Sounder "Home Run" train for Mariners -games to begin service April 22

Beginning Sunday, April 22 the popular Sounder "Home Run" train returns to give fans a stress-free way to get to all regular Sunday afternoon home games, plus service to the All-Star FanFests on Saturday, July 7 and Sunday, July 8.

With every Sounder station between Tacoma and Seattle now in service, Mariners fans from Puyallup, Sumner, Auburn, Kent, Tukwila and Tacoma will now be able to board the Sounder Home Run train in their own communities (last year all fans boarded in Tacoma).

The Sounder Home Run service begins Sunday, April 22 and continues for every Sunday Mariners home game: May 6 and 20; June 3, 10 and 24; July 15 and 29; Aug. 12 and 26; and Sept. 9, 16 and 30. The Sounder Home Run train will also offer service to All-Star FanFests on Saturday, July 7 and Sunday, July 8.

The train will leave Tacoma at 11 a.m., Puyallup at 11:13 a.m., Sumner at 11:18 a.m., Auburn at 11:27 a.m., Kent at 11:34 a.m., Tukwila at 11:41 a.m. and will arrive around noon at Seattle's King Street Station, just four blocks from Safeco Field. In the afternoon, the Home Run train leaves King Street Station at 5:35 p.m. sharp (fans may begin boarding at 5 p.m. - due to railroad track schedules, the train must depart at 5:35 p.m., even if the game goes into extra innings).

Only 1,200 tickets are available for each date. Tickets must be purchased in advance. Ticket sales are managed by Pierce Transit, and can be ordered by phone with a MasterCard or Visa by calling (800) 562-8109 or (253) 581-8000. Tickets can also be purchased in person at Pierce Transit's Lakewood Bus Shop weekdays 6:30 a.m.-5:00 p.m. and Saturdays 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. Purchases are limited to 20 tickets per person. No refunds or replacements will be issued. Home Run tickets are not valid on local or express bus services. PugetPass, F1exPass and scratch tickets are not valid on Home Run service.

Roundtrip train fares are the same as regular Sounder service. A roundtrip ticket for adults from Tacoma, Puyallup and Sumner is $8; $6 if you board in Auburn, Kent or Tukwila. For youths 5-18 years, roundtrip from Tacoma, Puyallup and Sumner is $6; $4.50 if you board in Auburn, Kent or Tukwila. Children under five ride free with a fare¬paying passenger. Seniors 65 years or older and disabled passengers' roundtrip ticket from Tacoma, Puyallup and Sumner is $4; $3 from Auburn, Kent and Tukwila.

With service to all seven Sounder stations between Tacoma and Seattle now underway, Sounder has continued to surpass opening day ridership projections with more than 10,000 passenger boardings a week, averaging more than 2,000 daily riders on just two round trips, far exceeding the original projection of 1,500 riders per day on three round trips. Ridership numbers are for regular weekday service only and do not include the Mariners Home Run trains or other special service. By 2003, Sounder service is planned to extend north to Everett, Edmonds and Mukilteo and south of Tacoma to Lakewood.
Sound Transit's customer information line is (888) 889-6368 or (888) 713-6030 for TTY hearing impaired users. For more information, visit the Sound Transit Web site at www.soundtransit.org/, or call or write to Sound Transit at: Sound Transit, Union Station, 401 S. Jackson St., Seattle, WA 98104, 206-398-5000 or toll free (800) 201-4900.
 

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