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Burlington Northern rail, mudslide
Hell has frozen over, as Luke Burbank and Dori Monson actually agree on something: Both calling for an end to Sounder north line train service after another round of mudslides. (Sound Transit images)

Another mudslide brings avalanche of calls to kill Sounder north train service

BY Josh Kerns  on January 8, 2013 @ 1:21 pm (Updated: 10:51 am - 1/25/13 )

It's like Groundhog Day for Sound Transit. Another day, another round of mudslides forcing the cancellation of the Sounder north commuter line between Everett and Seattle. The latest hit Monday night, halts service until at least Thursday. And more KIRO Radio hosts are getting on board with calls to kill the service for good.

It's old hat for Dori Monson, who's been critical of the line since Sound Transit first paid $368 million for rights and upgrades to tracks, stations and trains. That's after officials initially estimated the costs at $65 million.

"Here's the problem. The numbers were a lie. They lied to us to get the money. They knew they weren't going to have riders," says Dori.

Ridership remains far below initial projections, with a mere 1,125 passengers making the trip each day as of October. Officials had estimated between 2,400 and 3,200. With taxpayers subsidizing each passenger trip to the tune of $29, Dori says it's time for leaders to simply pull the plug.

"Take like one-one thousandths of the Sound Transit employees and tell them 'Hey, it's your job every morning go up to Everett, pick these people up in a mini-van and drive them to work.' It will save hundreds of millions of dollars for people."

He's not alone in calls to kill the service. Even staunch transit supporters Luke Burbank and Dave Ross now say the floundering service should be scrapped, mudslides or not.

"It pains me to agree with Dori Monson on something like this, it does, I don't like this feeling. But I feel like this is just a boondoggle right now," Luke says.

But Sound Transit continues defending the service, and insists it isn't going anywhere. Spokeswoman Kimberly Reason argues ridership in October saw a 33 percent increase in October over the same month the prior year, and passengers are slowly but surely taking to the train.

"As the economy has recovered, slides not withstanding, people have been hopping back on board the train," Reason says. "It's not a waste of money. We are going to continue to operate the service, period. We need to figure out how do that."

It's hardly a compelling argument for Dori.

"If you have three riders and you go to four that's a 33 percent increase. Pretty good. Yay."

Reason says mudslides have forced the cancellation of 134 Sounder north line trips since November, by far the most ever.

"Our last record in terms of number of trips canceled was about two years ago and it was only 70 and in previous years it's been far less than that."

You might also be interested in:

Temporary fix but no solution in sight for Sounder mudslide mess

Josh Kerns, MyNorthwest.com Reporter
Josh Kerns is co-host of KIRO Radio's Seattle Sounds (Saturday nights 7-8) and a digital content producer for MyNorthwest.com.
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Comments (17)


  • Add A Comment

  • pmSeattle wrote...
    Sound Transit Bondoggle? (shocked!)
    January 8, 2013 1:37 pm
    Oh, and Google "Kimberly Reason"
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • calapete wrote...
    Ridiculous
    January 8, 2013 2:06 pm
    it's the regional rail line to Canada we are talking about here. We need to fix the line, not only for the Sounder, but for Amtrak and freight.

    It isn't fair to discuss ridership when the train can't run. If the train ran as scheduled and was reliable it would have ridership.

    The south line always runs and is always full.

    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Forrest wrote...
    I'm with you on this one Monson.
    January 8, 2013 2:11 pm
    .
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Moondoggie wrote...
    The 1,125 passengers
    January 8, 2013 2:48 pm
    means 1,125 one-way trips. there are less than 600 people using this train route.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Moondoggie wrote...
    Add 10 busses. There! problem solved.
    January 8, 2013 2:48 pm
    .
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • roomtemp wrote...
    No problem...
    January 8, 2013 2:55 pm
    We'll just get the legislature to start work on a comprehensive mud slide ban law...
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • clevesside wrote...
    Unfortunately...this may be the first train transit...
    January 8, 2013 3:43 pm
    .....to try to run seasonally, like March-October, if Sound Transit insist on having their way. Compared to the rest of the counry, which doesn't have RR right of ways next to saturated mud enbankments half of the year, it's weird,it's fitting, it's so....Seattle. Go figure. Kill it anyway, even if it could be part-time. We want consistency, not consistently stopped.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • moyerwilsonfan wrote...
    Amtrak - Sounder
    January 8, 2013 4:13 pm
    Amtrack and WashDOT are moving the Amtrak line from the waterfront down the middle of Tacoma and Lakewood. It seems to be OK to move the passenger line though the community to save 10 minutes, but continue to send passenger tains through the mudslide area north of seattle. Why not move the Sounder/Amtrack trains inland North of seattle. Obviously the added risk level is not a problem for WDOT or Amtrak.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • cdbtx wrote...
    I say
    January 8, 2013 5:24 pm
    It's good for the economy... Think infrastructure and consider how many people it keeps employed digging out the track each week... it doesn't have to make sense.... since it's political project not an economic project.

    Then next year Sound Transit can start funding the "Under the Sound" system as a replacement.... and will also help the economy.. heck.. we could dwarf other transit projects and spend say.. $100 billion.. lead the nation.. and think how many jobs it would create.. Gregoire's extended family could manage the project, we could bring Locke back and Nichols could establish the priorities.. oh and can't forget Ron Simms.. he could form the Non-Profit that oversees the project..

    Don't worry about the costs... we have an open credit card.. so fire up the printing presses and let's go to town...

    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • rational wrote...
    Sound Transit first paid $368 million for rights and upgrades to tracks, stations and trains. That's after officials initially estimated the costs at $65 million.
    January 8, 2013 5:50 pm
    That's pretty much par for the course in government "estimates". Just guess how badly they're going to prove to be off regarding the cost of Obamacare!
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }