Sounder train will make weekend trips for Seahawks games

The Seahawks 2019 season is coming up fast. That means that CenturyLink Field will be full of screaming fans—but it also means that Pioneer Square, Sodo, and the surrounding area will be full of cars. It’s a pain to navigate, but many 12s out in the ‘burbs might have few other options.

But if your suburb is served by the Sounder train, you have an alternative for many at-home Hawks games, including the big season opener at the Bengals on September 8.

The Sounder train will start running before and after select weekend Seahawks games so folks in Everett, Lakewood, Tacoma, anyone else on the route don’t have to get behind the wheel to get into the stands. The Sounder’s Seattle stop at King Street Station is right next to Centurylink—even closer than most could find parking. Some entrances to the train stops even border the Centurylink parking lot.

Rail bypasses car traffic, and may even mean getting home a little sooner. At the very least, it means not weaving back out of the pedestrian traffic afterwards—and no need for a designated driver.

Normally, the Sounder only runs during commute times to and from downtown Seattle on weekdays. These occasional weekend trips, like the special trips for Mariners and Sounders games, are in addition to those regular weekday trips.

In addition to the season opener, the train will run September 22 for the 1:25 game at the New Orleans Saints and October 20 for the 1:25 game versus the Baltimore Ravens.

For the opener, which kicks off at 1:05, trains from the south start leaving from Lakewood at 10:05 and 10:46 a.m.—or from Sumner at 10:53 a.m.—arriving at King Street Station at 11:27 a.m., 11:37 a.m., and 12:02 p.m. None of the trains are running the full route, although between the two, all stops are served: both Tacoma stops and Puyallup for the trains leaving Lakewood, and Auburn, Kent, and Tukwila for the train leaving Sumner.

Trains from Snohomish County will leave Everett at 10:20 and 10:45 a.m., stop in Mukilteo and Edmonds, and arrive at King Street Station at 11:19 and 11:44 a.m. The full schedule for both directions is on Sound Transit’s website. The Saints and Ravens games are on the same schedule.

Return southbound trains depart King Street Station 10, 20 and 45 minutes after the end of the game, and return northbound trains leave 15 and 35 minutes after.

Fare information is available on Sound Transit’s website. Standard adult fares range from $3.25 to $5.75, but it varies based on trip length, age, and other factors. Tickets can be bought in advance to avoid crowds, including on the Transit Go app.

If you live a little closer to home, the Link Light Rail will be running as usual.