Sound Transit expands Sounder south service
Written by jrood
The Seattle-area Sound Transit board of directors took a major step towards delivering the Sounder commuter rail expansions that voters approved in 2008 by authorizing the purchase of rights to four additional south line Sounder round trips.
The $185-million purchase
agreement with BNSF enables the regional transit agency to incrementally expand
its popular commuter rail service from nine to 13 round trips a day, with the
first new round trip starting as soon as 2012. The expanded service will add
four peak-direction, peak-hour trains to the Seattle-to-Tacoma Sounder
schedule, with flexibility to run reverse commute and midday service based on
ridership demand.
The easement rights for
the four additional trains grant use of the Seattle-Tacoma railway in
perpetuity.
"The expansion of
Sounder service is a smart investment in our region’s transportation system
that will pay dividends for generations to come," said Sound Transit board
chair and Snohomish County Executive Aaron Reardon. "Since it began
service 10 years ago, Sounder has carried more than 14.5 million passengers,
with more riders hopping on board as our region’s economy recovers and
population centers continue to grow."
The four perpetual
easements purchased from BNSF will expand Sounder service on a staggered
schedule, with the first additional train beginning operation in July of 2012,
followed by a second in the fall of 2014, a third in the summer of 2015, and a
fourth the following year.
