Seattle Center Monorail will accept ORCA as a fare payment option beginning Monday, Oct. 7. Riders simply need to present their ORCA card to the Monorail cashier to pay their fare. Changes that align categories and fares with those of other transit systems within the ORCA program also go into effect.
Treasured as a scenic, unimpeded ride for tourists and Seattle residents between downtown and Seattle Center, ORCA implementation will foster greater Monorail use by daily commuters and patrons of the many organizations that reside on the Seattle Center grounds including the new Arena at Seattle Center when it opens in 2021. ORCA riders to and from Link Light Rail and King County Metro/Sound Transit buses will be able to transfer within the standard two-hour window.
ORCA implementation follows a public comment period that surfaced no significant issues with the fare changes affecting adult and youth fares, monthly passes, discounted group rates and reduced rate fares. Following are details on those modifications:
• Adult, ages 13-64, one-way, currently $2.50, changes to adult, ages 19-64, one-way $3.
• Youth, ages 5-12, one-way, currently $1.25, changes to youth, ages 6-18, one-way $1.50.
• Reduced rate one-way, currently $1.25, increases to $1.50. • Adult monthly pass, non-ORCA, currently $50, increases to $60.
• Reduced monthly pass, non-ORCA, currently $25, increases to $30.
ORCA riders who qualify for reduced rates include people with ORCA LIFT, ORCA RRFP (Regional Reduced Fare Permit) for seniors and people with disabilities and ORCA youth cards. Reduced rates are also available to ticket purchasers for seniors (65 years and older), people with disabilities, Medicare Card holders and U.S. military with valid ID. Cash/credit card customers may purchase roundtrip tickets, available at twice the price of a one-way ticket. Credit card surcharge may apply for credit card transactions.
Built for the 1962 Seattle World’s Fair, the red and blue Monorail trains depart every 10 minutes from stations at Seattle Center and Westlake Center Mall at 5th and Pine Street. Each trip takes two minutes, and each train can carry up to 250 passengers per trip. The red and blue Monorail trains, which carried over 2 million passengers in 2018, have undergone significant renovations over the past 12 years to provide an enjoyable and reliable ride well into the 21st century.
Seattle Center Monorail is operated by a private concessionaire, Seattle Monorail Services, for the City of Seattle. For more information on the Monorail, click on www.seattlemonorail.com.
