Cross posted from Metro Matters
It’s September—time to break out your Purple and Gold and 12 Jerseys.
A pack of hungry Huskies and a full flight of SUPER BOWL CHAMPION Seahawks are ready to take the field next week. If you’re headed to either the greatest setting in college football or the loudest stadium in the NFL, transit is the best way to avoid getting sacked by crowded roads, being trapped behind the parking line of scrimmage and saving your energy for cheering on the home team.
Both seasons begin at the start of our new service change, so check before you ride. There are additional routes and increased weekend service hours that make it easier to connect to Link light rail along with being able to ride a bus and walk, roll and scoot to the stadiums.
This is also the first year that fans from the Eastside can ride light rail for the trip to Husky Stadium and Lumen Field! The Link 2 line will take you a short walk or roll to University of Washington and International District/ Chinatown stations. As for those coming to cheer from the north and the south, there are bus routes that will connect you to the Link 1 line, and on to the stadium.
If you’re headed to one stadium or the other (OR BOTH!) some tips to remember:
We’ve got a page that is your one-stop shop on taking transit to the stadiums along with a map to help you navigate around Lumen.
Plan your trip: By using Trip Planner and see the next trip arriving at your stop with our Text for Departures tool (text your bus stop number to 62550).
Pay for your ride: Be sure to have your ORCA card or Transit GO ticket ready to go to avoid long delays. You can also Tap to Pay with your credit or debit card this season. Fans 18 and younger can ride to games for free—if you have your Free Youth Transit Pass, please be sure to tap your card.
Husky Fans— For the Apple Cup, riders who use the Transit Go Ticket App can get 600 points ($6 worth of transit) which will cover a roundtrip on a Metro Bus or Link light rail. Go to the rewards section and enter the code APPLECUP26.
MUSH YOU HUSKIES!!
Coach Jedd Fisch and All-American candidate Demond Williams, Jr. are ready for a big season in the Big 10! The march to the College Football Playoffs starts with the battle against Washington State for the Apple Cup and will see the defending National Champion Indiana Hoosiers come to Seattle.
This season, UW no longer offers special shuttle service to Husky Stadium from Eastgate Park & Ride, South Kirkland Park & Ride and Redondo Heights Park & Ride to Montlake.
Instead, Sound Transit 1 and 2 line service connects riders to Husky Stadium, as well as several bus routes to the U District. For 2026, you can board the Metro Route 255 anywhere along the route starting at Kirkland Transit Center, or Sound Transit Express Route 542 starting at Redmond Transit Center — the drop off location will be the same and pickup location will be southbound on Montlake Boulevard Northeast just outside the stadium. Metro will add some trips to existing routes to and from Husky Stadium on game days .
There are over ONE DOZEN (12) Metro routes that will bring you to within a short distance of the stadium—just follow the purple and the gold!
SEA-HAWKS!!
The 2026 Seattle Seahawks are prepared to meet everyone trying to take away their crown. Coach Mike Macdonald and his team are ready to unleash a wave that will overwhelm those who dare to go onto the Lumen Field turf. From Sam Darnold throwing darts to JSN to the “Dark Side” punishing anyone trying to score on them, the Hawks are ready!
Having the 2 Line in service crossing Lake Washington means Eastside Hawk fans who are getting ready to boo the Rams and Niners will be able to get there by rail. With Sound Transit 1 and 2 line trains operating, there will be no supplemental bus service to Lumen Field.
Sound Transit will be rolling out Sounder trains for four home games this season—with three trains coming north from Lakewood/Sumner and two traveling south from Everett.
Football Sailgate Party
If you’re coming from West Seattle, you can be part of the weekly Sailgate celebration by riding the King County Water Taxi from West Seattle to downtown.
From Pier 50 it’s a walk, roll or scoot to Lumen Field as well as the Link light rail International District/Chinatown station which can whisk you to Husky Stadium. How much does it cost to travel by Water Taxi? Adult fare is $6.25 one way ($5.25 with an ORCA card), with the bus ride back costing $3.00.
Getting home after the game? Remember, Water Taxi service ends at 7 p.m., but you can stroll to Alaskan Way S. at S. Jackson St. and catch a bus back to West Seattle with RapidRide—the C and H Lines—routes as smooth as Devon Witherspoon!
It’s football season! Don’t get sacked before kickoff—take transit to get to the games and save your energy for rattling the foes of the Huskies and Hawks.
