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
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.

