I'm giving this five stars just because it can get you from the airport to downtown for just $3 one way! Waaaaay more affordable than Uber or Lyft which can be $50-$80, depending on the time of day, etc. While it takes longer, it's not THAT long, and if you time it right, you have a chill ride with money saved for lunch/dinner/shopping, etc. The train itself was clean and it automatically announces which station you're at and which is the next stop - great for anyone nervous about where you are - and there's plenty of signage showing the stops. The only thing about this particular station is that it was a little hard to find because it doesn't appear to be a train station at first, quick glance. It's on University and 2nd - look at the surrounding buildings and you'll see the subway looking tiles and where to go. read more

See all

Within walking distance of Pike's Market in Seattle, the Symphony Station stop on the 1 Line Light Rail is part of the Downtown Seattle Transit Tunnel, about 60 to 70 feet below ground. It is named such being next door to Benaroya Hall, the home of the Seattle Symphony. The entrances to the subway system in downtown Seattle are (unintentionally?) hidden. Google will get you to the right corner, but the entrance/exit is specifically in one place. In this case, it's the SouthWest corner of the building, so had to walk around until I found signs for it...even then, it's just not as easy to find as other stations in more transit-intensive cities. You need to choose which train you want to take, before going down the appropriate set of stairs. Once on the platform, one would notice the extreme amount of space between the tracks going in opposite direction, and the lack of height from the platform and the tracks. The gap between the tracks is wide enough to handle 3 or more lanes of cars...so I wondered "That's a lot of work to dig just to allow repair vehicles to come down". Later I learned the history behind it. The Downtown Seattle Transit Tunnel was initially built (dug) to handle transit buses, serving that purpose from 1990 to 2005, and then shared by light rail and buses from 2005 to 2019. During that time, it was one of only two tunnels shared by both buses and trains in the U.S. Now it is just for Light Rail, with the large bus lanes being a remnant of the past. read more

See all

You can't get much of a better station if you want to attend the Seattle Symphony which is right upstairs. It's a bit mazelike trying to figure out which way to go - the elevator? the ramp? the stair? up? down? but any way you choose you will still be just a few steps from the Symphony and just a couple of blocks from everything else major in downtown. I used to take this station to go to work downtown as for whatever reason it seemed like the cleanest and safest to me at the time. And I enjoyed the walk from here to other parts of the city. read more

This was our go to station. We stayed at the Hilton Seattle which is just a couple blocks away from the station. We took the Link to and from the airport, and while site seeing in the city. Escalators down from the street were off line and blocked so it made going down with suite cases a bit of a hassell. Overall it was great to have this location close by and recommend the Link for transportation not only to and from the airport, but around the city as well. read more

See all

Normally, whenever I fly into SeaTac and have some free time, I'll hop on the Link light rail for a ride into downtown Seattle. I would get off at this station and head over to Ivar's at the waterfront for some fish & chips. Currently, it costs $3 to get here from the airport, just remember to tap when you exit the station or it'll be the full $3.50. read more

Symphony Station - Train Stations Near Me - Seattle, Washington

The train takes you straight from the airport to the city. I paid $6 for a round trip. One way is $3.50 or $3 I think. This is a lot cheaper than the train in Denver that does the same thing! Very convenient as you don't have to deal with traffic. Also lots of staff present! So it feels very safe. It makes many stops and this stop is right by pike street market place! read more

Symphony Station - Train Stations Near Me - Seattle, Washington

See all

The original campus of UW was in downtown Seattle where the Fairmont Olympic Hotel currently is, hence the name "University Street". In 1895, the UW campus moved out of downtown to its current site north of Portage Bay. The station's platform is underground below Benaroya Hall and the 1201 3rd Avenue building (formerly the Washington Mutual Bldg). This station is in the financial district. It's where you'll see a bunch of suit and tie folks. Either they're working for a financial institution or going somewhere for an interview lol My favorite commissioned art at this location is "The Northern Lights" on the north mezzanine level. I like this art piece because it's interactive. Stand in front of the 24 light sticks and move your head side to side and you'll see objects relating to finance and transportation. I used to get off at this station to get to Target on 2nd Ave or Fran's on 1st Ave. It's the closest station to the Seattle Public Library (stunning architecture by the way) and the Seattle Art Museum. You can also walk down to the waterfront via the Harbor Steps. I haven't been to this station in a while but I heard some restaurants and shops had closed down and some bus stops shifted due to safety concerns. It's not as bad as Pioneer Square Station but still be mindful of your surroundings. read more

It's a Link light rail station. The usual. The entrance is very difficult to find via Google Maps, and you'll probably end up circling a few buildings trying to find one of the ways underground. (I eventually found a long hallway under Benaroya Hall, facing 2nd Ave.) Here's something interesting: Hey Seattle folks, have you ever noticed that the University Street Station actually has a hidden art installation on the 2nd floor walkway (before you go downstairs to the Link light rail platform)? If you're like me, you usually run past these flickering green and red lights without a second thought. But if you stop and take a second to watch the flickering lights, your eyes will start seeing all sorts of shapes (like octopus, sailboats, horses...) It's a cool optical illusion that can't be captured on camera or video! Check it out the next time you're downtown! (Look in my photo to see the wall I'm talking about.) read more

Symphony Station - A hidden art installation! Watch the flickering lights, and your eyes will start seeing shapes like octopus, sailboats, horses... - Train Stations Near Me - Seattle, Washington

I'm impressed not just with the incredible cleanliness of this underground metro station, but also the pedestrian walkway that leads from Second Avenue. This little stretch of underground tunnel saved me from having to climb up the hill to then descend into the station. Awesome. The station is bright and clean. It is fully handicapped-accessible and because it is one of the Link's underground stations, there is a free wifi hotspot here. The station is between Westlake to the North and Pioneer Square to the south. It has the usual automated ticket vending machines and ORCA swipe machines. read more

See all

Besides being a busy train station with a link to buses we can get out Orca train rail pass here. Outside are rocks & seats. Touching poems and names are listed on the Garden of Remembrance. read more

See all

This station along with Westlake Station are the primary tunnel stations for the Downtown Seattle business district. Whereas Westlake has a mix of business people, students and tourists, this location draws primarily business folk and artgoers. The station is underneath Benaroya Hall and across the street from Seattle Art Museum and the Triple Door. The southend of Pike Place Market is nearby as well as the Central Library. Very convenient location. If you are coming from a sorthbound bus on 3rd Avenue, this would be a better station to use as it doesn't require you to cross the street like you do to get to Westlake Station by getting off at Pine Street. This station is quieter compared to Westlake. Though the advantage of getting on at Westlake is being to able to get on at the beginning of the route as that is where the Central Link train to SeaTac Airport starts and one of the first stops for buses headed south and east. Though if having second priority works fine for you, University Street Station is good if you prefer a less hectic place to wait for your bus or train. read more

It is a tunnel station. The stairs and elevators can get confusing at this station. But I think this is the cleanest tunnel station out of Pioneer Square, Chinatown, and Westlake. I don't use this station often. However, on busy days like game days, I came here or even Chinatown to avoid the huge crowd at Westlake. It is pretty common for passengers who cannot get on the bus because the bus gets too crowded by the time it arrives at Westlake. read more

This is a great stop in the heart of the financial/business district of downtown Seattle. The location is key for this particular one, as it's conveniently located by many office buildings and attractions, including the 5th Ave Theatre, Benaroya Hall, Seattle Art Museum, etc... I also find that it's walking distance to Westlake and Pike Place Market (although you can access those two attractions at the Westlake Station). Unlike some of the bus stops around town, University Street Station tends to always be clean and have less people. It mainly seems to be business folk that use this station. And once you make it up the flight of stairs on the ground level there is a flashing sequence of lights on the wall where usually on weekday mornings a violinist is playing! Dig it! Personally, I like this stop and am so glad this gets me just two blocks away to my office from the 550 (downtown Bellevue) bus. read more

Gayle and I had returned from Victoria (on the Clipper) and we were enjoying some adult beverages at Pike Brewing Company. Even though we had plenty of time, Gayle was worried about walking too far to the nearest Light Rail Station. We had come initially arrived in Seattle via the Westlake Station and really didn't know the lay of the Downtown land. As it turned out, the University Street Station was closer and without as much climb. We entered through the Transit Tunnel and before we knew it we had purchased our ticket and were patiently waiting for our Light Rail train to arrive. The Station itself is bright, clean, safe, and convenient. My only question is whether anyone from Sound Transit ever checks tickets? read more

This is the station that I usually use to transfer to my next bus during my commute. The station is always very clean, and there are security guards always present which is helpful for those times when you are in the tunnel earl y in the morning or late at night. Just be sure to read the signs carefully to find the correct platform. read more

This is a big station! As in the width of it. It is much cleaner and it's much more safer than the NYC stations that I'm used to. You don't have to climb over a 5 foot wall if you happen to fall. read more

Symphony Station - Train Stations Near Me - Seattle, Washington

Efficient, clean and easy to navigate station with King County wifi. If you don't have a pass, be sure to purchase tickets on the mezzanine level before going down to the tunnel. A coordinator(?) is usually in the tunnel in case of unexpected event such as a Link stoppage or bus reroute. I like the convenience of this station downtown because of its proximity to shopping, flowers at the waterfront, the public library and people's offices. --frequent rider read more

A great place to get out of the rain or sun and catch a ride! The station is kept fairly clean and is highly accessible. For those with Orca cards: If you're taking a bus tap on the bus and if you're taking the train, tap in the station at the little yellow posts with readers. They are clearly labeled. read more

2 1/2 Stars (rounded up) The employees/security here were both nice. The station itself looks good, is clean, and like I mentioned in my review of the light rail.....provides a convenient service (and is conveniently located downtown - close to Pike Place and the hotel I was staying at). Only problem was that I couldn't find any goddamn escalators that went downstairs to the platform. Guess either I was out of it or they expect people w/ suitcases to just use the elevator. read more

This is a beautiful station. A lot of the buses go through here as well as the train. I was able to wait with my mother while she was in town for her to catch the train to Seatac and just walk over the rails to get to my bus stop. It's very clean and convenient. The only reason it doesn't get 5 stars and probably the reason I really wrote this review was to warn people that it's not super obvious from the street where the entrance to the station is. We had to ask some police officers how to get down to it. There is a small sign at the corner of University & 3rd pointing to get inside the near building in order to go down to the station. If i wasn't positive it was at that corner it might have taken a bit longer to find it. read more

I've been doing business trips to Seattle for over four years and am glad to see the light rail. Previously I would take the Greyline into downtown, but the Light Rails is more convenient and economical. $2.50 one way gets me from Seattle International Airport to downtown Seattle in 30 minutes. Not to mention the University station is only 1.5 blocks from my hotel. read more

Here's a confession: sometimes I get off at University Street instead of Westlake or Pioneer Square when I'm riding the light rail. Pioneer Square station is fairly sketchy (particularly in the evening), and Westlake can get mobbed with crowds. University Street is conveniently located right between these two stations, and is a perfectly good alternative. It's served by all the same buses, and, of course, the light rail. The station is sufficiently spacious and well-lit. It's also very close to several stores, restaurants, large apartment complexes, the library, and Benaroya Hall. Definitely a very functional station! read more

Great place to catch the bus or light rail! Also a great place to fill your Orca Card and or get a light rail ticket. Has awesome free Tunnel WiFi which is a plus in case you need to take a call or keep in touch with someone and or sit down on there benches read more

This is by far the cleanest and best kept bus station in downtown Seattle. I commute through here every day for work so it isn't confusing for me anymore but this station can get disorienting for people who don't use it often. I usually take the stairs up to get a workout but if you're arriving before 6:30 am I'd watch your step as there can sometimes be vomit in the stairwell. read more