huge. The Sea/​Tac serves a larger potential clientele. The Tukiwila station not so much and it is a monster compared to the platforms in Mpls-St.Paul. No wonder even in a progressive state like Washington they complained about the cost of building the rail. I am a fan of light rail but there is a lot of wasteful spending in the Seattle area and I don’t see much development along the way like condos and apartments and upscale live style amenities such as we are seeing in the twin cities.
The trains come on time travel up to about 40 mph are completely automated and a little crowded. It’s a convenient way to get to the stadiums and downtown from the South. The line is not too long but they are adding on again.

For $ 2.75 one way and an estimated 41 minutes one way from SEATAC airport to the heart of town (AKA Pike Place Market) was a bargain; it sure beat paying $ 15 — $ 30 for parking downtown provided you could even find parking.
This location is super convenient as there is a bridge right across from the airport to the light rail, so you can catch the rail to explore the city if you have a very long flight delay and no bags to carry.
SEATAC and WESTLAKE are both at the very ends of the rail system (look it up on Google Images). Westlake is where you get off to walk a few blocks to Pike Place Market. Just don’t forget your bearings when you make your way back to WESTLAKE station as we got lost and few locals pointed us in the wrong direction or didn’t know or were just joking.
The only beef I had with this system is the lack of adequate signage. Another reviewer said it was always crowded with tourists and that is because the tourists (myself included) are clueless until you walk up to a kiosk to buy a ticket — you don’t know if you are at the right kiosk for which rail or bus system. The kiosk takes cash as well as credit cards. Make sure you keep your fare stub as we encountered the «fare enforcement» who board the rail and check each and every one of the riders. One man got busted and he had to get off at the next station.
The ride back to SEATAC seemed to go by faster from Pike Place (Westlake Station) late at night as people got on/​off faster and there was not as much foot traffic.

The link rail is such a steal. Sea-​Tac airport is a bit away from downtown, so being able to take this from there to safeco/​downtown/​2 blocks away from the public market is such a blessing.
The price is a bargain, 3 something for a one way and 5 for a round trip (or something close), you won’t get luxury seating or the smoothest ride in the world but it could be worse.
You can catch one about every 10 – 15 minutes! You pay at the automatic ticket machine and in you go. no one checks your ticket at the door. and after riding it 2−3x’s I was getting comfortable to where I didn’t want to pay my next ride but just as soon as I was masterminding that… the «fare enforcement» stepped on, haha. so pay because you never know, save yourself the embarrassment.
Happy travels!