Safe and Sound train ride will emphasis safety on the tracks

With more trains moving more frequently on our region's rail corridors, Sound Transit, their rail partners and law enforcement officials believe that education, enforcement and engineering can reduce - and hopefully eliminate - the chances of a train accident with vehicles or pedestrians on private railroad right-of-way. That's the key message of Sound Transit's aptly named Safe and Sound train ride, which will give invited law enforcement officials, media representatives, and elected and community leaders a look at rail safety from the engineer's point of view.

The round-trip Seattle to Tacoma Safe and Sound train ride will be on Thursday, June 8, leaving Seattle's King Street Station at 9:45 a.m. and returning to Seattle from Tacoma's Amtrak Station at 12:30 p.m.

The news media is welcome to ride the train and for more information or to reserve a seat please contact Denny Fleenor at (206) 398-5056 or e-mail at fleenord@soundtransit.org.

The Safe and Sound train is cosponsored by Operation Lifesaver, the nationally-recognized rail safety education program; Amtrak; The Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railway Company; the Federal Railroad Administration; several Washington state agencies including the Utilities and Transportation Commission, Department of Transportation, Traffic Safety Commission and State Patrol; and numerous local law enforcement agencies.

This fall, Sounder commuter trains will begin providing rush hour commuter service between Tacoma and Seattle. The two-level passenger cars feature comfortable seats, restrooms, cupholders, water fountains, work tables, protected outlets for laptop computers and storage areas for bicycles, wheelchairs and strollers. Construction has already begun on some of the commuter rail stations, which will be located in Puyallup, Sumner, Auburn, Kent, and Tukwila. The service is planned to expand in 2001/2002 south to Lakewood and north to Everett.

Sounder commuter rail is one part of Sound Move, the voter-approved plan to bring Link light rail and ST Express bus service to King, Pierce and Snohomish counties. For information on Sounder commuter rail's special Mariners game service, please call Sound Transit at 1-800-201-4900 or check the Sound Transit Web site at www.sounder.org/meetevnt/mariners.htm.

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