Link 1 Line in Downtown Seattle reduced to “shuttle train” April 14-23

Riders transfer between trains via a temporary center platform built at Pioneer Square Station for Connect 2020 (Sound Transit). Permanent center platforms would vastly improve rider experience.

As expected, Line 1 Line service through Downtown Seattle will be severely disrupted starting Monday as crews work to replace a cracked rail between International District/Chinatown Station and Pioneer Square Station. This work will require closure of the southbound tunnel between Westlake and Stadium Stations for 10 days.

Previously, Sound Transit has handled single-tunnel closures like this by splitting the 1 Line in two and reducing service along the whole line. This time, the agency is trying an alternate service plan" which involves operating a shuttle train (instead of the typical shuttle buses used during full tunnel closures) through Downtown Seattle. Meanwhile, Link 1 Line trains will operate every 12 minutes north of Westlake and south of Stadium when it would normally operate at 8-10 minute frequencies during the day.

The shuttle train will run every 25-30 minutes between Westlake and Stadium stations.

This diagram will be posted in stations and on trains to notify riders of shuttle trains operations (Sound Transit).

Although no shuttle bus will run during the disruption, Sound Transit is partnering with King County Metro to provide a circulator bus to handle crowds during peak evening hours. Sound Transit told the Blog the bus will run from about 2:30pm to 6:45pm through downtown, serving the Downtown Seattle stations from SODO to Westlake as shown on the map below.

Notably, the circulator bus will serve the SODO stop as well as Stadium and the Downtown Seattle stations, and the southbound stop near Stadium station is on the far side of Metro's operator parking garage. Riders hoping to use the circulator bus to connect to the 1 Line south of Downtown may want to stay on the bus and transfer at SODO station instead of hiking around Metro's parking garage.

Meanwhile, Sound Transit is strongly suggesting riders consider using other King County Metro and Community Transit services to get to their destinations during this time of reduced service. The agency provided this summary graphic of bus routes serving two or more Link 1 Line stations:

Alternative transit service along the 1 Line (Sound Transit)

Riders headed to events at the stadiums from north of Downtown may want to consider transferring to a bus in Downtown, such as King County Metro's Routes 101, 102, 124, or 150, or Sound Transit's ST Express routes 590, 594, or 595, instead of using the circulator.

A spokesperson for Sound Transit also told the Blog that signage will be posted at stations telling riders about the forced transfers and the signs will recommend passengers switch to local bus service to avoid long wait times. The destination signs on the trains, which normally indicate Lynnwood City Center" or Angle Lake", will update to indicate the true terminal destinations of Stadium and Westlake while the shuttle train is running. Unfortunately, they could not promise that real-time arrival will be working correctly but said their teams are working hard to configure the system to provide accurate arrival times during the disruption.

Sound Transit's recent blog post provides some background on the project. This is not first time the agency has replaced rail in the former downtown transit tunnel, which it took over in 2022. Regardless, the agency says riders should expect a faster, smoother rider from Pioneer Square to the International District once the work is completed. The rail replacement is not the only work the agency is planning to get done during the disruption; a spokesperson said they'll be working on a number of projects. Crews will install bird mitigation" features, test electrical transformers, clean storm/sewer drains, inspection fiber cables, and complete other maintenance work made easier by the closure.

This won't be the last tunnel shutdown this year. Sound Transit still needs to complete a batch of electrical tie-in work to finish the upcoming 2 Line connection to Seattle. That work is tentatively scheduled for late May.