University of Washington station

Not to be confused with University Street Station.

50px University of Washington
Link Light Rail station
The main entrance to the station, viewed from the southwest
Location	3720 Montlake Boulevard NE Seattle, Washington
Coordinates
Owned by	Sound Transit
Line(s)
Platforms	1 island platform
Tracks	2
Connections	King County Metro, Sound Transit Express, Community Transit
Construction
Structure type	Underground
Depth	100 feet (30 m)
History
Opened	March 19, 2016 (2016-03-19)
Electrified	1,500 V DC, Overhead catenary
Services
Preceding station   Link Light Rail   Following station Capitol Hill toward SeaTac/Airport Central Link Terminus   Future services   Terminus Northgate Link Extension Under Construction U District toward Northgate

University of Washington is a light rail station on Sound Transit's Link Light Rail. The station has been the northern terminus of the Central Link line since the opening of the University Link Extension on March 19, 2016. It is located near Husky Stadium and the University of Washington Medical Center on the University of Washington campus; the station consists of an island platform situated over 100 feet (30 m) underground.

Sound Transit estimates that there will be 21,500 daily boardings at the station in 2030.

Location

The University of Washington, or UW, Station is deep underground beneath what is now the Husky Stadium parking lot. Its entrance is located adjacent to Husky Stadium, east of Montlake Boulevard between NE Pacific Street and NE Pacific Place. A curving pedestrian bridge connects the station with Rainier Vista on the UW campus. One can access the bridge from just north of the Burke-Gilman Trail in the Rainier Vista, from the Triangle Plaza, and from the station itself.

Station layout

	Bridge level	To pedestrian bridge over Montlake Boulevard, ticket vending machines
	Street level	To exits/entrances, ticket vending machines
	Upper mezzanine	Ticket vending machines
	Lower mezzanine
Platform level	Northbound	← Northgate Link Extension (under construction) toward Northgate (U District)
	Island platform, doors will open on the left
	Southbound	→ Central Link toward SeaTac/Airport (Capitol Hill) →

University of Washington Station consists of a two-story surface structure, containing the station entrances and connections to a pedestrian overpass over Montlake Boulevard to the Rainier Vista, as well as two levels of mezzanines leading to the platform, 95 feet (29 m) below the surface. Ticket vending machines (which can either dispense a single-trip ticket or reload ORCA cards) are on the street level and both mezzanine levels.

The station is designed with extra capacity to handle large event crowds leaving Husky Stadium for football games, graduation ceremonies, and special events.

Construction

Further information: University Link Tunnel

The tunneling contract from UW station to Capitol Hill station came in under-budget by $86 million, or nearly 22%, in March 2009. A groundbreaking ceremony for the station was held in February 2009, and initial excavation began shortly thereafter. Construction of the deep slurry walls and excavation of the station box structure took place in 2010 and 2011. Tunneling toward the Capitol Hill station began in 2011 and was completed in 2012. Construction of the UW station was completed in 2015, and revenue service began in March 2016.

An art installation known as the "Great Wall of Us" surrounded the site during its construction period. The wall, built by the university and Sound Transit, featured photos of faces of various individuals taken at university events.

Services

University of Washington Station is the northern terminus of Sound Transit's Central Link line, which runs south to Downtown Seattle, the Rainier Valley, and the Seattle–Tacoma International Airport. It is situated north of the Capitol Hill station and connected to downtown by the University Link Tunnel. Central Link trains serve University of Washington Station 20 hours a day on weekdays and Saturdays, from 5:00 am to 1:00 am, and 18 hours on Sundays, from 6:00 am to 12:00 am; during regular weekday service, trains operate roughly every 6 to 10 minutes during rush hour and midday operation, respectively, with longer headways of 15 minutes in the early morning and 20 minutes at night. During weekends, Central Link trains arrive at University of Washington Station every 10 minutes during midday hours and every 15 minutes during mornings and evenings. The station is approximately 44 minutes from SeaTac/Airport station and 6 minutes from Westlake station in Downtown Seattle.

University of Washington Station is also a major bus station, served by 18 King County Metro routes from the U District and northeastern Seattle, 5 Sound Transit Express routes from the Eastside, and 6 Community Transit commuter routes from Snohomish County at 7 stops in the Montlake Triangle and Rainier Vista area within walking distance of the station. On March 26, 2016, a week after the station's opening, a major bus restructure redirected most bus routes in the area, including the truncation of several express routes to Downtown Seattle, to feed the light rail station.

External links

• Media related to at Wikimedia Commons