Trains being added! Late September start. But still no weekend service .
From Sound Transit.
Posted 24 August 2017 - 09:43 PM
Posted 31 August 2017 - 11:36 AM
New south line Sounder trips start Sept. 25
Aug 31, 2017
Two new round-trip trains will add capacity and frequency during peak times
Sound Transit is adding two new roundtrips to its popular south line Sounder service between Seattle and Lakewood beginning Monday, Sept. 25. The new trains will provide more choices, more capacity and more frequent departures. With the addition of these two trains, there will be 13 daily roundtrips on the Sounder south line in South King and Pierce counties.
During peak hours, Sounder trains will arrive as often as every 20 minutes. In the morning peak, an additional train will run between the first Lakewood departure at 4:36 a.m. and the 5:45 a.m. departure. This additional train will help ease congestion on the line’s most crowded trains.
In the afternoon, the new schedule will provide earlier service to Lakewood during the traditional peak, and reduce the gap between the first and second trains to 40 minutes. To enable this earlier departure, the 2:35 p.m. southbound train will terminate in Tacoma, with connecting express bus service from Puyallup to Lakewood. The last evening trip will depart King Street Station 10 minutes later, at 6:30 p.m.
Additionally, a third reverse-peak roundtrip will be added, allowing late morning travel to Tacoma and early afternoon travel to Seattle. To add capacity to the popular mid-day train Sound Transit launched last September, additional cars will be added.
The new schedule and additional details of the south line Sounder service effective Sept. 25 is available at https://www.soundtra...ting-ready-roll
Kevin Korell
OTOL Board Leader
Lakewood, NJ
Posted 31 August 2017 - 12:48 PM
Yes, as Kevin states, I will (finally) be able to take a morning train to Lakewood, spend some time in Tacoma, and then return to Seattle in time for an Express bus back to my house. The route between Tacoma and Lakewood, as I have reported before, is not very picturesque, to say the least, as it is chockablock with warehouses and car lots, but it's what--for better (hopefully) or worse--the Cascades and Coast Starlight will be taking come December.
Edited by Lightning, 31 August 2017 - 01:19 PM.
Posted 11 September 2017 - 05:50 AM
Posted 23 September 2017 - 02:20 PM
Sound Transit e-mail:
New schedule starts Monday and Tacoma Dome track changes
New Schedules start MondayStarting Monday, September 25 the Sounder south line starts its new schedule. Check it out here, or in the Ride the Wave guide and brochures on the train.
Tacoma Dome Track ChangesAlso starting Monday at Tacoma Dome Station some trips will use the new platform at Track #2, on the southern side of the tracks. If your trip uses Track #2 please plan extra time to safely get to the platform.
Below are the normal track assignments. However tracks can change due to real time events so please pay attention and follow the instructions of the Station Agents.
Train Departure Time Track
1500 4:50 a.m. Track #1
1502 5:15 a.m. Track #1
1504 5:40 a.m. Track #1
1506 6:00 a.m. Track #1
1508 6:20 a.m. Track #1
1510 6:40 a.m. Track #1
1512 7:00 a.m. Track #1
1514 7:20 a.m. Track #2
1516 7:50 a.m. Track #1
1505 8:52 a.m. Track #2
1518 10:30 a.m. Track #2
1520 4:06 p.m. Track #1
1522 4:30 p.m. Track #1
1511 4:30 p.m. Track #2
1515 5:10 p.m. Track #2
1524 5:15 p.m. Track #1
1517 5:30 p.m. Track #1
1519 5:50 p.m. Track #2
1521 6:15 p.m. Track #1
1523 6:40 p.m. Track #2
1525 6:25 p.m. Track #1
Kevin Korell
OTOL Board Leader
Lakewood, NJ
Posted 12 October 2017 - 01:47 AM
I was able to take the early morning (7:55) train to Lakewood yesterday (Tuesday). I tried Monday, but got up too late and caught a bus which would not make it on time so I gave up before I got to KSS. Yesterday I tried again and barely made it--with three minutes to spare. (It's hard for me to arise that early). As I have stated before, the "scenery" between Freighthouse Square and Lakewood is not pretty. If possible it is even less so in the stark light of day, versus the dusk and dark which I had witnessed heretofore, taking the only train of the year which went to Lakewood with a turnaround back to Seattle (day after Thanksgiving in the late afternoon). Come December, Amtrak passengers who are used to the gorgeous ride around Point Defiance and along the sound, including ducking under the twin suspension spans of the Tacoma Narrows bridges will be [bitterly] disappointed. At least those who care about such things. They say now the bypass will save "ten minutes" to Portland. It used to be "fifteen minutes", so I don't know what happened. There are now Tracks 1 and 2 at Freighthouse (the Sounder stopped both ways at the [far] Track 2). As the southbound train stayed in Tacoma for only three or four minutes, I did not venture out to see the actual routes for detraining passengers, but it appears passengers have to walk to the sidewalk at East D Street in order to cross over the tracks and enter the square shopping complex or reach downtown Tacoma. I'll have to see if there is any point of access over the tracks from the front door of the new station to reach the far track before a train shows up without detouring to D Street and then doubling back. The new trestle seems to be largely finished and the ride is very smooth unlike the sway caused by the previous wooden structure. The layover in Lakewood is one hour. I knew this and brought plenty of reading material as there are no points of interest within walking distance of the station.
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