Sound Transit is hoping for a smoother postgame rush on light rail trains leaving Husky Stadium after Saturday's University of Washington football game while st
Sound Transit is hoping for a smoother postgame rush on light rail trains leaving Husky Stadium after Saturday's University of Washington football game while still investigating what caused a train to stall on the tracks following Sunday's Apple Cup.
After the rivalry game Sunday, a northbound 2 Line train experienced a mechanical issue and became stranded between U District and Roosevelt stations.
Sound Transit said the mechanical issue appears to have been tied to a misaligned pantograph, the arm that draws power from the overhead line, which caused a voltage spike. A full investigation into the root cause of the issue is still underway, the agency confirmed Saturday.
Rescue trains were deployed to retrieve stranded passengers from the train, before normal operations resumed over two hours later. Apple Cup fans who were stuck on the train told KOMO News the train lost power and air conditioning at times.
“We had young kids on that train. There were babies on that train. I mean, you had people who were in wheelchairs,” said Krystal Bryant. “People were crammed. You had people standing everywhere. Had they not opened the doors, nobody would have even been able to move.”
UW hosted Utah State in a Week 2 game Saturday afternoon. Sound Transit confirmed it would have additional security and operations personnel at University of Washington Station and end-of-line stations.
“We will also stage additional trains for service to clear crowds postgame,” an agency spokesperson said via email.
Long lines of fans waiting to take light rail from University of Washington Station formed even before the Huskies game ended. Some riders said they were nervous to take the train after seeing what happened following the Apple Cup.
“It does worry me a little bit,” said Becky Selby, a mother with her young boys. “Especially with having kids and being stuck in a confined space without bathrooms and snacks and all of that.”
Selby said she appreciated Sound Transit increasing trains and staffing Saturday and was hopeful it would be a smooth ride home. Still, some regular riders believe more could be done to handle the large crowds.
“They should have trains come every minute or two, especially at the beginning and end of the game, to really help with the traffic,” said Reid Martin. “If you look at other major metropolitan areas, they adjust their flow of transit based on game time. Sound Transit, I think, is a little behind.”
The pantograph believed to be responsible for the post-Apple Cup mechanical issues has since been repaired and successfully tested, and Sound Transit said the affected train car is back in service.
“We know this was a major inconvenience and stressful situation for our passengers,” the agency said in a statement. “Our focus remains on proactively minimizing the risk of disruptions.”
As of publication, no major service disruptions had been reported.
