Commuter train finally on its way

Published 9:00 pm Wednesday, May 28, 2003

EVERETT — The Sounder is finally coming to Everett.

Starting late this year, the Puget Sound area’s commuter train will make a scheduled trip south to Seattle’s King Street Station in the morning and north to Everett Station in the evening Monday through Friday. The train will stop in Edmonds on both trips.

Although years behind the time Sounder service was expected to start, the good news for Snohomish County commuters came Wednesday when U.S. Sen. Patty Murray, Sound Transit officials and others announced a 97-year agreement with the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway allowing Sounder to use the railroad’s tracks.

The agreement runs through 2100, and Burlington Northern will make the improvements needed to support eight daily commuter trains, though when those trains will be added is still to be determined.

"Today really is a great day for our families, our businesses, our environment and our future," said Murray, D-Wash.

Murray was widely credited as the person who kept the deal on track and Sound Transit and railroad officials at the negotiating table. High-level, intense talks between the two sides have been going on for nearly two years.

"Anyone who has been frustrated by traffic in the Puget Sound area can take pride in this new service," Murray said. "This new train service means less congestion on our roads, less pollution in our air and an easier commute for thousands of residents from Everett to Seattle."

Sound Transit will pay Burlington Northern $224 million plus interest over a four-year period, according to the preliminary agreement. The agency had budgeted roughly $115 million for access to Burlington Northern’s tracks to Everett, and estimated the total costs for providing the service to Everett at roughly $240 million.

People who live within the transit district’s boundaries — mostly the urban areas of Snohomish, King and Pierce counties — pay for Sound Transit projects, but the money is targeted to the areas where the taxes are collected. There is currently a surplus of money available to pay for Sound Transit projects in Snohomish County, officials said.

The exact date has not been set for the first Everett-Seattle trip, which will cost $6 round trip at current prices. The Edmonds stop will be at a temporary platform, and service to Mukilteo will come after track improvements are completed and a station is built.

"It’s going to be hard to talk through this smile," Snohomish County Executive Bob Drewel said, adding that people in Snohomish County were getting what was promised seven years ago. Drewel, who sits on the Sound Transit board, recently said he wanted to see Sounder service running before he leaves his post later this year. Drewel is not seeking re-election.

Roughly 8,000 people could eventually commute between Everett and Seattle every day, said Ron Sims, Sound Transit chairman and King County executive. Sound Transit officials expect the Everett-Seattle link to carry 600,000 passengers annually by 2010.

The agreement also opens more rails for commuters south of Seattle, giving Sound Transit an option to buy 21 miles of track from Tacoma to the Thurston County line. This would let Sound Transit serve a 100-mile route between Everett and the Pierce-Thurston county line.

Sound Transit officials said the details will be finalized over the next four months. The agreement is subject to approval by the Sound Transit board and the railroad.

Politicians used the announcement ceremony to send a message to Boeing that the state is making progress on its transportation troubles, so often cited as a hindrance to businesses in Western Washington. Transportation issues top the list of criteria Boeing will consider as it picks a site to build its new 7E7 airliner.

"Any business leader who’s been frustrated by Washington’s transportation problems can take comfort in this new step forward," Murray said.

"Boeing, we’re listening," Drewel added.

Sound Transit already runs three commuter trains between Tacoma and Seattle; that service started in 2000. And the three-county route will eventually have stops at 12 or more stations.

The agency also has a fleet of express buses and is working on a linked electric light rail system. Sound Transit is funded by voter-approved bonds, municipal bonds, federal grants and fare revenues.

After the agreement was signed at Everett Station, many from the crowd of roughly 100 boarded the train for a one-way trip to Seattle. Drewel popped on a black-and-white striped old-style conductor’s hat and called out, "All aboard!"

The route passes numerous icons of Western Washington: the waters of Puget Sound backdropped by the Olympic Mountains, herons and eagles, and near the end of the 70-minute trip the Ballard locks and the downtown Seattle waterfront.

Aboard the train, officials sporting big grins traded high fives and hearty handshakes. Applause rippled through the train at each station stop.

"Our children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren will take these trips for granted," Drewel said. "Heck, they’re going to wonder why anybody would bother sitting in traffic on the highway."

Reporter Brian Kelly: 425-339-3422 or kelly@heraldnet.com.