About the Monorail
Seattle Center Monorail provides easy access to the Space Needle. Hop on at Westlake Center and ride directly to Seattle Center! © Megan Ching – Seattle Monorail Services
Sit in the front seat of the Monorail – the unique train design allows passengers to sit right next to the driver at the front of the train. Great views! © Megan Ching – Seattle Monorail Services
Seattle Center Monorail travels directly through the EMP Museum! Groundbreaking for EMP Museum began in June 1997, the Museum was built around the Monorail route. © Megan Ching – Seattle Monorail Services
The Monorail travels along a one-mile route on 5th Avenue between Westlake Center and Seattle Center. © Megan Ching – Seattle Monorail Services
About Us
Built for the 1962 Seattle World’s Fair, the Monorail celebrates its 50th Anniversary in 2012. If you are interested in reading about the history of the Monorail or the system description, please click on the links.
The Monorail has been a Seattle icon since the 1962 World’s Fair. Seattle Center Monorail is owned by the City of Seattle and operated by Seattle Monorail Services, a privately run business with independent leadership and staff. You can read more about Seattle Monorail Services by clicking here.
Today, the trains carry approximately 2 million passengers every year. The monorail has become an important fixture in Seattle for locals, who use the trains during major festivals and sporting events.
We recommend visiting The Monorail Society website if you’re interested in learning more about monorail systems all over the world!
Route Map
Seattle Center Monorail departs approximately every 10 minutes from two stations:
- Seattle Center station: Adjacent to the Space Needle
- Westlake Center Mall station: At Fifth Avenue and Pine Street
How to get to the airport:
It’s easy to use public transportation to travel between Seattle-Tacoma (Sea-Tac) International Airport and Seattle Center.
- To get from Seattle Center to Sea-Tac Airport, buy a Monorail ticket at the Seattle Center Monorail station and ride the train to Westlake Center. As you exit the Monorail at Westlake Center, you will see an elevator and stairwell on the far left side of the platform, use either option to go to all the way to the bottom level to the Downtown Seattle Transit Tunnel. From there, buy a ticket and ride the Sound Transit Central Link Light Rail which carries passengers between Westlake Center Station and Sea-Tac Airport (the light rail makes 11 stops in between Westlake and Sea-Tac; the trip takes approximately 35 minutes).
- To get from Sea-Tac Airport to Seattle Center, look for signs in the airport for Sound Transit Link Light Rail. Catch the light rail from Sea-Tac Airport and get off at Westlake Center (the very last stop). From the transit tunnel at Westlake, look for signs for the Monorail, you can take the elevator (with ‘MONORAIL’ written above it) up to to the Westlake Center Monorail station located on the third floor of Westlake Center. Then, you can purchase a Monorail ticket to ride directly to Seattle Center, home of the Space Needle, Pacific Science Center, KeyArena and more! Please keep in mind that the Monorail is cash only, no credit cards please.
