Mudslide disrupts train service north of Seattle
EVERETT, Wash. (AP) - A Sunday evening mudslide will disrupt passenger train service north of Seattle on Monday and Tuesday.
Officials say Sounder service between Everett and Seattle is canceled Monday.
On Tuesday morning, it will operate from Mukilteo and Edmonds to Seattle, but it won't make it up to Everett. If there aren't any more mudslides, Sounder service could reach Everett by Tuesday afternoon.
Amtrak service has also been affected by the mudslide.
Officials say Sounder service between Everett and Seattle is canceled Monday.
On Tuesday morning, it will operate from Mukilteo and Edmonds to Seattle, but it won't make it up to Everett. If there aren't any more mudslides, Sounder service could reach Everett by Tuesday afternoon.
Amtrak service has also been affected by the mudslide.
Surprise! Surprise! I see the locations of three recent mud slides include the latest in the picture. I do not know what needs to be done to shore up this problem but it needs to looked ASAP!
I am all for safety, but this is absurd. It is obvious by the frequency of these slides that there is a problem in this area. BNSF needs to fix this. They wonder why light rail doesn't work in this area, well maybe they need to look at how it is managed. If the trains went to areas that people WANT to go to and were RELIABLE then maybe people would use them.Â
Wow again? Shocking.
This is so rare.
Again? Say it ain't so.
Agree with Glassman that if the line gets shutdown, it should be all-or-nothing so ALL the users feel the pain. Then, and only then will the necessary changes be put into play.
The solution is easy, and I have written my senators (with a CC to BNSF) to have the line shut down to ALL rail traffic until such time as BNSF takes proactive measures to shore up the slide prone areas. Until the rail line loses the revenue from freight traffic, they have no incentive to remedy the problem.Â
This is a public safety issue. If a slide happens to derail a propane car or a hazardous shipment, the results could be a public safety disaster.
My understanding is that the frequent mudslides are the results of decades of development along and near the rail line, resulting in new run-off and erosion patterns. Â
@Travis Hartnett You misunderstand, then. This has been going on since the line was opened.
@Glassman @Travis Hartnett Sounder service started in 2000--didn't it make extensive use of existing rail?
@Travis Hartnett Yes, but the slides have been a problem since the line was built.
Seem's like everybody wants to blame Sound Transit or public transportation in general. Can't control the weather or mud slides. If it was something that Sound Transit had control over, I could see blaming them. However, there isnt a whole lot you can do about a situation such as that, except don't take the sounder. Take the bus instead. It's cheaper, and faster anyways.
Another gold star for public transportation..
Shocking. Anybody want to throw another billion or two at Sound Transit for them to waste trying to find a solution to this?
@dg54321 ...and a raise in the gas tax, and a new $45 fee added to our tabs to pay for it.
@Sydthepiper @dg54321 Guess my "$30 car tabs" will now cost $250.........