Beacon Hill station (Sound Transit)

{{Infobox station

| name = {{Sound Transit code|1|56}} Beacon Hill

| style = Sound Transit

| type = Link light rail station

| image = Beacon Hill Light Rail Station two.JPG

| image_caption = The exterior of Beacon Hill station and its adjoining plaza

| address = 2702 Beacon Avenue South

| borough = Seattle, Washington

| country = United States

| coordinates = {{coord|47|34|46|N|122|18|41|W|type:landmark_region:US-WA|display=inline,title}}

| owned = Sound Transit

| line =

| platform = 1 split island platform

| tracks = 2

| connections = King County Metro

| structure = Underground

| depth = {{Cvt|160|ft|m|0}}

| parking = Street parking nearby

| bicycle = Lockers and parking cage

| accessible = Yes

| opened = {{Start date|2009|07|18}}

| passengers = {{Sound Transit ridership|Beacon Hill weekday}} daily weekday boardings ({{Sound Transit ridership|year}}){{Sound Transit ridership|linkcitation}}
{{Sound Transit ridership|Beacon Hill annual}} total boardings ({{Sound Transit ridership|year}}){{Sound Transit ridership|linkcitation}}

| services = {{Adjacent stations|system1=Sound Transit|header1=File:Sound Transit Link Light Rail logo.svg|line=1 Line|left=SODO|right=Mount Baker}}

| mapframe = yes

| mapframe-custom = {{Infobox mapframe |shape=none |line=none |marker=rail-light |marker-color=#{{rcr|Sound Transit|1 Line}} |zoom=15 }}

}}

Beacon Hill station is a light rail station located in Seattle, Washington. It is situated between the Mount Baker and SODO stations on the 1 Line, which runs from Seattle–Tacoma International Airport to Downtown Seattle and the University of Washington as part of the Link light rail system. The station is located {{convert|160|ft|m|0}} under the southeast corner of Beacon Avenue South and South Lander Street in Seattle's Beacon Hill neighborhood.

Beacon Hill station was first proposed in 1998 and was opened on July 18, 2009, as part of the inaugural Link line, after five years of tunnel boring and station construction. It consists of a single island platform, divided into two sections by the twin bores of the Beacon Hill Tunnel; four high-speed elevators ferry passengers from the platform to the surface entrance. Trains serve the station twenty hours a day on most days; the headway between trains is six minutes during peak periods, with less frequent service at other times. The station is also served by three King County Metro bus routes that stop at a pair of sheltered bus stops on Beacon Avenue. It is the deepest station in Seattle.

Location

Beacon Hill station is part of the Beacon Hill Tunnel, with its platform situated at a depth of {{convert|160|ft|m|0}} and located under the intersection of Beacon Avenue South and South Lander Street.{{cite web |title=Beacon Hill Tunnel & Station |url=http://www.soundtransit.org/sites/default/files/documents/pdf/archived_projects/20121130_beaconhilltunnelandstation.pdf |date=November 30, 2012 |publisher=Sound Transit |access-date=July 26, 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150909225511/http://www.soundtransit.org/sites/default/files/documents/pdf/archived_projects/20121130_beaconhilltunnelandstation.pdf |archive-date=September 9, 2015}} The station's only entrance is located at the southeast corner of the intersection, in the North Beacon Hill neighborhood of Seattle.{{cite web |title=Beacon Hill Station |url=http://www.soundtransit.org/Rider-Guide/Beacon-Hill-Station |publisher=Sound Transit |access-date=July 26, 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140729182734/http://www.soundtransit.org/Rider-Guide/Beacon-Hill-Station |archive-date=July 29, 2014}}{{cite map |publisher=Office of the Seattle City Clerk |title=Seattle City Clerk's Office Geographic Indexing Atlas |url=http://clerk.seattle.gov/~public/nmaps/html/NN-1415S.htm |page=NN-1415S |access-date=July 26, 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140321235827/http://clerk.seattle.gov/~public/nmaps/html/NN-1415S.htm |archive-date=March 21, 2014}} The area surrounding the station consists of a mixture of low-density commercial and residential areas,{{cite web |author=City of Seattle Strategic Planning Office |date=January 1999 |title=Beacon Hill |url=http://www.seattle.gov/transportation/SAP/Atlas/06BeaconHill.pdf |work=Seattle Area Station Planning: Light Rail Station Area Atlas |publisher=Seattle Department of Transportation |access-date=July 28, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924121933/http://www.seattle.gov/transportation/SAP/Atlas/06BeaconHill.pdf |archive-date=September 24, 2015}} housing a population of 6,081 people and businesses employing 1,453.{{cite web |author=Growing Transit Communities Oversight Committee |date=October 2013 |title=Beacon Hill: Light Rail/Bus |url=https://www.psrc.org/sites/default/files/beacon_hill_sap.pdf |work=The Growing Transit Communities Strategy |publisher=Puget Sound Regional Council |access-date=September 10, 2014}} El Centro de la Raza, a local social service agency, is situated north of the station complex and built 112 units of affordable housing adjacent to the station in 2016.{{cite news |last=Kroman |first=David |date=February 23, 2016 |title=Hundreds vie for a chance at affordable housing |url=http://crosscut.com/2016/02/housing-chances-draw-a-crowd-with-many-sure-to-lose-out/ |work=Crosscut.com |access-date=October 24, 2016 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161025031304/http://crosscut.com/2016/02/housing-chances-draw-a-crowd-with-many-sure-to-lose-out/ |archive-date=October 25, 2016}} The Beacon Hill branch of the Seattle Public Library is located two blocks south of the station, at the intersection of Beacon Avenue South and South Forest Street.{{cite web |title=Getting to the Beacon Hill Branch |url=http://www.spl.org/locations/beacon-hill-branch/bea-getting-to-the-branch |publisher=Seattle Public Library |access-date=July 27, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140624021902/https://www.spl.org/locations/beacon-hill-branch/bea-getting-to-the-branch |archive-date=June 24, 2014}}

History

=Proposals and planning=

File:Beacon Hill Station - under construction, May 2009.jpg, under construction in May 2009]]

Several of the first proposals for rapid transit in the Seattle area included a north–south route from Downtown Seattle to Seattle–Tacoma International Airport that bypassed Beacon Hill in favor of a shorter route through Georgetown and South Park. The failed Forward Thrust initiatives of 1968 and 1970 proposed a heavy rail line between Downtown Seattle and Renton that ran along the Duwamish River through the Industrial District and Georgetown, serving Boeing Field, by 1985.{{cite map |publisher=Forward Thrust |title=Rapid Transit Plan |map=1985 System: Seattle Metropolitan Area Recommended Public Transportation Plan |map-url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/viriyincy/3685408132/in/set-72157605455785250 |year=1970 |cartography=De Leuw, Cather & Company |via=Flickr |access-date=July 27, 2014}}{{cite web |last=McRoberts |first=Patrick |date=January 1, 1999 |title=King County voters on Forward Thrust bonds approve stadium and aquarium and nix transit on February 13, 1968. |url=http://www.historylink.org/File/2168 |work=HistoryLink |access-date=July 27, 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161002015123/http://www.historylink.org/File/2168 |archive-date=October 2, 2016}}{{cite web |author= |date=September 19, 2002 |title=Voters reject rail transit plan and three other Forward Thrust bond proposals on May 19, 1970. |url=http://www.historylink.org/File/3961 |work=HistoryLink |access-date=July 27, 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161002030443/http://www.historylink.org/File/3961 |archive-date=October 2, 2016}} A subsequent proposal, made by King County Metro and the Puget Sound Council of Governments in 1986, proposed a north–south line from Federal Way to Lynnwood that went through the Industrial District and Downtown Seattle, once again bypassing Beacon Hill.{{cite map |publisher=Puget Sound Council of Governments and Seattle Metro |title=Federal Way Transit Extension: Plan Review for High-Capacity Transit in the Project Corridor: S. 200th Street to Federal Way City Center |map=LRT Trunk Route Schematic |year=1986 |url=http://www.soundtransit.org/sites/default/files/documents/pdf/projects/fwte/Outreach/201211_Previous_Studies_Nov2012.pdf |page=2{{hyphen}}2 |access-date=September 27, 2016 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160826042239/http://www.soundtransit.org/sites/default/files/documents/pdf/projects/fwte/Outreach/201211_Previous_Studies_Nov2012.pdf |archive-date=August 26, 2016}} Light rail plans resurfaced in the mid-1990s under the newly formed Regional Transit Authority, later re-branded as Sound Transit, which preferred using South Dearborn Street and Rainier Avenue or Interstate 90 to connect the Rainier Valley to the International District and Downtown Seattle.{{cite report |author=Community Transit |author2=Everett Transit |author3=King County Metro |author4=Pierce Transit |author5=Snohomish County Transportation Authority |author6=Washington State Department of Transportation |date=March 1993 |title=Final Environmental Impact Statement: Regional Transit System Plan |chapter-url=http://www.soundtransit.org/documents/pdf/projects/seis/2%20Alternatives.pdf |publisher=Regional Transit Project |page=2{{hyphen}}32 |chapter=Build Alternatives |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100616065343/http://soundtransit.org/documents/pdf/projects/seis/2%20Alternatives.pdf |archive-date=June 16, 2010 |access-date=September 27, 2016}}{{cite web |title=The Regional Transit System Proposal |url=http://www.soundtransit.org/sites/default/files/documents/pdf/projects/planning/1995_plan_subarea_proposals.pdf |page=3 |date=February 1995 |publisher=Central Puget Sound Regional Transit Authority |access-date=July 27, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150930200958/http://www.soundtransit.org/sites/default/files/documents/pdf/projects/planning/1995_plan_subarea_proposals.pdf |archive-date=September 30, 2015}} The $3.9 billion (equivalent to ${{Formatprice|{{Inflation|US|3900000000|1996}}}} in {{CURRENTYEAR}}){{Inflation-fn|US}} Sound Move plan was approved by Sound Transit in May 1996 and by voters the following November, as a ten-year plan for Link light rail service from Northgate to Sea-Tac Airport beginning in 2006.{{cite web |title=Sound Move: Launching a Rapid Transit System for the Puget Sound Region |url=http://www.soundtransit.org/sites/default/files/documents/pdf/news/reports/soundmove/199605_soundmovethetenyearregionaltransitsystemplan.pdf |page=21 |date=May 31, 1996 |publisher=Sound Transit |access-date=July 27, 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304065157/http://www.soundtransit.org/sites/default/files/documents/pdf/news/reports/soundmove/199605_soundmovethetenyearregionaltransitsystemplan.pdf |archive-date=March 4, 2016}} The plan called for a segment in the Rainier Valley, using the express lanes of Interstate 90 on the north side of Beacon Hill to connect to the Downtown Seattle Transit Tunnel.{{cite news |last=Schaefer |first=David |date=November 6, 1996 |title=Voters Back Transit Plan On Fourth Try |url=https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/19961106/2358535/voters-back-transit-plan-on-fourth-try |work=The Seattle Times |access-date=July 27, 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303215211/http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.com/archive/?date=19961106&slug=2358535 |archive-date=March 3, 2016}}

The Sound Transit Board passed a motion in May 1998 that modified the draft environmental impact statement for Central Link (now the 1 Line) to add "Route C1", which included a tunnel under Beacon Hill between Interstate 5 and McClellan Street Station, as well as elevated approaches along Massachusetts Street and Rainier Avenue South at the west and east portals of the tunnel, respectively.{{cite web |title=Sound Transit Motion No. M98-49 |url=http://www.soundtransit.org/sites/default/files/documents/html/board/motions/html/motionm98-40.html |date=July 23, 1998 |publisher=Sound Transit |access-date=July 27, 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160928035722/http://www.soundtransit.org/sites/default/files/documents/html/board/motions/html/motionm98-40.html |archive-date=September 28, 2016}} Additional plans for a station in the Beacon Hill Tunnel were put on hold in November 1998, with the Sound Transit Board deciding to build the station structure and entry shaft within the available budget to allow for minimal disruptions to light rail service while the station was being constructed after the line opened.{{cite news |last=Schaefer |first=David |date=December 4, 1998 |title=Big Plans For Light Rail -- Sound Transit Suggests 24-Mile Route From Seatac To Northgate |url=https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/19981204/2787123/big-plans-for-light-rail----sound-transit-suggests-24-mile-route-from-seatac-to-northgate |work=The Seattle Times |access-date=July 27, 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303235501/http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.com/archive/?date=19981204&slug=2787123 |archive-date=March 3, 2016}}{{cite web |title=Sound Transit Resolution No. R99-34 |url=http://www.soundtransit.org/sites/default/files/documents/html/board/resolutions/html/resor99-34.html |date=November 18, 1999 |publisher=Sound Transit |access-date=July 27, 2014 |quote=Construction of a station at Beacon Avenue S. near S. Lander Street will be deferred except for construction of the improvements necessary for system expansion to serve Beacon Hill ridership. In the event that funding is not found to complete the station or the shelling out of the station, by the time that construction begins on this segment, Sound Transit will design and construct a solution, preferably a partially shelled station and entry shaft, within the available budget. This solution must preserve the ability to complete the station without future disruptions to light rail service. |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151202053156/http://www.soundtransit.org/sites/default/files/documents/html/board/resolutions/html/resor99-34.html |archive-date=December 2, 2015}} The construction of surface-level stations at Royal Brougham Way, later Stadium station, and South Graham Street in the Rainier Valley were also deferred, as part of $200 million in cuts to bring the project within its original $1.8 billion budget (equivalent to ${{Formatprice|{{Inflation|US|200000000|1999}}}} and ${{Formatprice|{{Inflation|US|1800000000|1999}}}}, respectively, in {{CURRENTYEAR}}){{Inflation-fn|US}} to build a truncated Central Link from Sea-Tac Airport to the University District.{{cite news |last=Fryer |first=Alex |date=November 19, 1999 |title=A Milestone For Light Rail -- Regional Board Selects Station Sites, Alignment |url=https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/19991119/2996198/a-milestone-for-light-rail |work=The Seattle Times |access-date=July 27, 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151222114849/http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.com/archive/?date=19991119&slug=2996198 |archive-date=December 22, 2015}}{{cite press release |author= |date=November 18, 1999 |title=Sound Transit Board achieves historic milestone by selecting route for central Link light rail |url=http://www.soundtransit.org/About-Sound-Transit/News-and-events/News-releases/News-release-archive/Sound-Transit-Board-achieves-historic-milestone-by-selecting-route-for-central-Link-light-rail |location=Seattle, Washington |publisher=Sound Transit |access-date=July 27, 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303220828/http://www.soundtransit.org/About-Sound-Transit/News-and-events/News-releases/News-release-archive/Sound-Transit-Board-achieves-historic-milestone-by-selecting-route-for-central-Link-light-rail |archive-date=March 3, 2016}}

=Construction=

The drilling of a {{convert|18|ft|m|adj=mid|-diameter}} test shaft for the Beacon Hill Tunnel at the present station site began in April 2003,{{cite news |last=Lindblom |first=Mike |date=April 9, 2003 |title=Light-rail station designs unveiled |url=https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/20030409/stations09m/light-rail-station-designs-unveiled |work=The Seattle Times |access-date=July 27, 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150521220327/http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.com/archive/?date=20030409&slug=stations09m |archive-date=May 21, 2015}} several months before the official Link groundbreaking in SoDo,{{cite news |last=Lindblom |first=Mike |date=November 8, 2003 |title=Groundbreaking today for light rail |url=https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/20031108/lightrail09m0/groundbreaking-today-for-light-rail |work=The Seattle Times |access-date=July 27, 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141012221700/http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.com/archive/?date=20031108&slug=lightrail09m0 |archive-date=October 12, 2014}} finding that the base of the hill is composed of stable clay, while the upper sections have several layers of glacial deposits from the most recent ice age.{{cite news |last=Lindblom |first=Mike |date=July 13, 2003 |title=Shaft shines light on light-rail plan |url=https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/20030713/tunnel13m/shaft-shines-light-on-light-rail-plan |work=The Seattle Times |access-date=July 27, 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180116025343/http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.com/archive/?date=20030713&slug=tunnel13m |archive-date=January 16, 2018}} The station's design and art installations were revealed during a month-long exhibit at the El Centro de la Raza, located adjacent to the station site.{{cite press release |author= |date=January 9, 2003 |title=Beacon Hill Light Rail Station artwork to reflect community's fabric |url=http://www.soundtransit.org/About-Sound-Transit/News-and-events/News-releases/News-release-archive/Beacon-Hill-Light-Rail-Station-artwork-to-reflect-communitys-fabric |location=Seattle, Washington |publisher=Sound Transit |access-date=July 27, 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924104215/http://www.soundtransit.org/About-Sound-Transit/News-and-events/News-releases/News-release-archive/Beacon-Hill-Light-Rail-Station-artwork-to-reflect-communitys-fabric |archive-date=September 24, 2015}} The South China Restaurant, a Chinese restaurant and bar that was located on the Beacon Hill station site since the 1950s,{{cite news |last=Chin |first=Doug |date=April 16, 2002 |title=Beacon hill light rail station plans: South China Restaurant a casualty |url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P1-79297572.html |url-access=|work=International Examiner |location=Seattle, Washington |access-date=July 27, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924182115/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P1-79297572.html |archive-date=September 24, 2015}} was demolished in preparation for construction of the station shafts in February 2004.{{cite news |last=Ramirez |first=Marc |date=February 1, 2004 |title=Perry Ko's Beacon Hill restaurant and bar is moving |url=https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/20040201/perryko01/perry-kos-beacon-hill-restaurant-and-bar-is-moving |work=The Seattle Times |access-date=July 27, 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304001226/http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.com/archive/?date=20040201&slug=perryko01 |archive-date=March 4, 2016}}{{cite news |last=Fryer |first=Alex |date=July 26, 2002 |title=Light rail to displace Beacon Hill hangout |url=https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/20020726/southchina26m/light-rail-to-displace-beacon-hill-hangout |work=The Seattle Times |access-date=July 27, 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304001713/http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.com/archive/?date=20020726&slug=southchina26m |archive-date=March 4, 2016}}

Sound Transit awarded the tunnel-boring contract to the Obayashi Corporation, one of the largest Japanese general contractors, for $280 million with a $20 million contingency, an estimated $42 million more than expected by the agency.{{cite news |author= |date=June 11, 2004 |title=Local Digest: Sound Transit board approves big contract |url=https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/20040611/dige11m/everett-authorities-probe-suspicious-fires |work=The Seattle Times |access-date=July 27, 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141022201708/http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.com/archive/?date=20040611&slug=dige11m |archive-date=October 22, 2014}} Obayashi and the Beacon Hill Constructors were the only firms to compete for the Beacon Hill Tunnel and Station contract, the latter bidding $305 million.{{cite news |last=Lindblom |first=Mike |date=May 15, 2004 |title=Light-rail tunnel estimate $41 million short, but money is there |url=https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/20040515/tunnel15m/light-rail-tunnel-estimate-41-million-short-but-money-is-there |work=The Seattle Times |access-date=July 27, 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141022201659/http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.com/archive/?date=20040515&slug=tunnel15m |archive-date=October 22, 2014}} Beginning in March 2005, workers excavated of two {{convert|180|ft|m|adj=mid|-deep}}, {{convert|46|ft|m|adj=mid|-wide}} vertical shafts using a technique utilizing a concrete "slurry wall" cylinder and pumping in cement grout to stabilize soils.{{cite web |date=May 2006 |title=Beacon Hill Station and Tunnel: Fact Sheet |url=http://www.soundtransit.org/Documents/pdf/projects/link/central/FACTBeaconHill5_06p.pdf |publisher=Sound Transit |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071215115536/http://www.soundtransit.org/Documents/pdf/projects/link/central/FACTBeaconHill5_06p.pdf |archive-date=December 15, 2007 |access-date=February 25, 2018}} The tunnel itself was mined using a {{convert|360|ST|lbs kg|adj=mid}} tunnel boring machine sporting a {{convert|21|ft|m|adj=mid}} diameter drill,{{cite news |last=Lindblom |first=Mike |date=January 19, 2006 |title=Drilling toward the light (rail) |url=https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/20060119/tunnel19m/drilling-toward-the-light-rail |work=The Seattle Times |access-date=July 27, 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141022201703/http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.com/archive/?date=20060119&slug=tunnel19m |archive-date=October 22, 2014}}{{cite news |last=Lindblom |first=Mike |date=April 20, 2006 |title=Beacon Hill tunneling a breeze |url=https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/20060420/tunnel20m/beacon-hill-tunneling-a-breeze |work=The Seattle Times |access-date=July 27, 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141022203046/http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.com/archive/?date=20060420&slug=tunnel20m |archive-date=October 22, 2014}} with 150 blades rotating at 1.5 rpm whilst moving at a maximum of {{convert|50|ft|m}} per day,{{cite news |last=Lee |first=Kristopher |date=April 20, 2006 |title=Boring through Beacon Hill |url=http://old.seattletimes.com/news/local/links/tunnel20.html |type=Digital image |work=The Seattle Times |access-date=July 27, 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161011160234/http://old.seattletimes.com/news/local/links/tunnel20.html |archive-date=October 11, 2016}} custom-built for the project by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries in Kobe, Japan.{{cite web|date=January 2006 |title=Tunnel Boring Machine Fact Sheet, January 2006 |url=http://www.soundtransit.org/documents/pdf/projects/link/central/fact_tbm-4.pdf |publisher=Sound Transit |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101226204732/http://www.soundtransit.org/documents/pdf/projects/link/central/FACT_TBM-4.pdf |archive-date=December 26, 2010 |access-date=September 27, 2016}}{{cite journal |last=Molesworth |first=Carl |date=June 5, 2006 |title=Inside the Emerald Mole. |journal=Pacific Builder and Engineer |location=Indianapolis, Indiana |publisher=Associated Construction Publications |url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-146776968.html |url-access=|access-date=July 27, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150328153351/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-146776968.html |archive-date=March 28, 2015}} Nicknamed the "Emerald Mole" during a contest for children in late 2005,{{cite press release |author= |date=August 1, 2005 |title=Hey kids: help name the Beacon Hill tunnel-boring machine! |url=http://www.soundtransit.org/About-Sound-Transit/News-and-events/News-releases/News-release-archive/Hey-kids-help-name-the-Beacon-Hill-tunnel-boring-machine |location=Seattle, Washington |publisher=Sound Transit |access-date=July 27, 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924104304/http://www.soundtransit.org/About-Sound-Transit/News-and-events/News-releases/News-release-archive/Hey-kids-help-name-the-Beacon-Hill-tunnel-boring-machine |archive-date=September 24, 2015}}{{cite news |author= |date=August 8, 2005 |title=Here and Now: Can you dig it? |url=https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/20050808/here08m/its-that-time-again |work=The Seattle Times |access-date=July 27, 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141022201705/http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.com/archive/?date=20050808&slug=here08m |archive-date=October 22, 2014}} the drill was launched during a public ceremony on January 18, 2006 held at the west portal of the tunnel on the west side of Beacon Hill, below Interstate 5, where the TBM started excavating.{{cite press release |author= |date=January 18, 2006 |title=ST launches tunnel-boring machine for light rail tunnels under Beacon Hill |url=http://www.soundtransit.org/About-Sound-Transit/News-and-events/News-releases/News-release-archive/ST-launches-tunnel-boring-machine-for-light-rail-tunnels-under-Beacon-Hill |location=Seattle, Washington |publisher=Sound Transit |access-date=July 27, 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924104454/http://www.soundtransit.org/About-Sound-Transit/News-and-events/News-releases/News-release-archive/ST-launches-tunnel-boring-machine-for-light-rail-tunnels-under-Beacon-Hill |archive-date=September 24, 2015}} Construction at the station site was briefly interrupted for an hour in May by 17 protesters demanding contracts for businesses owned by African Americans, the only such incident at the construction area.{{cite news |last=Lindblom |first=Mike |date=May 12, 2006 |title=Protest disrupts work on light rail |url=http://old.seattletimes.com/html/localnews/2002988655_blackprotest12m.html |work=The Seattle Times |access-date=July 27, 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161011160754/http://old.seattletimes.com/html/localnews/2002988655_blackprotest12m.html |archive-date=October 11, 2016}}

The only fatality on the Central Link project occurred on February 7, 2007, near the west portal of the northbound Beacon Hill Tunnel, where 49-year-old mechanic Michael Merryman{{cite news |last=Lindblom |first=Mike |date=February 9, 2007 |title=Tunnel contractor had safety issues last year, audit found |url=http://old.seattletimes.com/html/localnews/2003565051_webtunnel09.html |work=The Seattle Times |access-date=July 27, 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161011155705/http://old.seattletimes.com/html/localnews/2003565051_webtunnel09.html |archive-date=October 11, 2016}} was thrown from a supply train after it collided with an unoccupied locomotive, also injuring another worker who was released from a local hospital the following day with minor injuries.{{cite press release |author= |date=February 6, 2007 |title=Light rail worker fatally injured in construction accident |url=http://www.soundtransit.org/About-Sound-Transit/News-and-events/News-releases/News-release-archive/Beacon-Hill |location=Seattle, Washington |publisher=Sound Transit |access-date=July 27, 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141107223730/http://www.soundtransit.org/About-Sound-Transit/News-and-events/News-releases/News-release-archive/Beacon-Hill |archive-date=November 7, 2014}}{{cite news |last1=Green |first1=Sara Jean |last2=Clarridge |first2=Christine |date=February 7, 2007 |title=One dead, one hurt in Sound Transit construction accident in Seattle |url=http://old.seattletimes.com/html/localnews/2003560711_webtransitfatal07.html |work=The Seattle Times |access-date=July 27, 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161011160725/http://old.seattletimes.com/html/localnews/2003560711_webtransitfatal07.html |archive-date=October 11, 2016}} The accident prompted the public release of an ongoing Sound Transit audit of Obayashi in addition to an investigation led by the Washington State Department of Labor and Industries into workplace safety at the tunnel site. The Sound Transit audit, which began after a previous supply train accident the previous October, released a report days after the accident that recommended unannounced brake inspections and criticized Obayashi's Beacon Hill managers for not participating in safety meetings and inspections; the report also blamed frequent employee turnover for the lack of safety awareness. Obayashi was fined $29,000 for the accident in addition to other workplace violations, ranging from failure to properly train the workers operating the supply trains to a lack of a bumper stop to prevent train collisions.{{cite news |last=Alexander |first=Bryan |date=August 10, 2007 |title=Contractor fined $29,000 after fatal tunnel accident |url=http://old.seattletimes.com/html/localnews/2003831256_webtunnel10m.html |work=The Seattle Times |access-date=July 27, 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161011160744/http://old.seattletimes.com/html/localnews/2003831256_webtunnel10m.html |archive-date=October 11, 2016}} Another controversy emerged during tunnel construction shortly after work began in December 2004, when caustic mud found at a landfill was traced back to the Beacon Hill Tunnel project by a state inspection. The contamination was determined to have originated in the jet grout, a highly alkaline substance, used to solidify dirt around the vertical station shafts during the early stages of station construction. Obayashi decontaminated nearly {{convert|60,000|cuyd|m3}} of dirt and debris dumped at a sand mine in Maple Valley at a cost of $2.4 million.{{cite news |last1=Cornwall |first1=Warren |last2=Lindblom |first2=Mike |date=September 9, 2007 |title=Some light-rail tunnel debris polluted |url=http://old.seattletimes.com/html/localnews/2003876171_soundtransit09m.html |work=The Seattle Times |access-date=July 27, 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161011155751/http://old.seattletimes.com/html/localnews/2003876171_soundtransit09m.html |archive-date=October 11, 2016}}

After 17 months of drilling, "Emerald Mole" broke through the east side of Beacon Hill, near the site of Mount Baker station, on May 9, 2007 to complete the {{convert|4300|ft|m|adj=mid|-long}} southbound tunnel.{{cite press release |author= |date=May 7, 2007 |title=Tunnel boring machine completes first Beacon Hill light rail tunnel |url=http://www.soundtransit.org/About-Sound-Transit/News-and-events/News-releases/News-release-archive/TBM-Breakthrough |location=Seattle, Washington |publisher=Sound Transit |access-date=July 27, 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924104659/http://www.soundtransit.org/About-Sound-Transit/News-and-events/News-releases/News-release-archive/TBM-Breakthrough |archive-date=September 24, 2015}}{{cite news |last=Lindblom |first=Mike |date=May 9, 2007 |title=Light-rail breakthrough: 375-ton drill tunnels out of Beacon Hill |url=http://old.seattletimes.com/html/localnews/2003699290_tunnel09m.html |work=The Seattle Times |access-date=July 27, 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161011160609/http://old.seattletimes.com/html/localnews/2003699290_tunnel09m.html |archive-date=October 11, 2016}} The tunnel boring machine was dismantled and trucked west to SoDo, where it was reassembled the following month and launched again in July, completing the northbound tunnel on March 5, 2008 and re-emerging within {{convert|5|mm|in|1|sp=us}} of its target.{{cite press release |author= |date=March 4, 2008 |title=Tunnel boring machine completes second Beacon Hill light rail tunnel |url=http://www.soundtransit.org/About-Sound-Transit/News-and-events/News-releases/News-release-archive/2ndTubeBreakthru |location=Seattle, Washington |publisher=Sound Transit |access-date=July 27, 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924104139/http://www.soundtransit.org/About-Sound-Transit/News-and-events/News-releases/News-release-archive/2ndTubeBreakthru |archive-date=September 24, 2015}} Obayashi finished its excavation of the station site, including the main and emergency shafts, ventilation tubes and passenger crossover tunnels, in late June; construction of the station shafts progressed slowly, digging up to {{convert|5|ft|m}} at a time, before the final concrete wall and waterproof lining were installed.{{cite news |last=Lindblom |first=Mike |date=June 25, 2007 |title=Underground Link station a beacon of engineering |url=http://old.seattletimes.com/html/localnews/2003761378_tunnel25m.html |work=The Seattle Times |access-date=July 27, 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161011155806/http://old.seattletimes.com/html/localnews/2003761378_tunnel25m.html |archive-date=October 11, 2016}}

=Opening=

Beacon Hill station opened to the public on July 18, 2009 during a weekend of free service celebrating the inaugural day of Central Link service.{{cite press release |author= |date=July 18, 2009 |title=Link light rail launches new era of mobility for central Puget Sound |url=http://www.soundtransit.org/About-Sound-Transit/News-and-events/News-releases/News-release-archive/LinkInService |location=Seattle, Washington |publisher=Sound Transit |access-date=July 27, 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303225339/http://www.soundtransit.org/About-Sound-Transit/News-and-events/News-releases/News-release-archive/LinkInService |archive-date=March 3, 2016}} The line's opening was delayed from its projected July 3 date due in part to slowdowns in Beacon Hill construction.{{cite news |last=Lindblom |first=Mike |date=March 16, 2009 |title=Seattle-to-Tukwila light-rail line runs out of "cushion" for a July 3 start |page=B1 |url=http://old.seattletimes.com/html/localnews/2008865336_transitsked16m.html |work=The Seattle Times |access-date=September 17, 2017 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170918110438/http://old.seattletimes.com/html/localnews/2008865336_transitsked16m.html |archive-date=September 18, 2017}} The year after the line opened, nine air pockets above the tunnel, caused by soil slides above the tunnel boring machine, were discovered and filled with cement to prevent sinkholes.{{cite news |last=Lindblom |first=Mike |date=March 11, 2010 |title=Sound Transit to do more drilling, filling to close 9 voids in Beacon Hill |url=http://old.seattletimes.com/html/localnews/2011322648_void12m.html |work=The Seattle Times |access-date=July 27, 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161011155634/http://old.seattletimes.com/html/localnews/2011322648_void12m.html |archive-date=October 11, 2016}}

During a winter storm in January 2012, an overnight train running to keep the overhead catenary free of ice stalled inside the Beacon Hill Tunnel, allowing for ice build up that canceled Link service for several hours.{{cite news |last1=Dardarian |first1=Suki |last2=Lindblom |first2=Mike |date=January 19, 2012 |title=Trains running regularly — for now |url=http://old.seattletimes.com/html/theweatherbeat/2017283600_trains_running_regularly_for_now.html |work=The Seattle Times |access-date=July 27, 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161011160508/http://old.seattletimes.com/html/theweatherbeat/2017283600_trains_running_regularly_for_now.html |archive-date=October 11, 2016}} In late 2013, the station was closed for two hours after the discovery of smoke in the tunnel, station, and nearby Mount Baker Station, coming from a homeless encampment on the west side of Beacon Hill. The incident prompted Sound Transit to hold meetings with the Seattle Fire Department on preventing a total system shut-down in the event of an electrical fire.{{cite news |last=Lindblom |first=Mike |date=October 29, 2013 |title=Homeless campers' fire caused Monday's light-rail shutdown |url=http://blogs.seattletimes.com/today/2013/10/mondays-light-rail-shutdown-caused-by-homeless-campers-fire/ |work=The Seattle Times |access-date=July 27, 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141215015843/http://blogs.seattletimes.com/today/2013/10/mondays-light-rail-shutdown-caused-by-homeless-campers-fire/ |archive-date=December 15, 2014}} The station was closed for one-day periods in January 2016 and October 2019 after multiple elevators were out of service; the incident in October 2019 saw all four elevators shut down for several hours.{{cite news |last=Lindblom |first=Mike |date=October 22, 2019 |title=Elevator failure at Beacon Hill light-rail station still a mystery to Sound Transit |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/transportation/elevator-failure-at-beacon-hill-light-rail-station-still-a-mystery-to-sound-transit/ |work=The Seattle Times |access-date=October 22, 2019}}

Station layout

File:Sound Transit Beacon Hill Tunnel.jpg

Beacon Hill station was designed by architectural firm Otak and built by a joint venture between engineering firms Hatch Mott MacDonald and Jacobs Engineering Group.{{cite web |title=Sound Transit Motion No. M2006-45 |url=http://www.soundtransit.org/sites/default/files/documents/pdf/about/board/motions/2006/M2006-45.pdf |date=June 1, 2006 |publisher=Sound Transit |access-date=July 26, 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161002031659/http://www.soundtransit.org/sites/default/files/documents/pdf/about/board/motions/2006/M2006-45.pdf |archive-date=October 2, 2016}}{{cite book |last1=Laubbichler |first1=J. |last2=Schwind |first2=T. |last3=Urschitz |first3=G. |editor-last=Ozdemir |editor-first=Levent |date=April 1, 2004 |chapter=Benchmark for the future: the largest SEM soft ground tunnels in the United States for the Beacon Hill Station in Seattle |title=North American Tunneling 2004: Proceedings of the North American Tunneling Conference 2004, 17-22 April 2004, Atlanta, Georgia, USA |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JCJnZLCuOUEC |via=Google Books |location=Boca Raton, Florida |publisher=CRC Press |page=201 |isbn=978-90-5809-669-2 |access-date=July 26, 2004 |quote=The Hatch Mott McDonald/Jacobs (HMMJ) Joint Venture is the lead designer for the Beacon Hill Tunnels and Station, the architectural design is carried out by Otak. |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170217011246/https://books.google.com/books?id=JCJnZLCuOUEC |archive-date=17 February 2017}} The station building houses entrances to four high-speed elevators that travel {{convert|160|ft|m|0}} to platform level in 20 seconds.{{cite news |last=Lindblom |first=Mike |date=July 11, 2009 |title=Beacon Hill's light-rail station filled with colorful art |url=http://old.seattletimes.com/html/localnews/2009338837_stbeaconhill15m.html |work=The Seattle Times |access-date=July 26, 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161011160505/http://old.seattletimes.com/html/localnews/2009338837_stbeaconhill15m.html |archive-date=October 11, 2016}} Beacon Hill's {{convert|400|ft|m|adj=mid|-long}} split island platform is located between the two Beacon Hill Tunnel tubes, with a small cross-tunnel passageway between the two sections of the platform.{{cite web |title=Beacon Hill Tunnels and Station – Central Link Light Rail System Contract RTA/LR 105-03; C710 |url=http://www.obayashi-na.com/portfolio/detail/id/129 |publisher=Obayashi USA |access-date=July 26, 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140728200007/http://www.obayashi-na.com/portfolio/detail/id/129 |archive-date=July 28, 2014}} It serves 1 Line's two tracks; the northbound tracks serves trains to Northgate, while the southbound tracks serves trains to Angle Lake. As with all Link stations, electronic information signs above the platform offer real-time information about train arrivals and service alerts, in addition to announcements over an intercom. Beacon Hill's bus stops are located south of the station building on Beacon Avenue, with the northbound stop located adjacent to the station and the southbound stop accessible via a signaled crosswalk. The station does not include public parking, but is within walking distance of several private parking lots that require payment. ORCA card vending machines are located outside the station building, along with bicycle lockers and a bicycle cage with space for 48 bicycles.{{cite news |last=Cassuto |first=Dan |date=April 14, 2016 |title=Sound Transit adding secure bike cages at light rail stations |url=http://www.king5.com/news/local/sound-transit-adding-secure-bike-cages-at-light-rail-stations/133113061 |publisher=KING 5 News |access-date=August 11, 2017 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170812101330/http://www.king5.com/news/local/sound-transit-adding-secure-bike-cages-at-light-rail-stations/133113061 |archive-date=August 12, 2017}} Emergency staircases and the ventilation shaft are capped by the east headhouse, located behind the station building and plaza on South Lander Street.{{cite web|date=May 5, 2006 |title=Beacon Hill Station: Ancillary Shaft |url=http://www.soundtransit.org/documents/pdf/projects/updates/BeaconHill_MtBaker_ConstructionUpdate%20_May_06_2006.pdf |work=Link Light Rail Construction Update: Beacon Hill |publisher=Sound Transit |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060923232250/http://www.soundtransit.org/documents/pdf/projects/updates/BeaconHill_MtBaker_ConstructionUpdate%20_May_06_2006.pdf |archive-date=September 23, 2006 |access-date=September 27, 2016}}

Hatch Mott MacDonald and Jacobs Engineering Group were awarded the 2010 Engineering Excellence Platinum Award by the Washington branch of the American Council of Engineering Companies for designing and constructing the Beacon Hill Tunnel and Station.{{cite news |editor-last=Silver |editor-first=Jon |date=January 25, 2010 |title=Platinum Award: Hatch Mott MacDonald/Jacobs Engineering Joint Venture |url=https://www.djc.com/special/ACEC2010/awards.html?frmurl=1.html |series=ACEC 2010 Engineering Excellence Awards |work=Seattle Daily Journal of Commerce |access-date=July 26, 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304111155/https://www.djc.com/special/ACEC2010/awards.html?frmurl=1.html |archive-date=March 4, 2016}}

=Art=

File:Beacon Hill Station Pictogram.svg, which depicts a kite]]

Beacon Hill houses several art installations as part of the "STart" program, which allocates a percentage of project construction funds to art projects to be used in stations.{{cite web |title=STart Public Art Program |url=http://soundtransit.org/Projects-Home/STart-Public-Art-Program.xml |publisher=Sound Transit |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100612175542/http://soundtransit.org/Projects-Home/STart-Public-Art-Program.xml |archive-date=June 12, 2010 |access-date=September 16, 2009}} Located outside the station building, Carl Smool's Common Threads: Community Patterns is divided into three elements: etched "carpets" in the plaza's sidewalks, three colorful cut-metal banners in front of the station entrance, and an Aztec-patterned vent screen facing the El Centro de la Raza. The entire metal banners installation was removed in March 2011 after one of the poles fell during high winds,{{cite news|date=March 10, 2011 |title=Strong winds slam Puget Sound region |url=http://www.komonews.com/news/local/117734088.html |work=KOMO-TV |location=Seattle, Washington |publisher=Fisher Communications |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140809035659/http://www.komonews.com/news/local/117734088.html |archive-date=August 9, 2014 |access-date=September 27, 2016}} but was restored in August 2012.{{cite news|last=Dunlap |first=Wendi |date=August 27, 2012 |title=Repairs and returns at Beacon Hill Station |url=http://www.komonews.com/communities/southseattle/196115761.html |work=KOMO-TV |location=Seattle, Washington |publisher=Fisher Communications |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140809035659/http://www.komonews.com/news/local/117734088.html |archive-date=August 9, 2014 |access-date=September 27, 2016}} A second windstorm in 2014 damaged the sculpture's foundation, which was rebuilt and reinstalled in 2017.{{cite news |date=September 28, 2017 |title=Beacon Hill "Common Threads" art poles rise again! |url=https://www.soundtransit.org/blog/platform/beacon-hill-common-threads-art-poles-rise-again |work=The Platform |publisher=Sound Transit |access-date=October 4, 2017 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171005000653/https://www.soundtransit.org/blog/platform/beacon-hill-common-threads-art-poles-rise-again |archive-date=October 5, 2017}}

Two sculptures made by Dan Corson were installed at the station's underground level: Portals consists of a wall of portals with images from the Hubble Space Telescope, microscopes, and the deep sea at the elevator lobby; Space Forms is a series of brightly-colored, translucent sculptures suspended above the platforms that resemble microscopic creatures floating under a microscope.{{cite web |title=STart – Sound Transit Art Program: Guide to Art on Central Link light rail |url=http://www.soundtransit.org/sites/default/files/documents/pdf/201404_startonlinkmap.pdf |date=April 2014 |publisher=Sound Transit |access-date=September 27, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150906070354/http://www.soundtransit.org/sites/default/files/documents/pdf/201404_startonlinkmap.pdf |archive-date=September 6, 2015}} An additional installation, Bill Bell's Light Sticks, is embedded in the walls of the Beacon Hill Tunnel. A series of LED displays, typically showing images of playing cards, flash for 1/30th of a second through the train windows. The art is considered by Sound Transit an extension of Bell's installation at the University Street station that similarly depends on persistence of vision to project subliminal images.{{cite web |title=Beacon Hill Station and Tunnel – Public Art |url=http://soundtransit.org/Projects-Home/STart-Public-Art-Program/Public-Art-Projects/Beacon-Hill-Station.xml |publisher=Sound Transit |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100612220335/http://soundtransit.org/Projects-Home/STart-Public-Art-Program/Public-Art-Projects/Beacon-Hill-Station.xml |archive-date=June 12, 2010 |access-date=September 16, 2009}}{{cite news |last=Duncan |first=Don |date=August 10, 1990 |title=Metro shows off tunnel vision—High-tech artwork dazzles thousands at University Street bus station |page=B1 |url=https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/19900810/1087118/metro-shows-off-tunnel-vision |work=The Seattle Times |access-date=August 11, 2017 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161003094621/http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.com/archive/?date=19900810&slug=1087118 |archive-date=October 3, 2016}}

The station's former pictogram, a kite, represented the neighborhood's community spaces. It was created by Christian French as part of the Stellar Connections series and its points represented nearby destinations, including El Centro de la Raza, the Beacon Hill Branch Library, the Beacon Hill Reservoir, and the 12th Avenue Viewpoint.{{cite web |title=Stellar Connections |url=http://soundtransit.org/Projects-Home/STart-Public-Art-Program/Public-Art-Projects/StellarConnections.xml |publisher=Sound Transit |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100612221831/http://soundtransit.org/Projects-Home/STart-Public-Art-Program/Public-Art-Projects/StellarConnections.xml |archive-date=June 12, 2010 |access-date=September 5, 2016}}{{cite web |title=Stellar Connections: The story of the pictograms at Link light rail stations |url=http://www.soundtransit.org/Documents/pdf/working/artist/StellarConnections.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150408090354/http://www.soundtransit.org/Documents/pdf/working/artist/StellarConnections.pdf |archive-date=April 8, 2015 |publisher=Sound Transit |access-date=September 5, 2016}} The pictogram series was retired in 2024 and replaced by station numbers.{{cite news |date=August 29, 2024 |title=Understanding Sound Transit's new three-digit Station Codes |url=https://www.soundtransit.org/blog/platform/understanding-sound-transits-new-three-digit-station-codes |work=The Platform |publisher=Sound Transit |accessdate=June 12, 2025}}

Services

Beacon Hill station is part of Sound Transit's 1 Line, which runs from between Lynnwood, the University of Washington campus, Downtown Seattle, the Rainier Valley, and Seattle–Tacoma International Airport. It is the fifteenth southbound station from Lynnwood City Center and seventh northbound station from Angle Lake; Beacon Hill is situated between SODO and Mount Baker stations. Trains serve the station twenty hours a day on weekdays and Saturdays, from 5:00 am to 1:00 am, and eighteen hours on Sundays, from 6:00 am to 12:00 am; during regular weekday service, trains operate roughly every eight to ten minutes during rush hour and midday operation, respectively, with longer headways of twelve to fifteen minutes in the early morning and at night. During weekends, Link trains arrive at Beacon Hill station every ten minutes during midday hours and every twelve to fifteen minutes during mornings and evenings. The station is approximately 44 minutes from Lynnwood City Center station, 12 minutes from Westlake station in Downtown Seattle, and 25 minutes from SeaTac/Airport station.{{cite web |date=August 2024 |title=Line 1 Line: Lynnwood City Center — Angle Lake schedule |url=https://www.soundtransit.org/sites/default/files/documents/schedule-link-1-line.pdf |publisher=Sound Transit |access-date=September 15, 2024}} The final northbound 1 Line trips during late evenings terminate at Beacon Hill.{{cite news |last=Alquist |first=Nic |date=March 8, 2024 |title=Late night 1 Line service to see changes starting March 30 |url=https://www.soundtransit.org/blog/platform/late-night-1-line-service-to-see-changes-starting-march-30 |work=The Platform |publisher=Sound Transit |accessdate=May 3, 2024}} In 2023, an average of 2,134 passengers boarded Link trains at Beacon Hill station on weekdays.

The station is also served by three bus routes operated by King County Metro that use bus stops adjacent to the station: Route 36, an electric trolleybus route, runs along Beacon Avenue from Othello station to the International District and Downtown; Route 60 runs between West Seattle, Georgetown, Beacon Hill, First Hill and Capitol Hill; and Route 107, which terminates at the station and travels southeasterly to Georgetown, Rainier Beach station, Skyway and Renton.{{cite book |date=September 10, 2016 |title=Ride the Wave Transit Guide |url=http://www.soundtransit.org/sites/default/files/RTW_Sept2016.pdf |page=15 |edition=September 2016 |publisher=Sound Transit |access-date=September 11, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160911065517/http://www.soundtransit.org/sites/default/files/RTW_Sept2016.pdf |archive-date=September 11, 2016}}{{cite map |date=September 2016 |title=Metro Transit System: Central Area |url=http://metro.kingcounty.gov/maps/system/2016/sept/metro-system-map-central.pdf |publisher=King County Metro |access-date=September 11, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160920164921/http://metro.kingcounty.gov/maps/system/2016/sept/metro-system-map-central.pdf |archive-date=September 20, 2016}}

References

External links

[https://www.soundtransit.org/ride-with-us/stops-stations/beacon-hill-station Sound Transit Rider Guide]

Category:2009 establishments in Washington (state)

Category:Beacon Hill, Seattle

Category:Link light rail stations in Seattle

Category:Railway stations in the United States opened in 2009

Category:Railway stations located underground in Seattle