Natural gas smell briefly shuts down Seattle light rail service
May 12, 2026, 1:51 PM | Updated: 1:52 pm
The scene after light rail service was suspended in Seattle for a strong odor. (Photo: James Lynch, KIRO Newsradio)
(Photo: James Lynch, KIRO Newsradio)
The Seattle Fire Department (SFD) said 911 calls started coming in around 12:30 p.m. Tuesday for a strong smell of natural gas in the tunnel at the Capitol Hill light rail station.
Because of that odor and a similar odor at other stations between Capitol Hill and Pioneer Square, service was suspended for a short time while fire investigators did their work.
“We sent units to those other stations and did a survey, and we found that while there was an odor, there were no measurable readings there,” SFD Battalion Chief Thomas Richardson said.
Investigators suspect rider boarded light rail with leaking natural gas container
Investigators suspect, but have not yet confirmed, that someone got on the train with some kind of natural gas container that may have been leaking.
No one has been found so far, and light rail service restarted at about 1 p.m.
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