Heading to downtown Seattle, the stadiums or the airport on the 1 Line? Critical Sound Transit construction work begins Saturday, Aug. 12, on 1 Line service, and Metro is stepping in to support riders with free shuttle buses in downtown Seattle this weekend. Please allow extra travel time if you are planning to take transit this weekend and in the coming weeks due to planned light rail construction.

What’s happening? 

The light rail tracks across Royal Brougham are settling and susceptible to flooding. Trains are currently limited to 5 mph there, and construction crews will make repairs to allow trains to resume faster and safer operations.

1 Line service reduced Aug. 12-20

  • 1 Line service will be reduced Aug. 12-20 as crews replace the rail tracks at Royal Brougham Way, just north of Stadium Station. Royal Brougham Way will be closed to vehicles Aug. 9-20, but the crossing will remain open for people walking and bicycling.

Work will occur in three phases, with different effects on 1 Line passengers:

Phase One: Aug. 12-13:

  • 1 Line trains will run every 15 minutes between Northgate–Capitol Hill and between SODO–Angle Lake.
  • No trains will operate between Capitol Hill and SODO Stations.
  • Westlake, University Street, Pioneer Square, International District/Chinatown, and Stadium stations will be closed.
  • Free shuttle buses will serve all stations between Capitol Hill and SODO stations every 10 minutes.
  • Riders have many transit options available on surface streets, including routes 7, 36, 48, 49, 70, 101, 102, 106, 124, and the First Hill Streetcar.

Map of bus bridge stop while Sound Transit construction is underway.

Phase Two: Aug. 14-16:

  • Trains will share one track at Westlake, University Street, International District/Chinatown, and Stadium stations.
  • All trains from Northgate and Angle Lake will terminate at Pioneer Square Station. 1 Line passengers traveling through Pioneer Square will transfer to the opposite platform and should expect a wait of 11-12 minutes to make the connection.
Map of the alternate routes serving 1 Line Stations.
Detailed map of the many alternative transit options serving 1 Line stations.

Phase Three: Aug. 17-20

  • Trains will share one track at Westlake, University Street, International District/Chinatown and Stadium stations. All trains from Northgate and Angle Lake will end at Pioneer Square.
  • All passengers traveling through Pioneer Square will need to transfer to the opposite platform and should expect a wait of 11-12 minutes to make the connection.
Map of the alternate routes serving 1 Line Stations.
Map showing all transit lines serving 1 Line stations.

Before traveling, riders are encouraged to:

  • Not yet a subscriber? See the most recent alerts for your route.
  • Real-time information on the road
  • Use Text for Departures by texting your bus stop number to 62550. You will receive a text with the next departure times and/or canceled trips at that stop.
  • Use the Next Departures tool on Metro’s Trip Planner to see what trips are operating at your bus stop.
  • On X, (formerly known as Twitter), follow @KingCountyMetro for general information.
  • Call Metro’s customer service office, which is open on weekdays from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., at 206-553-3000.