If you find yourself wanting to explore alternative commute options during the Jan. 13 – Feb. 4 planned disruption, check out some of the options below.
If you don’t see any options that match your typical commute, we encourage riders to use your favorite trip planning tool to figure out what works best for you. Don’t forget to select dates within the planned disruption so the trip planner will give you options that reflect the reduced 1 Line schedule.
Here are some more tips and tricks to navigate the disruption.
For many passengers, waiting for the next train will still be the best option, as many of the routes below operate infrequently, or only during traditional peak commuting hours. But for many passengers taking specific trips, there are many bus options that may get you where you’re going more quickly or with less crowding.
On weekends, we recommend keeping your usual trip pattern, and transferring to Link bus shuttles at Capitol Hill or SODO stations as necessary. But for weekdays, there are many options that may work better, and we’ve detailed as many of these as we can below.
Weekday options
From Snohomish County to downtown Seattle
Passengers may consider these alternative options:
- Sound Transit’s N Line trains, or ST Express Route 510.
- Community Transit routes 421, 422, 424, 425, or 435.
Please note that these routes travel into Seattle during morning commuting hours and travel toward Snohomish County in the afternoon.
From Northgate or Roosevelt to downtown Seattle
In most cases your best bet will be to wait for the next train. But from Northgate during peak hours, passengers may also choose to ride Metro routes 302 or 303 (from Northgate), or Route 322 (from Roosevelt). These provide nonstop service to 5th/James (in the morning) or from 5th/Spring (in the afternoon), near Pioneer Square Station.
From U District or University of Washington to downtown Seattle
In most cases waiting for the next train will be fastest. From U District Station, Metro will add trips to Route 70 to provide additional service to downtown via Eastlake. From UW Station, there is no alternative service to downtown Seattle, so passengers should wait on the platform for the next train.
From Capitol Hill to downtown Seattle
If your destination is Westlake, waiting for the next train may still be your best option. But Metro will be adding trips to Route 49 during this reduced service period, alongside other options such as Metro Route 10. If your destination is University Street or Pioneer Square, you will likely want to wait for the next train. If your destination is International District/Chinatown, you may also consider the First Hill Streetcar.
From Stadium Station to downtown Seattle
If you ride the 1 Line from SeaTac, Tukwila, the Rainier Valley, or Beacon Hill, and find yourself waiting for the next train at Stadium Station, you may also exit the station and head over to the SODO Busway and S. Royal Brougham Way. Numerous routes will take you into downtown Seattle via 4th Ave., including King County Metro routes 101, 102, and 150 or Sound Transit routes 590 and 594. If your destination is closer to 3rd Ave., you might be better served by King County Metro routes 5, 24, 28, 33, 131, or 132, which you can catch at 4th Ave. S. and S. Royal Brougham Way. A few other options can be found at 6th Ave. S. and S. Royal Brougham Way, including the 124 and the 545.
From Beacon Hill to downtown Seattle
Passengers may ride Route 36, which provides ultra-frequent service to downtown.
From the Rainier Valley to downtown Seattle
Passengers may ride routes 7 or 106 from Mount Baker Station, Route 106 from Columbia City, routes 36 and 106 from Othello, or Route 106 from Rainier Beach.
From Tukwila or SeaTac to downtown Seattle
Route 124 provides alternative service from Tukwila Int’l Blvd station, with travel times of approximately 55 minutes. Waiting for the next train may be faster. From SeaTac/Airport or Angle Lake, the train will still be your best option.
Heading to a weekend Kraken Game?
For folks heading to Climate Pledge Arena from the north end on the 1 Line, transfer to Route 8 from the northside of E. John St. at Capitol Hill Station.
For folks coming from the south end on the 1 Line, get off at Mount Baker Station, you could choose to transfer at Mount Baker Transit Center to either Route 14 (which becomes Route 1) or Route 8, both of which serve Climate Pledge Arena directly.
Fans can also get off at Stadium Station and transfer to Route 24 or 33 on the east side of 4th Ave S. just north of S. Royal Brougham Way.
Curious about how to pay your fare during the disruption?
We understand that service disruptions make everything more complicated, including paying your fare, so here are a few pointers for how to pay for your ride during the disruption.
In general, you will continue to tap your ORCA card on at the beginning of your trip and tap off at your destination or purchase a paper ticket from our ticket vending machines.
Where things get tricky: Weekend shuttle buses
The Link shuttle that replaces 1 Line service between Capitol Hill and SODO stations on the weekends is free to use. Therefore, if you start your trip on the Link shuttle bus (which will operate between Capitol Hill and SODO stations), tap on once you arrive to a station where you can transfer onto the 1 Line, and tap off at your destination.
If you start your trip outside of the Link bus shuttle, tap on when entering the train station, and then tap off before you transfer to the Link shuttle bus.