{"id":40262,"date":"2018-07-07T00:11:08","date_gmt":"2018-07-07T07:11:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/soulofamerica1.wpengine.com\/?page_id=40262"},"modified":"2023-05-11T10:19:25","modified_gmt":"2023-05-11T17:19:25","slug":"seattle-transportation","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.soulofamerica.com\/us-cities\/seattle\/seattle-transportation\/","title":{"rendered":"Seattle Transportation"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"SeaTac

SeaTac Airport, the home of Alaska Airlines<\/strong>; credit Minnaert\/Wiki<\/p><\/div>\n

<\/div>\n

Seattle Transportation<\/h2>\n
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Airport<\/h3>\n

Seattle-Tacoma International Airport<\/a><\/strong> (SEA) has Hub Airport status and boasts the longest non-stop in America — Seattle to Miami. Locals call it “Sea-Tac” but the airport is officially “SEA” for booking flights and checking flight status. June-August is the busiest timeframe for SEA Airport with 100,000 daily passengers. <\/p>\n

After a confusing history of additions, the master plan for SEA Airport finally makes sense for residents and travelers. Runways were upgraded to handle more flights across North America and Asia while mitigating noise over nearby homes. The Central Terminal features a business conference center and a massive window to view flights while anchoring 4 concourses. Each concourse features more dining & retail options, faster WiFi, and stations with electrical outlets for mobile device charging. <\/p>\n

Over 3200 parking garage spaces became available when car rentals were moved north of the terminal. Wayfinding signage is better for the Parking Garage and other Ground Transportation options. SEA Airport Terminal Map<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Airport Transit: Many travelers take the Central Link light rail from SEA Airport Station for an inexpensive and reasonably quick ride to the train station and Downtown Seattle. <\/p>\n

Taxis: All taxis charge a Flat Rate for trips from the Downtown Seattle Hotel District to SEA Airport. Call Yellow Cab (206-622-6500), Orange Cab (206-522-8800), or Farwest Taxi (206-622-1717) to schedule a pick-up. <\/p>\n

Shuttles: Another popular option is Shuttle Express from SEA Airport garage to downtown for about $35 or Airport Express (800-544-0739) for $10 to downtown hotels. Both shuttles depart SEA Airport every 20 minutes from 4:30a-11:10p. Reservations are not required.<\/p>\n

Car Rentals: A shuttle bus transports you to the offsite car rental facility for Alamo, Avis, Budget, Hertz, Dollar, Enterprise, and National. Though SEA Airport is only 11 miles from downtown, trips there via I-5 Freeway take 25-50 minutes, depending on commute hours. The drive to Downtown Seattle is easy for first-time visitors to navigate. Just go north to the skyscrapers.<\/p>\n

\"The

The remarkable interior of Seattle King Street Station<\/strong>; credit ZhengZhou<\/p><\/div>\n

Train Station<\/h3>\n

In Seattle, people go to King Street Station at 303 Jackson Street, Seattle<\/a><\/strong> for Sounder commuter rail and these three Amtrak routes<\/a><\/strong>:<\/p>\n

Cascades<\/strong>: Eugene-Portland-Tacoma-Seattle-Vancouver
\nCoast Starlight<\/strong>: Los Angeles-Santa Barbara-Oakland-Sacramento-Portland-Seattle
\nEmpire Builder<\/strong>: Seattle-Spokane-Fargo-Minneapolis-Milwaukee-Chicago<\/p>\n

Amtrak Cascades is a popular travel option for students and others on a budget between Eugene, Portland, Seattle, and Vancouver BC. Cascades feature modern European-style trains that have WiFi, wide seats, electrical outlets at each seat, and bicycle & ski racks. They also serve regional food and beverages onboard.<\/p>\n

Vancouver-Seattle-Portland-Eugene<\/strong><\/a> is a 466-mile Canadian and U.S. High-Speed Rail Corridor designated for higher federal & state funding. Each year, more miles of track are being upgraded for faster speed. For more context on this important subject, see Interstate High-Speed Rail<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n

As you see, Coast Starlight and Empire Builder are Amtrak Long-Distance routes. Amtrak operates them as once daily roundtrip featuring land cruise experiences with fine dining and other passenger amenities. Do not expect a fast ride. Instead, enjoy the unparalleled views. In the near term, Amtrak plans to increase these Long-Distance routes to twice daily.<\/p>\n

\"Seattle

Light rail train at Link Angle Lake Station just south of SEA Airport<\/strong>; credit Sound Transit<\/p><\/div>\n

Rapid Transit<\/h3>\n

Sound Transit operates Link light rail system<\/strong><\/a>. It currently runs north-south and operates every 7-15 minutes on Weekdays and 10-15 minutes on Weekends from 5a-Midnight. The Link has several tunnels and viaducts that enable speeds as fast or faster than Rush Hour driving from SEA Airport to the Stadium District, King Street Station, Downtown Seattle, Capitol Hill, University of Washington, U District, and Northgate. <\/p>\n

Multi-Day fares and reduced fares for youths & seniors are available. Kids under 6 ride Free. Purchase a ticket from the vending machine before boarding — don’t risk a ticketless fine.<\/p>\n

King County residents voted to fund a massive expansion of Seattle Transportation that yields benefits every 3-4 years. In 2024, the Link system expands north to Lynnwood, east to Mercer Island, Bellevue & Redmond, and south to Federal Way. See the Link System Map<\/strong><\/a>. More Link system expansion is coming in 2030<\/strong><\/a>. <\/p>\n

Sounder commuter rail also uses King Street Station and benefits from track upgrades to the Amtrak Cascades route. Sounder<\/a><\/strong> operates in the lengthy Everett-Seattle-Tacoma corridor is a modest alternative to traffic on I-5 Freeway. with additional state & federal funding, perhaps Sounder will run more frequently to become a good all-day option in the near future.<\/p>\n

Fares are relatively low for their mileage but, as expected, vary by length of trip. Newer Sounder trains feature WiFi, restrooms, bike racks, and more comfortable seats than Central Link trains. See Sounder System Map<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

\"Seattle

Seattle Monorail at Westlake Center<\/strong>; (c) Soul Of America<\/p><\/div>\n

Seattle Center Monorail<\/strong>
\nBuilt like Disneyland Monorail on a long string of concrete posts, this 1.2-mile monorail gives “urban scenic” views over its short route. The 90-second ride has only two stops — Westlake Center in downtown and Seattle Center. On warm days count on long lines to board. Rides depart every 15 minutes MAP<\/strong><\/a> and Seattle Center MAP<\/strong><\/a>
\nADMISSION: see pricing on their website
\nDAYS & HOURS: daily
\nWEBSITE: http:\/\/www.seattlemonorail.com<\/a><\/p>\n

Seattle Streetcars<\/strong>
\nThe South Lake Union Streetcar starts on the north side of Westlake Center, which also has a Central Link Light rail station and a Seattle Monorail Station. South Lake Union Streetcar proceeds north on a 1.5-mile route past Amazon HQ to South Lake Union. The First Hill Streetcar line connects Capitol Hill, Seattle University, First Hill, Tessler Terrace, Chinatown, Japantown, Seattle Union Station, and Occidental Mall. With future funding, the two streetcar lines will connect via 1st Avenue and Stewart Avenue to complete a valuable tourist option.
\nWEBSITE: https:\/\/www.seattle.gov\/transportation\/getting-around\/transit\/streetcar<\/a><\/p>\n

Tacoma Link<\/a><\/strong> is a separate short light rail that provides a great way for tourists to get around downtown Tacoma — it’s Free. Daily service runs every 12-24 minutes, 5:30a-9a. Tacoma Link System Map<\/strong><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n