Sounder train service interrupted for several lines. Why the surprise shutdowns?

Sounder train service was interrupted for several lines Thursday morning after their maintenance partner, Amtrak, failed to meet maintenance deadlines to enable the certification of multiple passenger cars. This delayed or stranded thousands of riders from Everett to Tacoma.

A Sound Transit spokesperson told KIRO Newsradio Amtrak broke the bad news to them late Wednesday afternoon. Sound Transit sent a press release and posted on social media riders should expect service cancellations.

Sounder train S, N lines interrupted

The “S” and “N” Lines were impacted early Thursday morning. But, by 7 a.m., some service, like Sound Transit’s Everett to Seattle service, was fully resumed. Only three trains, including trains 1508, 1510, and 1512, departing from Lakewood, operated at 6:06, 6:26, and 6:46 a.m. All train service from Seattle to Tacoma was canceled.

“Amtrak, under contract, maintains both Sound Transit locomotives and passenger cars. We work together with them to make sure they are ready to service our passengers,” said Sound Transit spokesperson Dave Jackson. “However, late yesterday we learned that some cars had missed their certification, hence, would not be available for passenger service. We are looking into how that occurred.”

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Afternoon trains are expected to resume, and the schedule will be announced midday.

Passengers should plan ahead and seek alternative transit options that may better suit their needs. A full list of transit options is available at Sound Transit.

So far, Amtrak has not commented.