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Dispatcher error, power outage delays Sounder train; free rides offered the rest of the week

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The combination of a novice Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railway Company (BNSF) train dispatcher mistaking the 6:50 a.m. Sounder commuter train as a freight train and a truck accident in Auburn that knocked out power to the rail signal system delayed the Sounder train by 35 minutes. BNSF and Sound Transit apologize to our customers for any inconvenience the delay may have caused, and Sound Transit is offering free rides on Sounder for the rest of the week.

The BNSF dispatchers direct train traffic throughout the western region of the United States from a master control complex in Fort Worth, TX.

Sounder's two weekday rush-hour trains serve Tacoma, Sumner, Auburn and Seattle, leaving Tacoma at 6:20 and 6:50 in the morning and leaving Seattle in the afternoon at 5:25 and 5:45. Service will begin in Kent in November, Puyallup in February and Tukwila by next September.

Voter-approved in 1996, Sound Transit is on track to implement a three-county regional transit system plan known as Sound Move. Sound Move is a seamless blend of three transportation systems: Sounder commuter rail, running 82 miles from Everett to Tacoma/Lakewood; Link light rail, a 21-mile system connecting the cities of Seattle, Tukwila and SeaTac and a 1.6 mile system in Tacoma; and Regional Express, featuring 18 new ST Express limited stop, long-haul bus routes and numerous improvements to transit centers, park-and-ride lots and HOV lanes throughout the region.

Sounder's customer information line is 1-888-889-6368; for TTY hearing impaired users please call 1-888-713-6030 and the Sounder Web site is www.sounder.org. For general Sound Transit information please visit the Sound Transit Web site at www.soundtransit.org/, or call or write for more information at Sound Transit, Union Station, 401 S. Jackson St., Seattle, WA 98104, 206-398-5000 or toll free 1-800-201-4900.


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Sound Transit plans, builds and operates regional transit systems and services to improve mobility for Central Puget Sound.