Mass Transit in Seattle#

The Seattle region operates one of the most extensive public transit networks on the West Coast, with light rail, buses, commuter rail, streetcars, ferries, and water taxis serving three counties. This guide covers the current system, its history, how it’s funded and planned, and where to find data.

Current system#

Link light rail#

Link light rail is the backbone of the region’s transit system, operated by Sound Transit. As of early 2026, the system has three lines (1 Line, 2 Line, T Line), 48 stations, and approximately 55 miles of track. Link is the 4th-highest ridership light rail system in the United States, carrying 30.8 million passengers in 2024. See the Link Light Rail guide for detailed coverage of the system, infrastructure, and future expansion plans.

King County Metro buses#

King County Metro is the primary bus operator within Seattle and King County, and the 8th-largest transit bus agency in the United States. Metro operates 143 fixed routes using approximately 1,400 vehicles, including diesel-electric hybrids, electric trolleybuses (the 2nd-largest trolleybus system in the U.S.), and a growing battery-electric fleet. Metro carried 88.9 million passengers in 2024. (King County Metro)

RapidRide#

RapidRide is Metro’s bus rapid transit (BRT) network, featuring frequent all-day service (every 6-15 minutes), branded stations, off-board payment, and transit signal priority. Eight lines currently operate:

The RapidRide E Line on Aurora Avenue is the highest-ridership bus route in the region. The G Line, which opened September 2024, is Seattle’s first true BRT line with dedicated transit lanes on Madison Street and is the most productive route in the system at 48.4 riders per revenue hour. (King County Metro Blog)

Four more lines are planned: I Line (Renton-Kent-Auburn, 2027), J Line (downtown Seattle-Eastlake-U District, 2027), K Line (Totem Lake-Bellevue-Eastgate, 2030), and R Line (downtown Seattle-Rainier Beach, 2031). (King County Metro RapidRide)

Sounder commuter rail#

Sounder is Sound Transit’s commuter rail service running on BNSF Railway tracks. The system carried 1.92 million passengers in 2024.

S Line (Seattle – Lakewood): The workhorse of the system, carrying 99% of all Sounder ridership. Nine stations connect King Street Station in Pioneer Square to Lakewood via Tukwila, Kent, Auburn, Sumner, Puyallup, Tacoma Dome, and South Tacoma. Service runs weekdays during peak commute hours with 13 daily round-trips. Special event service operates for Seahawks, Sounders FC, and Mariners games. (Sound Transit S Line)

N Line (Seattle – Everett): Four daily round-trips connecting King Street Station to Everett via Edmonds and Mukilteo. Service doubled in fall 2024 to coincide with the Lynnwood Link light rail opening. (The Urbanist)

Seattle Streetcar#

The Seattle Streetcar consists of two disconnected lines owned by SDOT and operated by King County Metro. Combined ridership reached 1.49 million passengers in 2024, recovering to 80% of pre-pandemic levels.

First Hill Line (opened 2016): 2.5 miles connecting Pioneer Square through the International District, First Hill, and Capitol Hill on Broadway. Carries the bulk of streetcar ridership (1.27 million in 2024) and is the more productive of the two lines at 52 riders per revenue hour. The First Hill line was built as mitigation after Sound Transit decided not to build a light rail station on First Hill. (The Urbanist)

South Lake Union Line (opened 2007): 1.3 miles connecting Westlake Hub to Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center via Westlake Avenue, Seattle’s first modern streetcar line. Ridership has declined significantly since its 2013 peak and the line faces a potential eight-year shutdown when Ballard Link Extension construction closes a section of Westlake Avenue for station construction at Westlake and Denny Way, expected to begin toward the end of the decade. (The Urbanist)

A planned Center City Connector (later renamed Culture Connector) would have linked the two lines along 1st Avenue through downtown, but the project was halted by Mayor Durkan in 2018 due to cost overruns and is effectively dead as of 2026. (SDOT Culture Connector)

Washington State Ferries#

Washington State Ferries (WSF) is the largest ferry system in the United States. Two automobile ferry routes serve Seattle from Colman Dock on the downtown waterfront:

• Seattle – Bainbridge Island (35 minutes): The busiest route in the system with 5.2 million riders in 2025
• Seattle – Bremerton (60 minutes): Saw 31.9% ridership growth in 2025 after two-boat service was restored

System-wide ridership reached 20.1 million passengers in 2025, the strongest total since pre-pandemic 2019. WSF is undergoing a $3.98 billion electrification program to convert diesel vessels to hybrid-electric power and build 16 new hybrid vessels over 17 years. The ferry Wenatchee returned to service in mid-2025 as North America’s largest hybrid-electric passenger vessel. (WSDOT)

King County Water Taxi#

The King County Water Taxi, operated by King County Metro, serves two routes from Pier 50 in downtown Seattle:

• West Seattle (Seacrest Park): 10-15 minute crossing; carried over 178,000 passengers in summer 2025, the busiest summer since 2019
• Vashon Island: Launched midday service in July 2024 (the first-ever midday sailings), resulting in a 55% ridership increase; Saturday service pilot began October 2025

(King County Metro Blog)

Kitsap Fast Ferries#

Kitsap Fast Ferries, operated by Kitsap Transit, provide high-speed passenger-only service from three Kitsap Peninsula communities to downtown Seattle’s Pier 50. The catamarans travel at roughly twice the speed of Washington State Ferries car ferries, making them a competitive commute option.

Kitsap Fast Ferries carried a record 854,529 passengers in 2024, an 11% increase over 2023. Including Kitsap Transit’s local foot ferries (Bremerton–Port Orchard and Annapolis), the system carried 1.22 million total passengers in 2024. The Bremerton route – the busiest – saw ridership 68% higher than in 2022 after service expanded to 40 weekday sailings in December 2022. System-wide reliability was 99% and on-time performance was 97% in 2024. (Kitsap Daily News)

Fares (as of October 2025): $2 eastbound (Kitsap to Seattle), $13 westbound (Seattle to Kitsap). Monthly passes are available for $210 ($105 reduced). ORCA cards are accepted, though PugetPass and transfers are no longer valid on fast ferries as of October 2025. (Kitsap Transit Fares)

Terminal expansion: The current Pier 50 terminal can only accommodate two vessels at a time, limiting peak-hour capacity. Kitsap Transit has selected Pier 48 as the preferred site for a new Seattle terminal with capacity for four vessels and electric vessel charging infrastructure. An environmental impact statement is underway with a target completion of mid-2027. (The Urbanist)

Seattle Center Monorail#

The Seattle Center Monorail is a 0.9-mile elevated line running along 5th Avenue between Westlake Center in downtown Seattle and Seattle Center (home of the Space Needle and Climate Pledge Arena). Built in just eight months for the 1962 World’s Fair, the monorail is one of Seattle’s most iconic transit links and a city-designated historic landmark since 2003. (Seattle Monorail)

The system retains its original two Alweg trains – the Blue Train and Red Train – each carrying up to 450 passengers on a 2-minute ride. The monorail carried approximately 2.16 million passengers in 2024, averaging 5,157 weekday riders and 7,885 weekend riders, boosted by Climate Pledge Arena events where tickets include free transit.

Operator and funding: Unlike every other transit service in the region, the monorail operates at a profit with no taxpayer operating subsidy. A private contractor, Seattle Monorail Services, has operated the system since 1994. Revenue comes entirely from fares and federal capital grants.

Fares: $4 adults, $2 youth/seniors/reduced fare. The monorail began accepting ORCA cards in 2019 and youth ride free. As of January 2026, ORCA E-purse riders no longer receive free transfers, though PugetPass and Regional Day Pass holders are unaffected. (Seattle Monorail ORCA Policy)

Failed expansion: In 1997, Seattle voters approved Initiative 41, calling for a citywide monorail network. Voters reaffirmed support in three more elections (2000, 2002, 2004), creating the Seattle Monorail Project to build a 14-mile “Green Line” from Ballard to West Seattle. But the project’s financing plan revealed that interest charges would push the total cost of the $2.1 billion project to over $11 billion. In November 2005, voters rejected the project by a 64.5-35.5% margin. (HistoryLink: Initiative 41 | HistoryLink: 2005 Defeat)

Regional bus agencies#

Sound Transit Express (ST Express): Regional express bus service connecting major urban centers across three counties. Major changes are planned for fall 2026, including eliminating Route 550 (Seattle-Bellevue) after the 2 Line replaces it, and adding three new overnight routes. (Sound Transit 2026 Service Plan)

Stride BRT: Sound Transit’s upcoming bus rapid transit network with three lines (S1, S2, S3) using battery-electric buses on I-405 and SR-522 corridors, scheduled to open 2028-2029. (Sound Transit Stride)

Community Transit: Serves Snohomish County with local buses and three Swift BRT lines. Restructured its entire network in September 2024 to feed Lynnwood Link light rail stations instead of running express buses to downtown Seattle.

Pierce Transit: Serves Tacoma and Pierce County. Launched the Stream Community Line in 2024, a limited-stop service between Spanaway and Tacoma Dome Station.

Amtrak intercity rail#

Two Amtrak routes serve Seattle from King Street Station in Pioneer Square, providing intercity connections north to Vancouver, BC, south to Portland and Eugene, and along the entire West Coast to Los Angeles.

Amtrak Cascades operates the Pacific Northwest corridor between Vancouver, BC, and Eugene, OR, with 18 station stops. Service through Seattle includes six daily round-trips to Portland (3.5 hours) and two daily round-trips to Vancouver, BC (roughly 4 hours). Washington stations include Bellingham, Mount Vernon, Stanwood, Everett, Edmonds, Seattle, Tukwila, Tacoma, Olympia-Lacey, Centralia, Kelso-Longview, and Vancouver, WA. Cascades set a ridership record of approximately 941,000 passengers in 2024, a 41% increase from 2023, driven by the December 2023 expansion from four to six daily Seattle–Portland round-trips. Youth 18 and under ride free on trips within Washington, a first-of-its-kind program launched in May 2024. The service is funded by the states of Washington (WSDOT) and Oregon (ODOT), not by Amtrak’s national network. (WSDOT Amtrak Cascades Performance Report | The Urbanist)

On-time performance remains a challenge: only 48% of Cascades trains arrived within the 10-minute on-time window in 2024, largely due to freight rail conflicts on BNSF-owned tracks. In 2025, Washington enacted HB 1837, which sets 2035 targets of 14 daily Seattle–Portland round-trips (more than double current service), 5 daily Seattle–Vancouver round-trips, 88% on-time performance, and reduced travel times of 2.5 hours to Portland and 2.75 hours to Vancouver. New Amtrak Airo trainsets are expected to enter Cascades service beginning in 2026. (The Urbanist)

Amtrak Coast Starlight runs daily between Seattle and Los Angeles (1,377 miles, approximately 35 hours), with stops at Tacoma, Olympia-Lacey, Centralia, Kelso-Longview, Vancouver WA, Portland, Salem, Eugene, and points south through California. The Coast Starlight carried 359,432 passengers in fiscal year 2024, a 6.3% increase from the prior year. On-time performance averaged 63.4% in the 12 months ending November 2025. (Axios Seattle)

FRS Clipper (Victoria ferry)#

FRS Clipper (formerly Victoria Clipper) operates the only high-speed passenger ferry between downtown Seattle and downtown Victoria, BC. The service departs from the Seattle Clipper Terminal at Pier 69 (2701 Alaskan Way) and arrives at Victoria’s Inner Harbour, with a crossing time of approximately 2 hours and 45 minutes.

The company launched in 1986 as Clipper Navigation and has carried over 8 million passengers since inception. In 2016, it was acquired by German ferry operator Förde Reederei Seetouristik (FRS) and rebranded as FRS Clipper. The current primary vessel, MV Victoria Clipper V, carries up to 525 passengers. Service operates year-round with one daily round-trip (two in peak summer), excluding a winter dry-dock period (typically January–early March). (FRS Clipper)

FRS Clipper is a private, unsubsidized service – not part of the regional transit network. ORCA cards are not accepted; fares start at approximately $126 one-way (2026 pricing). The service is primarily used for tourism and day trips rather than daily commuting.

Regional transit timeline#

This timeline tracks openings and notable expansions of transit modes beyond Link light rail. For Link milestones, see the Link Light Rail guide.

1962: Seattle Center Monorail opens#

The Seattle Center Monorail opened for the 1962 World’s Fair, running 0.9 miles between Westlake Center and Seattle Center along 5th Avenue. Built in eight months, it was intended as the start of a citywide system. The monorail is now a city-designated historic landmark (since 2003) and carried approximately 2.16 million passengers in 2024. (Seattle Monorail)

1999: ST Express bus service launches#

On September 19, 1999, Sound Transit launched its first service: nine ST Express regional bus routes with 114 buses serving three counties. The 550 (Seattle–Bellevue) and 590/595 (Seattle–Tacoma) routes, transferred from local agencies, were already operating. ST Express carried approximately 4.1 million riders in its first full year. (Sound Transit)

2000: Sounder S Line begins service#

Sounder commuter rail launched in September 2000, connecting Seattle’s King Street Station to Tacoma on BNSF Railway tracks. The S Line would grow to become the workhorse of the system, carrying 99% of all Sounder ridership by 2024 with nine stations and 13 daily weekday round-trips. (Sound Transit)

2003: Tacoma Link and Sounder N Line open#

Tacoma Link (now the T Line) opened in 2003 as Sound Transit’s first rail service, running a free streetcar-style line in downtown Tacoma. The Sounder N Line launched on December 22, connecting Seattle to Everett via Edmonds and Mukilteo. (Sound Transit)

2007: South Lake Union Streetcar opens#

Seattle’s first modern streetcar line began operating in December 2007, running 1.3 miles through the rapidly developing South Lake Union neighborhood. It was Seattle’s first streetcar service since 1941. (HistoryLink)

2009: ORCA fare system launches#

The regional ORCA (One Regional Card for All) fare payment system launched alongside Link light rail, unifying fare collection across seven transit agencies. (Sound Transit)

2009-2014: Bus rapid transit launches#

Washington state’s first BRT line, Community Transit’s Swift Blue Line, opened in November 2009 along SR-99 between Everett and Aurora Village. King County Metro followed with its RapidRide network:

The RapidRide E Line on Aurora Avenue became the highest-ridership bus route in the region. (King County Metro RapidRide)

2016: First Hill Streetcar opens#

The First Hill Streetcar opened in January 2016, Seattle’s second modern streetcar line connecting Capitol Hill, First Hill, and the International District. The 2.5-mile line was built as mitigation after Sound Transit eliminated a planned First Hill light rail station. (HistoryLink)

2019: Swift Green Line#

Community Transit opened the Swift Green Line in March 2019, its second BRT line connecting Seaway Transit Center to Canyon Park along SR-527. (Community Transit)

2022-2023: System modernization#

• May 2022: The next-generation ORCA fare system launched, replacing 2009-era infrastructure with real-time account management, a mobile app, and new card readers. (The Urbanist)
• 2023: RapidRide H Line (Downtown Seattle – Burien via Delridge) opened, the seventh RapidRide line

2024: Expansion across modes#

• March: Community Transit’s Swift Orange Line opened, its third BRT line connecting Edmonds College, Alderwood Mall, and Lynnwood Link light rail
• April: Pierce Transit launched the Stream Community Line, a limited-stop BRT-like service between Tacoma Dome Station and Spanaway. (The Urbanist)
• September: RapidRide G Line opened on Madison Street, Seattle’s first true BRT with dedicated transit lanes and the most productive route in the system at 48.4 riders per revenue hour. (King County Metro Blog)
• Fall: Sounder N Line doubled service to four daily round-trips to coincide with Lynnwood Link. Amtrak Cascades expanded to six daily Seattle–Portland round-trips. (The Urbanist)

Future expansion#

For details on Sound Transit’s ST3 Link light rail extensions (West Seattle, Ballard, Tacoma Dome, Everett), see the Link Light Rail guide.

Sound Transit’s Stride BRT network will add three lines using battery-electric buses on I-405 and SR-522 corridors, scheduled to open 2028-2029.

Four additional RapidRide BRT lines are planned: I Line (Renton-Kent-Auburn, 2027), J Line (downtown Seattle-Eastlake-U District, 2027), K Line (Totem Lake-Bellevue-Eastgate, 2030), and R Line (downtown Seattle-Rainier Beach, 2031). (King County Metro RapidRide)

How the region funds and plans transit#

Sound Transit#

Sound Transit’s capital program is funded through three voter-approved tax packages (ST1, ST2, ST3) totaling over $71 billion in authorized spending, funded by sales tax, motor vehicle excise tax, and property tax. For details, see the Link Light Rail guide. (Sound Transit Funding)

King County Metro funding#

Metro is funded primarily by a 0.9% sales tax within King County, plus property tax, state and federal grants, and fares (which account for only about 8% of total revenue). Metro’s 2026-2027 budget totals $4 billion and adds over 400,000 new service hours. Post-pandemic federal relief funds (~$1 billion) have helped maintain financial stability. (King County Metro Blog)

Seattle Transit Measure#

Seattle voters approved the Seattle Transit Measure (STM) in 2020, a 6-year measure funded by a 0.15% sales tax generating over $50 million annually. It funds 8% of Metro’s bus service in Seattle, streetcar operations, and transportation access programs like ORCA Opportunity (free transit passes for qualifying residents). The STM expires in April 2027 and is expected to go before voters for renewal in 2026.

Federal grants#

Federal grants have been critical for major projects. Recent awards include $79.7 million for RapidRide I Line, $64.2 million for RapidRide J Line, and $59.9 million for RapidRide G Line.

Key planning documents#

• Seattle Transportation Plan (adopted 2024): 20-year unified multimodal plan replacing separate walking, biking, transit, and freight plans
• Metro Connects: King County Metro’s 30-year vision for 70% more service by 2050
• Sound Transit System Expansion: Capital program delivering voter-approved ST1, ST2, and ST3 projects

ORCA fare system#

ORCA (One Regional Card for All) is the unified fare payment smart card for the Puget Sound region, accepted across 8 transit agencies: King County Metro, Sound Transit, Community Transit, Everett Transit, Pierce Transit, Kitsap Transit, Washington State Ferries, and the Seattle Center Monorail. A next-generation system launched in 2022, and Google Wallet support was added in 2024. Contactless credit/debit card tap-to-pay began trials on RapidRide G in February 2026.

Current fares (as of September 2025):

ORCA LIFT provides a $1.00 reduced fare for riders with household income at or below 200% of the Federal Poverty Level. Free youth transit (18 and under) is statewide, funded through the 2022 Move Ahead Washington package.

Bus network restructures#

As Link light rail expands, King County Metro and other agencies restructure bus networks to feed new stations instead of duplicating rail service. This is one of the most significant ongoing changes to the transit system:

• Lynnwood Link Connections (2024-2026): Routes redesigned to feed Lynnwood, Mountlake Terrace, and Shoreline stations. Community Transit eliminated nearly all downtown Seattle express service.
• East Link Connections (2025-2026): 8 new routes, 16 revised routes, and 20 routes deleted/replaced to connect with 2 Line stations. ST Express Route 550 (Seattle-Bellevue) will be eliminated when the full 2 Line opens in March 2026.
• South Link Connections (2025-2026): Restructure to serve Federal Way Link stations, including 3 new routes and 13 routes removed.

These restructures create tension between frequency (running fewer routes more often) and coverage (serving more areas less frequently), a perennial debate in transit planning. (King County Metro East Link Connections)

Advocacy organizations#

• Transit Riders Union: Independent, member-run union organizing for better public transit. Won the ORCA LIFT low-income fare program and campaigns for service improvements and affordability.
• Transportation Choices Coalition: Statewide policy and advocacy nonprofit that led the coalition winning voter approval for ST3’s $54 billion transit investment.
• Cascade Bicycle Club: Advocates for bike infrastructure as first/last-mile connections to transit; member of the MASS Coalition (Move All Seattle Sustainably).

Data sources#

• Sound Transit Ridership Tracker: Interactive dashboard with Link, Sounder, and ST Express ridership trends
• King County Metro Data and Reports: Performance reports, ridership data, and route-level statistics
• Seattle Open Data Portal: Transportation datasets including transit ridership
• ORCA Ridership Reports: Regional ridership across all ORCA-participating agencies
• WSDOT Ferry Ridership Data: Route-level ferry ridership and performance
• Kitsap Transit Ferry Performance Indicators: Route-level fast ferry ridership, reliability, and on-time data
• WSDOT Amtrak Cascades Reports: Annual ridership, on-time performance, and revenue data for Cascades service

Key statistics#

Sources: Sound Transit Ridership Tracker | King County Metro Data | WSDOT Ferry Ridership

Related resources#

• Link Light Rail – Link system details, infrastructure, future expansion, and Sound Transit funding
• Bike Network – Protected bike lanes, neighborhood greenways, and trails connecting to transit
• Micro Mobility – E-scooters, bike share, and first/last-mile transit connections
• Transportation Glossary – Terms like “RapidRide,” “TOD,” “ST3,” and “mode share”
• Sound Transit System Expansion – Official project tracker for all voter-approved expansion projects

Last updated: February 2026