Transit rider Michael Chadek of Everett writes: “I saw a person scrambling around this morning at the Everett train station looking for a power outlet. He could not find one to charge his phone. Remembering my recent trip through an airport — and finding plenty of electrical outlets available, and being used by passengers at every terminal — I wondered why a bus and train station at my home town would limit their use?”
Everett Station serves as a transportation hub for Everett Transit, Community Transit, Sound Transit, Amtrak, Greyhound and other services. The building also houses a career development center.
Meghan Pembroke, a spokesperson for the city of Everett, confirmed that Everett Station has closed off several electrical outlets.
Here’s her full response: “Everett Station has previously provided open electrical outlets both around the campus and inside the building. These outlets were intended to be used by long-distance travelers or commuters waiting at the Station for their trips, as well as for events.
“Over the past few years, we have observed the outlets were not being used exclusively by Everett Station patrons, but by individuals who were visiting the Station for the sole purpose of charging their electronics, and in many instances were disregarding safety practices, blocking walkways and overloading circuits in the restrooms and public hallways.
“While we want to provide great service to our customers, we don’t want non-essential services to be provided at the risk of disrupting our tenant businesses and their visitors, or our transit customers. We have closed the electrical outlets while we researched possible solutions. We are in the process of making a charging station available at the Guest Services desk in the lobby, and we expect it to be in place within the next couple of weeks.”
Have a question? Email us at streetsmarts@heraldnet.com. Please include your first and last name and city of residence. Look for updates on the Street Smarts blog.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
