It’s been a humble beginning for commuter rail in Snohomish County.
When the first commuter train headed from Everett to Seattle a year ago today, it was two years late, the price tag had nearly doubled and that lone round-trip train was a far cry from the 12 trains voters were promised when they approved Sound Move in 1996.
Michael O’Leary / The Herald
Sound Transit said then it would have its first train running from Everett to Seattle by 2001.
When service started in 2003, the regional mass transit agency was only able to negotiate with Pacific Northern Santa Fe Railway for four trains a day; only one is in service. A second round-trip train will start by September. The other two are to start by 2007.
Because of tough negotiations, Sound Transit ended up paying Burlington Northern $258 million for access to its tracks – more than double the original estimate of $115 million.
That wasn’t the only cost overrun. Sound Transit also underestimated how much it would cost to build Sounder stations in Everett, Mukilteo and Edmonds.
Add it up, and the bill to bring commuter rail to Snohomish County pencils out at $316 million – 79 percent more than the estimate of $177 million cited in Sound Move.
That’s a steep price to pay for a train that only has about 315 boardings a day, or about 158 round-trip riders each day.
“That’s a lot of money they pumped into it for one train per day,” said Tim Rhoades of Everett. He tried the train when it first started but hated it. “I’m just not impressed. I’d rather ride the bus,” he said.
Sound Transit officials say it’s unfair to compare the cost to buy perpetual access to Burlington Northern’s tracks to the number of riders who take the train now.
“We’re building for the long haul,” said Mark Olson, an Everett City Council member and Sound Transit’s vice chairman. “We’ve got an agreement that is a forever deal.”
Still, starting out with just 315 boardings a day is not what Sound Transit envisioned last year. The goal was 600 boardings per day by the end of the year.
“It’s OK, but obviously we would have liked to see more riders,” said Marty Minkoff, Sound Transit’s director of transportation services.
Original estimates had the 12 weekday round-trip trains supporting 7,200 boardings a day by 2010. With only four trains, Sound Transit now estimates there will be 2,100 boardings per day by 2010.
The key to getting more riders is to add more times, Minkoff said. The No. 1 complaint is that the current schedule allows commuters almost no flexibility.
That’s true for Wayne Radder of Everett, who rode Sounder for three months before finally giving in to his demanding work schedule.
“For me to ride it, I need an earlier train and a later train,” Radder said.
The current train arrives in Seattle at 7:39 a.m. and leaves Seattle at 5:13 p.m. Most people want a train that arrives in Seattle and leaves for Everett earlier or later. The train stops in Edmonds, and will stop in Mukilteo once a station is built there.
Sound Transit must still negotiate with Burlington Northern regarding what times the second, third and fourth trains will run, Minkoff said.
Once the new trains are added, Minkoff said he is confident more people will discover Sounder as a better alternative than fighting traffic.
“When you get out on I-5, it’s touch-and-go,” he said. It can often take well over an hour to reach Everett from Seattle. “The train is very predictable,” he added.
The folks who take the train love it, saying it’s such a smooth one-hour ride that they can work, read, doze or just enjoy gazing out at Puget Sound.
“The commute was beating me up,” said Evan Thompson of Marysville. “My health was paying a price. Sounder lifted that burden off me.”
Thompson said he never thought to try Sounder until someone suggested it earlier this fall. All he had to do was adjust his schedule at work, which allows him to work flexible hours.
Now he’ll never go back to riding the bus.
“I’d rather look at a sunset than at brake lights,” he said.
Reporter Lukas Velush: 425-339-3449 or lvelush@heraldnet.com.
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