Date:
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Contact:
Steve Rodgers, WSDOT Ferries Division Director of Operations, 206-515-3436 Susan Harris-Huether, Senior Programs Manager, Customer Information and Communications, 206-515-3460
SEATTLE - To complete planned necessary vessel inspections and dry-docking for ferry maintenance, WSDOT will move some vessels on the Seattle/Bremerton, Fauntleroy/Vashon/Southworth and Anacortes/San Juan Islands routes, the moves will result in some temporary service and capacity adjustments starting March 8. Customers can review the planned maintenance and dry-docking plan by visiting http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/ferries/service.
Seattle/Bremerton
Bremerton schedule revised as 87-car Tillikum operates on the run from March 10-14
The 87-car Tillikum will operate on the Seattle/Bremerton route from Monday, March 10 through Friday, March 14, replacing the 124-car Kitsap while it is at the Eagle Harbor Maintenance Facility for a week of scheduled maintenance.
"We took a hard look at how we could maintain car and passenger capacity on the routes affected by our maintenance schedule and determined that moving the Tillikum from Fauntleroy and the south end of Kitsap County was the best choice for Bremerton," said Steve Reinmuth, Acting Assistant Secretary of the Ferries Division. "We just have to maintain capacity on this route and balance the load for central and south Puget Sound."
During this time the 188-car Walla Walla will operate with the Tillikum on Seattle/Bremerton, giving the route an increased capacity of seven more cars over the route's normal vessel assignment of one 124-car vessel and one 144-car vessel. WSDOT has also found a way to ensure that both temporary vessels have Wi-Fi service.
The Tillikum is, however, slower than the Kitsap, so the Seattle/Bremerton schedule will be adjusted slightly to accommodate the smaller vessel and give customers a more predictable temporary sailing schedule. The most significant adjustment will be experienced by customers who usually ride the 5:30 p.m. sailing from Seattle. That sailing will now leave Seattle at 5:45 p.m. Other sailings are adjusted by a few minutes throughout the day. WSDOT has worked with transit agencies to coordinate the temporary schedule changes and we encourage customers to plan ahead, travel early if possible, and avoid discretionary trips during peak travel times for this one-week period.
Customer information staff will be on the route March 4 through March 6 to talk to customers about the temporary service changes and to help customers plan their commute. The Seattle/Bremerton schedule for March 10-14 is available online at: http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/ferries/schedules/current/.
Fauntleroy/Vashon/Southworth
Issaquah out of service March 8-9 for maintenance
On the weekend of March 8-9, the124-car Issaquah will be removed from the Fauntleroy/Vashon/Southworth route for fuel tank cleaning. As that leaves two smaller 87-car vessels for the normal weekend two-boat service, a third 87-car vessel will provide extra service Saturday morning and Sunday afternoon.
Anacortes/San Juan Islands
34-car Hiyu to operate on San Juan Islands inter-island route
The 34-car Hiyu will replace the 87-car Klahowya on the San Juan Islands inter-island route beginning Monday, March 10. The smallest and most unique car ferry in the WSF fleet, the Hiyu carries 34 vehicles and 200 passengers. The Hiyu's move to the San Juan Islands was first announced in January, but was postponed when the vessel required more time in dry dock to complete necessary repairs and maintenance.
Even though the winter and spring months see less inter-island traffic than in summer, customers should expect some sold out sailings due to the reduced capacity of the Hiyu. The down-sizing is expected to last through the spring.
WSDOT has worked closely with the San Juan Islands Ferry Advisory Committee to develop a spring schedule that incorporates the Hiyu and other service impacts in the islands. The spring schedule begins on March 30. For the last few weeks of the winter schedule, the following service adjustments apply to the Monday through Friday schedule and will help customers avoid impacts during the busiest parts of the day:
o The inter-island 8:25 a.m. from Friday Harbor will be priority for Orcas and Shaw and space available for Lopez; the 11:35 a.m. sailing from Friday Harbor will not take Lopez-bound traffic. Instead, the 8:05 a.m. and 12:40 p.m. sailings from Friday Harbor to Anacortes will stop at Lopez in route to Anacortes to unload Lopez vehicles and passengers. No Anacortes bound vehicles will be loaded at Lopez.
o Friday Harbor customers who normally take the 8:25 a.m. inter-island sailing to Lopez will also have limited space available on the 8:05 a.m sailing to Anacortes, and those who would normally take the 11:35 a.m. inter-island sailing to Lopez should take the 12:40 p.m. sailing to Anacortes, which will arrive in Lopez at 1:15 p.m.
Since vessel and service changes often cause ferry customers to alter their commuting habits, the normal policy of no refunds for frequent user multi-ride tickets is waived. Customers wanting a refund just to need to call Susan Harris-Huether at (206) 515-3460 or e-mail her at Sharris@wsdot.wa.gov.
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No Ordinary Journey
Created on June 1, 1951, Washington State Ferries (WSF) is the largest ferry system in the United States and the largest ferry system in the world based on vehicles carried. More than 24 million people a year ride the ferries and over 30,000 vehicles a day use this critical link in the state highway system. WSF has a fleet of 28 vessels and operates 20 terminals throughout Puget Sound.
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