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New double-track concrete bridge replacing 100-year-old trestle

From Feb. 17 - 22, 2017, Sounder south line trains will run only to Puyallup station as the second phase of work is completed on Sound Transit’s Tacoma Trestle Track & Signal Project. Regular Sounder service will resume for the afternoon commute on Wednesday, Feb. 22, when trains will travel over the new bridge for the first time.

Dedicated shuttles will be in place at the Tacoma Dome, South Tacoma and Lakewood stations in the morning to shuttle passengers to Puyallup station where they will board Sounder trains. In the afternoon, shuttles will be at Puyallup station to return passengers to their stations of origin.

Sound Transit will share details with riders in advance of the change through a variety of channels, including signage, social media and rider alerts. Sound Transit representatives will be on-site during the service change to help direct people to their connections. Riders can find information about the temporary change and sign up for alerts at soundtransit.org/SounderDisruption.

The south track will be complete on the new bridge, and all Sounder trains will begin using the south track. After the cutover to the new bridge, the old single-track timber railroad trestle will be removed, and Sound Transit will continue construction of the north track. Trains will operate on both the north- and south-bound tracks in 2018.

The $160.9 million Tacoma Trestle Track and Signal Project also includes signal upgrades, roadway improvements, utility relocation and erosion control. The project will support more Sounder and Amtrak trains, and reduce delays in the heavily used rail corridor.

Voters approved the Tacoma Trestle project in the 2008 Sound Transit 2 (ST2) ballot measure. In 2013, the U.S. Department of Transportation awarded a $10 million Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) grant to Sound Transit to advance final design and construction of the project. The grant is enabling Sound Transit to complete the project five years earlier than planned. An additional $17 million dollars in Federal Transit Administration and Federal Railroad Administration grants also support the project.

The Sounder began operating from Tacoma to Seattle in 2000, with service from Lakewood beginning in 2012. The trestle currently serves 11 roundtrip Sounder south line weekday trains and special game-day trains for select Seahawks, Mariners and Sounders FC events. Two additional Sounder roundtrips were added to the south line, one in 2013 and the other in 2016. A mid-day train started in September 2016, and two additional peak-service trains will begin operating this year.

More information about the Tacoma Trestle Project is available at soundtransit.org/tacomatrestle.