SEATTLE — Update:
Services to Line 1 and 2 have resumed.
Previous:
Sound Transit has suspended light rail service in Seattle between Northgate and Capitol Hill stations after a mechanical issue disrupted traffic Thursday morning.
Shuttle buses are filling in the gaps for riders in the meantime.
By Thursday afternoon, there was still no estimated time when the tracks would reopen.
The closure is impacting both north- and southbound 1 Line and 2 Line trains between Capitol Hill and Northgate. Some westbound 2 Line trains are also turning around at the Judkins Park Station, but not all.
Sound Transit officials blame the closure on a mechanical issue that damaged a small area of the overhead power system near the University of Washington stop Thursday morning.
Stopping the trains will allow crews to inspect the issue and fix it, according to the agency.
The suspension of service is not related to copper wire theft, according to Sound Transit.
“This isn’t a systemic issue,” said Sound Transit Public Information Officer Henry Bendon. “This isn’t a problem with the power system; it was just a mechanical issue that has caused this impact.”
KIRO 7 asked whether this could happen again.
“No, and we will do everything that we need to do to make sure we know why this happened,” Bendon said.
1 Line trains are still operating between Lynnwood and Northgate, as well as between Capitol Hill and Federal Way.
2 Line trains are still operating between Downtown Redmond and Capitol Hill.
For alternate routes, visit Sound Transit’s website.
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