Mud slide stops passenger train service again

Published 3:55 pm Friday, March 18, 2011

MUKILTEO — Another mud slide Friday morning has idled passenger train service between Everett and Seattle through Sunday morning, at the earliest.

The newest slide of mud, rocks and trees occurred around 4:30 a.m. Friday about 3 miles south of Mukilteo, Burlington Northern Santa Fe spokesman Gus Melonas said.

It will idle Sounder Transit commuter rail until Sunday morning at the earliest, Melonas said.

The spate of slides is blamed on heavy rains that saturated the soil.

Over the course of a week, there have been 46 slides that blocked tracks in Western Washington.

More than 90 percent occurred between Seattle and Everett, Melonas said.