Commuters struggle with Sound Transit cancellations amid cold weather
Brutal cold and an even more brutal commute were the reality for commuters who usually take Sound Transit's Sounder train early Thursday morning.
An 11 p.m. late-night alert Wednesday said all train service was canceled. Not until 6 a.m. the next morning were riders informed that some services had been restored.
KIRO 7′s crew was in Auburn at the train station early Thursday morning talking to riders about the issues and confusion.
As riders made their way to the station expecting to catch a train, they found out that service was fully suspended from Everett down to Lakewood/Tacoma. Some riders were informed by Transit Security or Station Assistants that no trains would be coming and left.
When another alert in Auburn signaled that some S Line Sounder trains would run, some riders toughed it out in the cold waiting roughly 40 minutes to an hour for the train that heads north to Seattle.
Most riders were confused about their commute home, including Janelle Brewer, who says she commutes from Auburn to Seattle regularly, 'I'm very confused... I got the alerts but I didn't see them until I got here around 6 a.m. and then one of my friends texted me and let me that some of the trains were coming.'
Brewer was waiting on the platform with her fellow commuters, asking about whether she could get home on the train, 'We're also not sure if some trains are running this evening.'
A lot of Sounder commuters felt the same way as they tried to get answers on the platform Thursday morning. The Sounder can take anywhere from 6,000 to 8,000 people every day to their destinations. Many riders admitted that seeing the entire service go down is rare.
Kristina Pogosian also is a commuter who rides the Sounder and showed up at the Auburn station early, immediately confused and shocked that the service was not running, 'I was going to take the train this morning… now apparently not.' Pogosian said she didn't get or see any alerts, 'I found out just a few minutes ago, no I didn't know about it.'
In an alert late Wednesday, Sound Transit blamed the service suspension on 'preventative maintenance scheduling issues with Amtrak.' That language was used in both a Tweet on 'X' and on the Sound Transit webpage which is dedicated to rider alerts across all its transportation modes.
KIRO 7 did reach out to the agency and asked the agency to clarify what that meant and a spokesperson sent the following statement:
'Sounder trains are certified for service by the Federal Railroad Administration. They are maintained by our partners at Amtrak. Due to reasons unknown at this time, certification was not achieved for a number of cars and only discovered last night.'
Rider Spencer Rodriguez was also trying to catch the train from Auburn and says he often takes a bus to the Auburn station and then rides the train into the Seattle area. He said this late-night last-minute cancellation of the entire train service was jarring, 'I mean every minute counts so having to drive an hour-and-a-half, just commuting an hour-and-a-half it's a lot.'
Pogosian tried to stay upbeat amid all the issues, 'It happens. I refuse to let things like this bother me!'
While Janelle Brewer admitted it felt more like riding a roller coaster than a commuter train, 'I'm just here for the ride I guess.'
By 6 a.m., the N Line service from Everett to Seattle was restored. A few trains ran on the S Line from Seattle to Lakewood Tacoma as well. Sound Transit stated that it would send updates on the afternoon commute.
When KIRO 7 checked in the afternoon, Sound Transit had issued cancelations for both the S and the N Line:
S Line - Seattle to Lakewood/Tacoma
Cancellation Upcoming
S Line trains #1515 (4:15 PM King Street to Lakewood Station) and #1519 (4:55 PM King Street to Lakewood) are canceled today due to preventative maintenance scheduling issues with Amtrak. Any updates about service will be provided, if changes are made.
In effect: Feb. 13, 4:15 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
N Line - Everett to Seattle
Cancellation Upcoming
N Line trains #1700 (4:05 PM King Street to Everett Station) and #1704 (5:15 PM King Street to Everett Station) are canceled due to preventative maintenance scheduling issues with Amtrak. Any updates about service will be provided, if changes are made.
In effect: Feb. 13, 4:05 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
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