Help Solve Sound Transit's 'University' Name Dilemma

SEATTLE, WA — If there's one thing we can universally agree on, it's that having the word "university" in the name of three different light rail stations would be a little confusing.

Ahead of the planned opening of the U-District light rail station in 2021, Sound Transit is asking the public to help re-name the University Street station in downtown Seattle, which is four stops south of the University of Washington station near Husky Stadium.

The naming problem isn't necessarily due to a Sound Transit oversight. The University Street station opened in the Seattle bus tunnel in 1990, three years before Sound Transit was created, and 19 years before Link light rail began serving the region.

Sound Transit policy prohibits two stations with similar names. The U-District and University of Washington stations already have pretty appropriate names. But Sound Transit will take possession of the downtown bus tunnel from King County Metro in 2020, creating an opportunity to change the station name. The station is near landmarks like the Seattle Art Museum and Benaroya Hall, and has an entrance at Seneca Street and 3rd Avenue.

Sound Transit has come up with six potential names and wants commuters to vote on their favorites. The Sound Transit board will ultimately pick the name in January.

The six potential names are:

• Seneca Street
• Midtown
• Downtown Arts District
• Arts District
• Symphony
• Benaroya Hall

You can vote for your choice on the Sound Transit website, or in-person at the University Street station (mezzanine level) on these dates:

• Sept. 12, 3 to 6 p.m.
• Sept. 17, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
• Sept. 26, 6 a.m. to 10 a.m.
• Sept. 28, 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.