Sounder Commuter Rail Program Overview

Martin Young Sound Transit

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Sound Transit Modes

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Sounder

Commuter

Rail

Corridor

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Corridor Characteristics

South-line

•Tacoma-Seattle

•39 miles (BNSF)

•1.2 mi. (Tac. Rail)

•7 Stations

•13 round trips daily

•7 car train sets

•Opened 2000

North-line

•Everett-Seattle

•35 miles (BNSF)

•3 Stations

•4 round trips daily

•Peak direction

only

•Fully built out

•3 car train sets

•Opened 2003

South-line Extens.

• Lakewood-Tac

•8 miles (ST)

•2 Stations

•9-13 round trips daily

•New layover facility

•1 mi. 2.85% grade

•Opens late 2012 on

property purchased

by BNSF

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Sounder North-line

Kent Station

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Tacoma Dome Station

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Event Service

• Mariners Baseball – 20 Week-end games / year

• Seahawks Football – 8 Week-end games / year

• Sounder FC Soccer – 4 Week-end games/ year

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Capital vs. Operating Forecast (Budget 1997-2012)

• TOTAL = CAPITAL + OPERATING

($1.4 b = $1.2 b + $0.2 b)

• Overall Budget is 85% Capital

• Most original capital will be expended by end of 2012

• ST2 (Nov. ’08 vote) adds $250m

Railroad Access Costs

North-line South-line South-ST2

Track mi. 35 39 39

Trips 4 (r.t.) 9 (r.t.) 4 (r.t.)

Term Permanent 40 Yrs Permanent

Cost* $258 m $300 m $180 m

Year 2003 2000-08 2008

*Capital paid to BNSF Railway

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Track Improvements: Turnouts/Sidings

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ST coordinates:

• Train Schedules and special

services (Seahawks, Mariners)

• Customer notification

• Fare collection

• Stations, P&R’s, Transit Centers

• Security

BNSF provides:

• Security

• Train Crews – Locomotive

Engineer, Conductors

• Centralize Dispatch from

Ft Worth, TX

BNSF Agreements - Operations

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Transit Operations Detail

Rail Admin.17% Maint. of

Stations3%

Maint. Of Equip./Fuel

35%

RR MOW/Crew/Fees

31%

G&A9%

Contingency5%

Sounder Commuter Rail Passengers

•Ave Daily Ridership – 10k+, 5k per peak period

•5 am to 8 am departure = 3 hours

•5,000 / 3 (peak hours) = 1,650 passengers/hr.

Interstate Freeway Lane

• Ideal peak traffic flow – 45 mph = 1,800 vph

•Equivalent to 2 sec. rule and 3600 seconds (60x60)

•With congestion, closer to 35 mph and 1,500 vph

•Ave occupancy of 1.1 = 1,650 passengers/hr.

CRT Capacity Equivalency

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Benefits

• 2011 – 2.5+ million Annual Boardings

• 2009 - Cumulative On-time Performance – 97+%

• Special Event Service

– Mariners, Seahawks, Other (Concerts, etc.)

• More reliable service in inclement weather

• Optimizes capacity and demand through train length

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Challenges

• Capital Tacoma D-M Grade

Funding Partnerships

Station Construction

• O & M Freight Volumes

Mudslides

Changing Federal Regulations

South-line Renegotiation after 30 yrs.

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Rail Track & Signal Improvements

5.39 miles of third main track

7.31 miles of existing track

converted to third main track

19.94 miles of main track

relocated and reconstructed

47.44 route miles of

Centralized Traffic Control

signals

38 high-speed crossovers

171 additional turnouts

65 crossings reconstructed

4 crossings closed

164 power switch machines

installed

27 signal bridges

166 ground signals

300 miles of signal cable

18.1 miles of increased train

speeds

.

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On-Time Performance

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Average Daily Ridership

-

1,000

2,000

3,000

4,000

5,000

6,000

7,000

8,000

9,000

10,000

11,000

Sep 0

0

Mar

01

Sep 0

1

Mar

02

Sep 0

2

Mar

03

Sep 0

3

Mar

04

Sep 0

4

Mar

05

Sep 0

5

Mar

06

Sep 0

6

Mar

07

Sep 0

7

Mar

08

Sep 0

8

Mar

09

Sep 0

9

Mar

10

Sep 1

0

Mar

11

Sep 1

1

Ave

rage

We

ek

day B

oard

ings

Sounder Ridership, 2000-present

South Line North Line Sounder Total

THE END