Sounder
Commuter rail · Seattle · Sound Transit
2 lines · 12 stations · 5 interchanges
Every line drawn through its stations. Tap a line in the legend to hide or show it.
Lines
Service information checked . Check the operator before travel because schedules can change at short notice.
Quick facts
- Lines
- The N Line runs between Everett and Seattle. The S Line runs between Seattle and Lakewood, although some S Line trains terminate at Tacoma Dome.
- Service pattern
- Regular Sounder service is weekday commuter rail. The N Line is concentrated toward Seattle in the morning and Everett in the afternoon.
- Special event trains use separate schedules.
- Fares
- Adult one-way fares run from $3.25 to $5.75 by distance. Pay before boarding with ORCA, contactless payment, a station ticket machine, or an activated Transit GO ticket.
- ORCA users should tap again after leaving the train so the distance fare is calculated correctly.
- Accessibility
- Every Sounder platform has a marked high-platform boarding area. Conductors provide a bridge plate between that area and the train.
- Route data
- Station order and coordinates come from Sound Transit's official GTFS rail feed, version SC-Spring-2026.10.
Mike’s notes
Sounder is useful when its schedule matches the trip. It runs on the main railway north and south of Seattle, bypassing traffic on Interstate 5, but it is built around weekday commuting rather than all-day urban transit.
The N Line has four stations between Everett and King Street Station. The S Line serves nine stations between King Street and Lakewood. Read the individual departure before heading to the platform because some S Line trains stop at Tacoma Dome instead of continuing to South Tacoma and Lakewood.
Check the direction and the day
The N Line is primarily a peak-direction service: toward Seattle in the morning and toward Everett in the afternoon. The S Line has more departures in both directions, but it is still a weekday commuter schedule. Sound Transit also runs selected event trains for major games. Those trains are additions, not a regular weekend timetable.
On the N Line, the Rail Plus program lets riders with an eligible ORCA monthly pass use specified Amtrak Cascades trains between Everett, Edmonds, and Seattle. A separate ticket from the station machine is still required for the Amtrak departure.
Pay before boarding
Sounder uses distance-based fares. Tap an ORCA card before entering the fare-paid area and again after leaving the train. Contactless bank cards are accepted at the reader before boarding. Ticket machines are available at every Sounder station, and Transit GO tickets must be activated before boarding.
A day pass is priced for the selected station pair. It is not a general pass for unlimited travel across every Sound Transit service.
Use the marked accessible boarding area
Sounder platforms have one raised boarding area marked with the accessibility symbol. Wait there when a bridge plate or conductor assistance is needed. Sound Transit says the trains include accessible seating and restrooms, though very large mobility devices may not fit every restroom.
Sounder began between Tacoma and Seattle in September 2000. The north service reached Everett in 2003, Mukilteo was added in 2008, and the south line reached South Tacoma and Lakewood in 2012. The trains use an existing regional railway shared with Amtrak and freight traffic rather than a dedicated commuter-rail corridor.