Sound Transit announces extra south corridor train during I-5 construction

Sound Transit announced today that they will add an additional Sounder commuter train to serve Pierce County and South King County during WSDOT’s I-5 lane closures in August. This additional train will run from Puyallup Station to King Street Station in Seattle in the morning and make the return trip to Puyallup in the afternoon beginning Monday, August 13 through Wednesday, August 29. With this extra round-trip train, Sound Transit will have a total of 5 round trip trains serving south Puget Sound.

“Sounder is a great option, but not just during this construction project. Sounder is a great commute option any time. Commuters now have even more options for avoiding traffic,” said Sound Transit CEO Joni Earl. “Sound Transit thanks BNSF for working with us on this issue and their willingness to be part of the solution for this important WSDOT construction project.”

Sound Transit is offering this special service to help mitigate the affects of WSDOT’s I-5 expansion joint replacement project in the northbound lanes between Spokane Street and the I-90 Interchange. WSDOT crews will close up to three lanes of northbound I-5 south of downtown Seattle to replace worn expansion joints and repave I-5 starting August 10. The freeway lane closures will occur round the clock for 19 days and end August 29.

“Organizing this additional train and all of Sound Transit’s plans to help mitigate this huge construction project is a testament to how well our transportation agencies can collaborate and work together to find regional solutions,” said Tacoma Councilmember and Sound Transit Board member Julie Anderson. “When we work together on integrated solutions, we can offer commuters the transportation choices they need to keep this region moving.”

The extra train will run from Puyallup Station to Seattle’s King Street Station each weekday morning beginning August 13. It will depart Puyallup at 6:17 a.m. and stop in Sumner, Auburn, Kent, and Tukwila before arriving in Seattle at 7:10 a.m. In the evening, it will depart Seattle at 4:50 p.m. and serve all of those stations before terminating at Puyallup Station at 5:33 p.m.

One other Sounder train schedule will be adjusted beginning August 13 to accommodate the extra round trip. The #1503 will depart King Street Station at 4:40 pm instead of 4:45 pm, and will arrive at Tukwila, Kent, Auburn, Sumner, Puyallup, and Tacoma five minutes ahead of it’s normal schedule.

Sound Transit’s regular commuter rail fares will apply to all five roundtrip trains.

Sound Transit has partnered with WSDOT to offer extra parking at Tacoma Dome Station, Sumner Station, and Kent Station. Even with extra parking, lots and garages are expected to fill up fast, and commuters are strongly encouraged to arrive at stations early, take buses, vanpool, carpool, or get dropped off at the stations. There are dedicated bus routes that go between Sumner Station and the Bonney Lake Park & Ride and between South Hill Park-and-Ride and Puyallup Station providing direct connections with the trains.

Sound Transit’s Express bus service will also see some temporary changes, with as buses rerouted off I-5 to avoid the construction area between S. Spokane St. and the I-90 interchange. Routes 590, 591, 592, 594, and 595 out of Tacoma and Pierce County and 577 from Federal Way from northbound I-5 will take SR-599, Tukwila International Blvd, Boeing Access Road, Airport Way S to S Lander St, and then proceed on to Busway where they will pick up with their usual route into downtown Seattle. This means that buses will miss the Northbound Bus Way & S Spokane St stop, but instead serve a stop Northbound at Airport Way S & S Spokane St. The 586 from Tacoma to UW will also take SR-599 to SR-99, the Alaska Way Viaduct and Aurora Ave up to NE 45th St and then pick up its usual route.

Sound Transit offers four Sounder weekday commuter rail trains a day (each way) between Seattle and Tacoma with stops in Puyallup, Sumner, Auburn, Kent, Tukwila and Seattle. This fall Sound Transit plans to add two more trips between Tacoma and Seattle, with one new “reverse commute” train running from Seattle to Tacoma in the morning and returning northbound in the evening.

Sound Transit also offers two trains a day (each way) between Everett and Seattle with a stop in Edmonds, and plans to add a third train on that line this fall.

Commuters can go to www.soundtransit.org/i5construction or call 1-888-889-6368 for additional information about train schedules, fares, trip planning, rider alerts, and other commuter information.