Mudslide halts rail service between Seattle, Everett

A 20-foot-wide mudslide on the BNSF Railway lines has shut down all commuter-rail service between Seattle's King Street Station and Everett.

BNSF spokesman Gus Melonas says Amtrak and Sound Transit service will be suspended for 48 hours while the rails are cleared.

The Seattle Times reports the slide happened at 6 a.m. Monday, a mile north of Mukilteo.

Melonas says 50 trains on average use the tracks on the Seattle to Everett corridor every 24 hours.
He said heavy rain over the past week caused the slide, which left mud 3 feet deep and 20 feet wide on the tracks.

That portion of tracks is prone to mudslides.

Meteorologist Nick Allard KIRO 7 is using the KIRO 7 PinPoint StormTracker to show you how the rain is moving through our area and is tracking the risk of more slides. Watch Nick on air or here http://kiro.tv/LiveNews, live until 7 a.m.

Associated Press