It is situated between the Beacon Hill and Stadium 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 entrances to its two side platforms is located at the intersection of the SODO Busway and South Lander Street, adjacent to a United States Postal Service parking garage.

[9] The earliest proposal for a light rail station at South Lander Street in SODO came from the Puget Sound Council of Governments in 1986, as part of a north–south line from Lynnwood to Federal Way, following the Duwamish River from Downtown Seattle to the Seattle–Tacoma International Airport.

[13][14][15] Sound Transit added several alternative routes to Central Link in 1998, including "Route C1" consisting of an at-grade segment parallel to the existing SODO Busway and a tunnel under Beacon Hill, with stations at South Royal Brougham Way, South Lander Street and under Beacon Hill.

[22][30] The plaza also includes seating made of sliced steel I-beams and a cog, with cast bronze replicas of workbench tools soldered onto the granite tops; the seating is meant to humanize the industrial environment, illustrating the process of transforming ideas and raw materials into a completed project.

It was created by Christian French as part of the Stellar Connections series and its points represent nearby destinations, including the Starbucks Center, the Link railyard, Rainier Brewery, and the Beacon Hill Tunnel.

[33][34] SODO 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.

King County Metro operates three all-day routes through the SODO Busway that serve West Seattle, the Rainier Valley, Renton, Tukwila, and Kent.