Report on Light Rail-Seattle airport-downtown
 

Easy to access, comfortable, clean, not crowded and reasonable price..
Used 6 times over 4 different days. $ 2.50 one way, machine to purchase tickets at each station. Takes bills, coins and credit cards,makes change accordingly. Room for baggage and even bicycle rack
Takes about 40 min. airport to Westlake Center downtown. Also stops near Spots arenas, Pioneer Square, University Ave. and lastly Westlake Center. Total of about 10 stops.
Interesting point- Once ticket purchased--no one seems to check this.(.no slots like on Bart)
another patron told me..checking by light rail officer is very random-BUT anyone not having ticket is pulled off train at next stop and presented with violation..fine is anywhere between $ 10 and $45.....
I must revise my 'easy access" statement- People with mobility problems could find it stressful. Light Rail station is at extreme north part of airport --walking from baggage area, then along north edge of parking garage must be equal to about 2 city blocks. I did not see any wheelchairs being pushed along the route
The stations have escalators and elevators.
So all in all a nice system.

Nice description, good to know! Does it go through nice areas adding to sightseeing experience?

Dayenu - I don't know the specifics of what's on the route, but our family enjoyed the views! We had a clear, sunny day in February and spent most of the trip looking at the various urban scenes...

Oh, good, I hoped for this kind of answer :) Seattle is on my list...

Thanks for the information. Will be there in a couple of weeks and plan to use it.

I used it a couple of weeks ago to get to the airport and it was great.

Make sure you buy your ticket before you board, as there are no opportunities to buy once you are on the train. And it's not obvious, as you can freely board without ever pasing a turnstile or ticket booth. And yes, they do check. the one time I rode it, I saw officers board at one stop, check everyone's tickets or pass, and then get off at the next stop.

Thanks for the report. Good to hear. I live here but haven't had a chance to try it yet for getting to the airport.

I've also not used the light rail yet, though I've often taken the express bus...I wonder if the train is faster, though, if it makes that many stops.

azzure, all of the stops mentioned are "downtown," more or less. The sports stadiums are just south of Pioneer Square/Chinatown. South of the sports stadiums there are only a few stops, and it makes excellent speed along long stretches between them.

Thanks for posting this. We found the express bus convenient but crowded. Looking forward to trying the Light Rail.