Sound Transit Cancels Morning Commuter Service
Written by David C. Lester, Editor-in-Chief
Sound Transit commuter train
SEATTLE –– Sound Transit announced this morning that all Sounder S Line commuter service for the morning rush would be canceled.
As of 10:30 a.m. ET, the agency provided an update that trains 1508, 1510, and 1512 have resumed service, but the remainder are still out of service. The agency said that the service cancelation was “due to preventative maintenance scheduling issues with Amtrak.
According to KIRO Newsradio, because Amtrak, which is responsible for the maintenance of Sound Transit commuter locomotives and cars, did not meet the deadlines for maintenance of a group of passenger cars so they could be certified for service. Riders from Everett to Tacoma, numbering in the thousands, were stranded.
KIRO also reports that by 7:00 a.m. local time, three trains resumed service between Seattle and Everett, but all service between Seattle and Tacoma remains suspended. KIRO also reports that Sound Transit spokesperson Dave Jackson said that “Amtrak, under contract, maintains both Sound Transit locomotives and passenger cars. We work together with them to make sure they are ready to service our passengers. However, late yesterday we learned that some cars had missed their certification, hence, would not be available for passenger service. We are looking into how that occurred.” A schedule for return to service is expected to be announed around noon today.
RT&S will continue to follow this story and report any updates.
Update as of 7:55 p.m. Eastern Time, Sound Transit reports that several of it’s commuter trains on the S Line will be delayed by approximately 45 minutes, while three trains have been canceled. The reason given for the delays and cancelations continues to be “due to preventative maintenance scheduling issues with Amtrak.”
