(The Herald published the following story by Lukas Velush on its website on August 27.)
EVERETT, Wash. — A daily Sounder train will chug its way from Everett to Seattle and back by the end of the year, but specifics on when additional trains start rolling are still being negotiated.
In May, when they announced a landmark agreement to bring commuter rail service to Snohomish County, Sound Transit and Burlington Northern Santa Fe officials said they would hash out the final arrangements within 90 to 120 days.
Tuesday was the 90-day mark, but officials from both sides said negotiations are still ongoing, and are expected to bang up against the September deadline, when the 120-day window will expire at the end of the month.
“I remain absolutely confident that we’ll get the deal done,” said Bob Drewel, Snohomish County executive and Sound Transit board member. “If I’m not riding on that (first) train (by the end of the year), you’ll be reading about it in my obituary.”
In the May agreement, Sound Transit agreed to pay Burlington Northern $250 million over five years. In return Sound Transit was promised the right to run four roundtrip trains per day on the railroad’s tracks for 97 years.
It was agreed that there wouldn’t be any reverse commute trains, which means all four trains would travel south to Seattle in the morning and north to Everett in the afternoon.
What was not agreed on is what times the trains would run and how many years it would take to ramp up to four roundtrips per day.
“We’re obviously interested in phasing (the trains) in as soon as possible,” said Ric Ilgenfritz, communications director for Sound Transit.
The railroad was less forthcoming.
“The negotiation period extends through the end of September, and, once finalized, we’ll provide further details,” said Gus Melonas, a spokesman for the railway.
Still, it’s clear Burlington Northern needs time to make improvements to the tracks so that Sounder trains won’t interfere with the railroad’s normal freight traffic, and so that the Sounder trains are on time and consistent.
“You need to keep a schedule,” Ilgenfritz said. “It’s really the reliability of this service that’s valuable to the customers.”
There are three Sounder trips from Tacoma to Seattle and back, service that Sound Transit plans to ramp up as improvements are made on those tracks. That service started in 2000 and is hugely popular among those who ride the trains.
Ilgenfritz said commuters in Snohomish County tell Sound Transit all the time that they’re ready for commuter rail.
“It’s just a constant topic of conversation whenever we talk to people in Snohomish County,” he said, adding that they always ask when the first train will run. “People are definitely eager.”
Promised when voters approved Sound Move in 1996, Sounder service to Everett is more than three years late.
Once the trains start rolling, initial stops will be at Everett Station and at a temporary platform in Edmonds. Eventually a permanent station will be built in Edmonds.
Service will be added to Mukilteo after a station is built there, which is scheduled to open in 2007 at the earliest.