How to Transfer at Westlake Without Boarding the Wrong Train

Link light rail and the Seattle Center Monorail connect at Westlake, but they are separate systems with separate stations and fares. Link uses the underground Westlake Station, while the monorail boards on the third floor of Westlake Center. The monorail does not go to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport; airport riders take the 1 Line and transfer at Westlake only if they are continuing to or from Seattle Center.

The transfer is inside the same Westlake complex. From Link, follow signs for Exit A2, the monorail, and 5th Avenue and Pine Street, then go up to the third floor. From the monorail, turn left after leaving the train, go down, and follow the Link signs. You must pay each system separately even if you use the same ORCA card.

Choose your trip direction to see the trains, signs and adult one-way fare.

Follow Exit A2 From Link to the Monorail

After leaving a 1 Line or 2 Line train at Westlake Station, follow signs for Exit A2, Monorail, and 5th Avenue & Pine Street. Do not follow a different downtown exit and assume the monorail will be visible at street level. Its Westlake platform is inside the building on the third floor.

Take the stairs or the elevator marked “Monorail” upward. The elevator is the better choice with luggage, a stroller, a bicycle or limited mobility. At street level, the relevant entrance is at 5th Avenue and Pine Street.

The route leads to the monorail station on the third floor of Westlake Center. Buy a monorail ticket from a machine or tap an ORCA card at a faregate equipped with a yellow ORCA reader. Once through the gate, board the train for Seattle Center. There is only one destination from Westlake, so there is no northbound or southbound platform choice to make.

These are the transfer directions published by the Seattle Center Monorail. If the shopping center itself is closed, use the elevator or stairs on 5th Avenue. The operator says that entrance remains available during monorail operating hours, so a closed mall entrance does not necessarily mean the monorail is closed.

From SEA Airport to Seattle Center

At SeaTac/Airport Station, board the northbound 1 Line toward Lynnwood City Center. Leave the train at Westlake, follow the Exit A2 and monorail signs, go up to the third floor, pay the separate monorail fare and ride to Seattle Center.

The monorail is the final leg for destinations around Seattle Center, including the Space Needle and MoPOP. It is not the airport train, and no monorail departure from either station continues onto Link tracks. The full SeaTac-to-downtown light rail guide covers airport station access and initial boarding in more detail.

From Bellevue or Redmond to Seattle Center

Take the 2 Line toward Lynnwood City Center and leave at Westlake. From the underground station, follow the same Exit A2 route to the monorail platform on Westlake Center’s third floor.

The line number matters here: the 2 Line is the Link route connecting Westlake with Bellevue and Redmond. The Seattle–Bellevue 2 Line guide explains the cross-lake route and its stations.

From North Seattle to Seattle Center

Take a southbound 1 Line or 2 Line train that serves Westlake. Leave at Westlake, follow the signs for Exit A2 and the monorail, and go up to the third-floor station. After paying the monorail fare, board the only available route to Seattle Center.

Go Down From the Monorail to Link

For the reverse transfer, ride the monorail from Seattle Center to Westlake Center. After leaving the train, turn left toward the elevator and stairs. Go down and follow signs for Link light rail.

Link ticket machines are on the mezzanine before the platform. Pay before boarding, then check both the line number and destination shown for the train. Westlake serves more than one Link line, and they do not have the same southern and eastern destinations.

Destination	Board At Westlake
SEA Airport	1 Line toward Federal Way Downtown
Bellevue or Redmond	2 Line toward Downtown Redmond
Capitol Hill or farther north	Northbound 1 or 2 Line serving your stop

For SEA Airport, leave the 1 Line at SeaTac/Airport Station. Do not board a 2 Line train for the airport. Sound Transit’s current route pages identify the 1 Line as Lynnwood–Federal Way and the 2 Line as Lynnwood–Downtown Redmond.

For Capitol Hill, University District, Northgate or Lynnwood, use a northbound 1 or 2 Line train that serves your intended station. Check the destination display rather than relying only on the fact that the train is on the northbound platform.

The Two Fares Must Be Paid Separately

The adult one-way fare is $4 for the monorail and $3 for Link. An adult trip between SEA Airport and Seattle Center therefore costs $7 each way: $3 for the Link portion and $4 for the monorail portion.

Monorail tickets are $2 for youth ages 6–18 and eligible reduced-fare riders. Children under 5 ride free. Youth ages 6–18 ride the monorail free only when they tap a valid Youth ORCA card. The operator publishes its current monorail fares and eligibility.

An ORCA card works on both systems, but using one card does not turn the two rides into a free adult transfer. Since January 1, 2026, riders paying from ORCA E-purse have been charged the full monorail fare rather than receiving a free transfer.

At the monorail, tap ORCA once when entering. Do not tap again when leaving. The yellow reader at a monorail gate accepts an ORCA card; it is not a contactless bank-card reader.

Monorail ticket machines accept debit cards, credit cards and contactless wallets, but not cash. A rider without ORCA can therefore buy the monorail portion at the station rather than arranging a ticket in advance.

Link has its own payment choices. It accepts ORCA, contactless bank cards, Transit GO mobile tickets and tickets purchased from station machines. Sound Transit lists the current Link payment options.

The practical distinction at Westlake is between the reader and the ticket machine. Tap an ORCA card at the yellow monorail reader. Use a ticket machine for a bank card or phone wallet. Advance monorail booking is unnecessary for an ordinary visit because ticket machines are available at both monorail stations.

Allow for Two Waits and the Vertical Transfer

The monorail ride itself takes about two to three minutes, and trains normally depart every eight to ten minutes. Link takes roughly 38–40 minutes between downtown and SeaTac/Airport Station, with trains every eight to ten minutes for much of the day, according to Sound Transit’s airport guidance.

Those figures should not be added together and treated as the complete airport-to-Seattle Center travel time. The journey also includes the wait for Link, the walk between the airport terminal and SeaTac/Airport Station, the vertical transfer at Westlake, payment at the monorail gate, the wait for the monorail and any service disruption.

The Westlake transfer is straightforward, but it is not a same-platform connection. Riders must leave the Link platform level, reach the mezzanine or building circulation route, and continue up to the third-floor monorail station. In the other direction, they must descend from the monorail and reach the appropriate Link platform after paying the Link fare.

The monorail also has shorter operating hours than Link. A trip that works during the main part of the day may not work for an early airport departure or a late arrival at Westlake.

Monorail Hours Vary by Day and Event

The regular monorail schedule for September 7, 2026 through May 27, 2027 is:

Day	Operating Hours
Sunday	8:30 a.m.–9 p.m.
Monday–Thursday	7:30 a.m.–9 p.m.
Friday	7:30 a.m.–11 p.m.
Saturday	8:30 a.m.–11 p.m.

Hours extend for many Seattle Center and Climate Pledge Arena events. Check the operator’s homepage for the day’s hours rather than assuming the regular schedule applies or that the monorail will meet an early flight or late-arriving Link train.

A listed closing time is especially relevant when planning the return from Seattle Center. Link may still be operating after the monorail’s final departure, but the two systems do not share operating hours merely because they connect at Westlake.

Elevators Handle the Accessible Transfer

Use the elevator marked “Monorail” for the accessible route between Westlake Link Station and the third-floor monorail platform. At street level, the monorail elevator is at 5th Avenue and Pine Street. This is also the entrance to use during monorail operating hours when the shopping center’s regular interior access is closed.

Seattle Center Station has ramp access and wider gates. Strollers, bicycles and suitcases are allowed on the monorail, and staff can assist at the faregates. Riders with luggage should still account for the elevator trip and the two separate fare gates when estimating transfer time.

Neither Westlake Link Station nor the monorail platforms have public restrooms. Westlake Center has a restroom on its second floor when the mall is open. At the Seattle Center end, the Armory has restrooms. Because the Westlake restroom depends on the mall being open, it should not be treated as an amenity of either transit station.