SEATTLE — While schedule reductions for Sounder commuter trains continue, Sound Transit says Amtrak is working to accelerate the process a full restoration of service.
In a Wednesday, Feb. 19, post on its information blog, The Platform, the agency says Amtrak has already completed more than half of the railcar work that was originally expected to take six weeks.
The issues began Thursday, Feb. 13, when Sound Transit originally cancelled all morning trains, then ended up operating a reduced schedule because cars lacked documentation that Amtrak, which holds the contract to maintain the Sounder equipment, had performed required work [see “Reduced Sounder service to continue …,” Trains News Wire, Feb 17, 2025].
In the ensuing week, Amtrak has released 11 cars for operation, bringing workers from as far away as Los Angeles and using maintenance bays once dedicated to Talgo equipment to perform the work. As a result, Sounder now has full consists for all but four trains. Those four will continue to be cancelled until enough cars are available.
Amtrak Cascades trains remain available as an alternative for Sounder passengers using any station shared by the two services, a temporary measure that will continue until regular Sounder service is restored. The current schedules are available here.
Paperwork? Amtrak is a mess.