Seattle Center Monorail now a part of the ORCA family

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 fare categories  with those of others within the ORCA transit system also go into effect. 

Residents and tourists alike treasure the Monorail as a scenic and historic service that offers unimpeded rides between downtown and Seattle Center. Enabling use of ORCA on the system will improve its integration with the region's other transit options and foster greater Monorail use to access Seattle Center's many destinations, including the new Arena at Seattle Center when it opens in 2021. 

Using ORCA can save riders money. When riders transfer between ORCA agencies' bus and train (Link and Sounder) and monorail services, the amount paid for an earlier trip is automatically applied toward the next trip within a two-hour window. Transit passes that are good for unlimited trips can also offer significant savings. 

Passengers are responsible for paying fare differences that arise from difference in PugetPass value, transfer value from a different ORCA agency with a lower fare or an insufficient balance. Payment of the remaining balance can be made with ORCA E-purse or cash. 

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 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.

About Seattle Center Monorail

Seattle Center Monorail is the nation's first full-scale commercial monorail system providing a fun, quick and convenient link between downtown Seattle and Seattle Center. The current hours of operation are: Monday-Thursday: 7:30 a.m. – 9 p.m.; Friday: 7:30 a.m. – 11 p.m.; Saturday: 8:30 a.m. – 11 p.m.; Sunday: 8:30 a.m. – 9 p.m.

About Seattle Center

Connect to the extraordinary at Seattle Center, an active civic, arts and family gathering place in the core of our region. More than 30 cultural, educational, sports and entertainment organizations that reside on the grounds, together with a broad range of public and community programs, create thousands of events on the 74-acre campus and attract over 12 million visitors each year. At Seattle Center, part of Uptown Arts & Cultural District, our purpose is to create exceptional events, experiences and environments that delight and inspire the human spirit to build stronger communities. Activities at the Center generate $1.864 billion in business activity and $631 million in labor income.