{"id":510345,"date":"2026-03-02T23:02:11","date_gmt":"2026-03-02T23:02:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/510345\/"},"modified":"2026-03-02T23:02:11","modified_gmt":"2026-03-02T23:02:11","slug":"light-rail-service-increasing-during-seattles-summer-of-soccer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/510345\/","title":{"rendered":"Light rail service increasing during Seattle\u2019s \u2018Summer of Soccer\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

SEATTLE – Sound Transit is preparing for a massive influx of visitors this summer, announcing a comprehensive service plan to transport fans during the FIFA World Cup 2026<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The agency will increase light rail frequency, add special Sounder <\/a>trains, and deploy additional staff to handle the tournament crowds.<\/p>\n

The expansion comes on the heels of major regional transit milestones. Last month, ORCA announced a “tap-to-pay” feature<\/a>, allowing riders to use contactless credit or debit cards for fares.<\/p>\n

\"sound <\/p>\n

A four-car light rail vehicle (LRV) crosses the I-90 floating bridge during Crosslake livewire testing on October 8, 2025. (Sound Transit)<\/p>\n

On Mar. 28, the 2 Line will begin crossing Lake Washington to connect Redmond and Lynnwood<\/a> via downtown Seattle, and a new overnight ST Express bus route will begin operating between Seattle-Tacoma International Airport and downtown.<\/p>\n

Navigating the FIFA World Cup 2026 tournament <\/p>\n

To manage foot traffic, officials are encouraging fans to use specific stations based on their point of origin:<\/p>\n

From the North: Use Pioneer Square Station.From the South: Use Stadium Station.From the East (and ADA passengers): Use International District\/Chinatown Station. <\/p>\n

Additional security and Sound Transit personnel will be stationed throughout the system to assist passengers. Despite the extra service, officials warned that trains will likely be crowded during peak hours.<\/p>\n

\"\" <\/p>\n

SEATTLE, WASHINGTON – JUNE 15: General view inside the stadium prior to the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 group B match between Botafogo FR and Seattle Sounders FC at Lumen Field on June 15, 2025 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Alika Jenner – FIFA\/FIFA <\/p>\n

Tips for Seattle transit riders <\/p>\n

Sound Transit recommends that passengers sign up for service alerts and spread out on platforms, noting that the first and last cars of trains are often less crowded.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Fans are also encouraged to arrive at the stadium early. Gates open three hours before kickoff.<\/p>\n

Sound Transit service details by line Link Light Rail <\/p>\n

On all game days, the 1 Line and 2 Line will run trains every eight minutes throughout the day until 1 a.m. This increased frequency will result in a train arriving every four minutes within the downtown Seattle core.<\/p>\n

T Line <\/p>\n

Tacoma\u2019s T Line will maintain 12-minute frequencies on game days. Service will be extended for evening matches to ensure transfers for Sounder passengers at the Tacoma Dome Station.<\/p>\n

Sounder Service <\/p>\n

Sound Transit will add “game trains” and adjust existing schedules for the six World Cup matches. Commuters are urged to check updated timetables as regular trips may be affected.<\/p>\n

Match Day Highlights:<\/p>\n

June 15, 19, and 24 (Noon matches): Special trains depart Everett at 9:45 a.m. and Lakewood at 9:26 a.m. Return trains to Everett depart 60 minutes after the match.June 26 (8 p.m. match): Special trains depart Everett at 5:45 p.m. and Lakewood at 5:16 p.m. Return trains depart approximately 11 p.m.July 1 (1 p.m. match): Special trains depart Everett at 10:45 a.m. and Lakewood at 10:11 a.m. The return train to Everett\u00a0departs\u00a0one hour after the match,\u00a0at\u00a0approximately\u00a04 p.m.July 6 (5 p.m. match): Special trains depart Everett at 2:20 p.m. and Lakewood at 2:26 p.m. \"Seattle <\/p>\n

Seattle light rail packed on NYE <\/p>\n

Adjusting light rail maintenance\u00a0 <\/p>\n

To ensure reliability, Sound Transit is pausing all non-essential work on the 1 and 2 Lines that could cause disruptions. Specialized technicians for elevators and escalators will be on standby for rapid repairs.<\/p>\n

The agency is also partnering with neighborhood organizations in Pioneer Square and the International District to provide visitor information and encourage fans to explore local businesses.<\/p>\n

Fans can find the full schedules and tournament-specific transit details on the Soccer Tournament Soccer Tournament page.<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\" <\/p>\n

Link 2 light rail departing from Bellevue ((File \/ FOX 13))<\/p>\n

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To get the best local news, weather and sports in Seattle for free, sign up for the daily FOX Seattle Newsletter<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Download the free FOX LOCAL app for mobile in the Apple App Store<\/a> or Google Play Store<\/a> for live Seattle news, top stories, weather updates and more local and national news.<\/p>\n

Transportation<\/a>FIFA World Cup<\/a>Seattle<\/a>News<\/a> <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"SEATTLE – Sound Transit is preparing for a massive influx of visitors this summer, announcing a comprehensive service…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":510346,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[440],"tags":[49,48,21188,44,7675,561,82,1601,182,27817,13009],"class_list":["post-510345","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-soccer","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-king-county","tag-news","tag-seattle","tag-soccer","tag-sports","tag-transportation","tag-us","tag-wa","tag-world-cup"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/510345","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=510345"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/510345\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/510346"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=510345"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=510345"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=510345"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}