CHOKEPOINTS

Slow-speed train derailment stops Sound Transit light rail service in Seattle for several hours

Aug 2, 2026, 3:04 PM | Updated: 3:36 pm

sound transit light rail...

A 2-Line train pulls up to the station. (Photo: Chris Sullivan, KIRO Newsradio)

(Photo: Chris Sullivan, KIRO Newsradio)

A slow-moving Sound Transit light rail train derailed late Saturday night as it entered the International District/Chinatown Station.

No passengers were on board, and no one was hurt.

But it blocked rail service to downtown for several hours Sunday.

The train ended up just a few feet from the tracks and didn’t hit any boarding platforms.

It’s unknown what caused the derailment.

According to the Seattle Times, this was only the second time a derailment has disrupted passenger trips since service began in 2009.

Sound Transit restored full service to both the 1 and 2 lines at 2:15 p.m. Sunday.

Before that, passengers had to board buses at Capitol Hill, Sodo and Judkins Park stations to get to downtown Seattle.

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Slow-speed train derailment stops Sound Transit light rail service in Seattle for several hours