VTA ready to put light rail service back in action; King County, Wash., workers want more protection from COVID-19
Written by RT&S Staff
VTA light rail will be back in service on April 9 following a deep cleaning of train cars after an operator tested positive for COVID-19 two weeks ago.
As one transit agency re-launches its light rail system, workers at another agency are demanding more protection. The Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority will have its light rail service back up and running after a train operator tested positive for COVID-19 two weeks ago. Meanwhile up north in King County, Wash., operators want more to be done to shield them from the spread of the virus.
On April 9, VTA trains will be running every 30 minutes between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. on weekdays. Over the last couple of weeks each train has been through a deep cleaning, and seats are now covered in vinyl instead of upholstery.
The mood among operators in King County, however, has soured. Metro workers held a Zoom press conference on April 7 and expressed major safety concerns during the COVID-19 pandemic. The group sent a letter to King County Executive Dow Constantine and the Seattle City Council with three major bullet points: they want full transparency and disclosure of coronavirus cases at Metro; every bus that goes into service needs to be cleaned, sanitized and filters need to be changed; full personal protection equipment and safe practices training for all who are involved in sanitization; and hazard pay needs to be instituted for all transit workers who are in the line of fire.
The list of demands applies to transit, streetcar and link rail operators.
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