Seattle World Cup: What to know about riding light rail, buses, ferries

Of all the U.S. cities hosting FIFA Men's World Cup soccer matches this summer, Seattle offers the nearest mass transit, which explains why local organizers set a gooooooooooooal that 80% of the stadium crowd be nondrivers.

Although regional driving should be OK, just about any street downtown near the stadium will be gridlocked, and 20 square blocks are walk-bike only, except a sluggish lane of First Avenue South, and a couple of others meant for ferry traffic.

Whether you're going to one of the six matches, frequenting a pub or fan festival or going downtown on a game day, here's what to expect for bus and light rail travel, which for many will require a longer-than-usual walk to Seattle Stadium, the tournament's pseudonym for Lumen Field.

Crowds in Pioneer Square, Sodo and Chinatown International District should be like a weekday Seahawks game except thicker, especially aboard trains, because of a large security perimeter with limited gates, watch parties as far north as Seattle Center, and the likelihood World Cup fans will linger for more hours than football fans.

Light rail

Sound Transit urges light rail passengers heading to the stadium to divide themselves among three stations, to reduce bunching at the boarding platforms and walkways.

Riders from Lynnwood and North Seattle are asked to exit at Pioneer Square Station, and walk downhill toward the walk-bike zone. Those going into the stadium must enter only from the north side, through one of three security-perimeter gates a block south of King Street.

Sound Transit corridors will be saturated by recorded advisories (aboard trains, by retired soccer star Megan Rapinoe), signs and extra staff to direct everybody.

Riders from the Eastside and people with physical disabilities should exit at International District/Chinatown Station, next to restaurants and the landmark red gate. Most will be directed across the station plaza to South Jackson Street, to then walk west on Jackson into the stadium-entrance area - while the more direct Weller Street crosswalk over Fourth Avenue South, the pedestrian bridge and elevator down to King Street Station are reserved for people with reduced mobility and for Sounder commuter-train customers.

Riders from the south, including Rainier Valley, SeaTac or Federal Way, are encouraged to exit at Stadium Station, then walk a full mile to the stadium entrance. Follow the Royal Brougham Way spiral to the baseball stadium, then turn toward downtown on Occidental Avenue South, filled with vendors similar to a Seahawks or Mariners day. You'll eventually reach north stadium entrances.

Nonfoldable bikes will be prohibited from light rail on match days.

Postgame, all stadium exits will be open, which should improve concourse safety and shorten the walk back to Stadium Station, along with private and public bus stops lining First Avenue South. Sound Transit staff will meter postgame crowds who enter stations (similar to a Huskies football game on the plaza over University of Washington Station), then direct people into specific lines based on what direction they'll ride, spokesperson David Jackson said.

Buses

Metro's free World Cup shuttle buses will run from Seattle Center down Third Avenue, with a stop about every three blocks, and arrive at Pioneer Square every three to seven minutes. They'll start three hours before the game, until three hours postmatch. These shuttles will return northbound along First Avenue South, waterfront Alaskan Way, up Columbia Street, and back to Seattle Center on Third.

A Metro accessible shuttle starts at International District/Chinatown Station and loops within a couple of blocks of the stadium's southwestern Gate 8, which will be a dedicated accessible entrance.

Metro's regular bus lines will travel nearby, but be prone to traffic jams, namely RapidRide E Line from Aurora Avenue North, C Line from West Seattle, H Line from Burien, the 101 from Renton and 150 from Kent, all stopping at their usual locations. The free tourist-season waterfront shuttle bus down Alaskan Way will reach South Main Street near the stadium, but skips its ferry terminal stop during World Cup, so use the adjacent stop at Seattle Aquarium. Expect traffic jams or detours.

Standard adult fares are $3 for buses and light rail. People can buy tickets and ORCA fare cards online, or from machines inside train stations. A new $18 three-day pass is available this summer.

State and county ferries, Sounder commuter trains, and the Seattle Center Monorail charge higher fares, and will require additional payment for transfers.

Sounder trains

Most games will be served by added World Cup Sounder trains, making all regular stops, arriving at King Street Station from as far as downtown Everett, and from Lakewood south of Tacoma, for normal distance-based fares between $3 and $5.75 each direction. At some hours, regularly scheduled Sounder trains operate at times when fans will ride alongside the commuters.

Ferries

Washington State Ferries will run full regular schedules, including from Bremerton and Bainbridge to downtown Seattle. The King County Water Taxi provides extra service on soccer and Mariners baseball nights this summer, when the last boat leaves Pier 50 to West Seattle at 11 p.m. Kitsap Fast Ferries likewise will cruise until 11:30 p.m. on soccer nights from Seattle to Bremerton, and Port Orchard to Bremerton.

Arriving ferry passengers should keep their heads on a swivel when crossing eight-lane Alaskan Way South, a 35-second jaunt when left-turning drivers from Jackson or King streets roll over the crosswalk on a solid green light, seeking gaps between pedestrians. Or rise above gridlock by using the state ferry terminal's white pedestrian bridge over Alaskan, which leads to First Avenue at Marion Street.

Taxis/Uber/Lyft

A large lot at empty Pier 46, south of the ferry docks, will be temporarily repurposed for cabs to meet customers going to and from the stadium.

The city will assign 58 scattered load spaces for Uber and Lyft, which like cabs are excluded from the walk-bike zones. They're off Columbia Street north of Pioneer Square; in the Chinatown International District; and First Avenue South south of the baseball stadium.

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