Date:
Monday, October 06, 2008
Contact:
Marta Coursey, Director of Communications, 206-515-3918
Susan Harris-Huether, Senior Programs Manager, Customer Information and
Communications, 206-515-3460
Two-boat service to be restored on Edmonds/Kingston route
SEATTLE – WSDOT will reduce Seattle/Bremerton ferry service to one 144-auto ferry and supplemental passenger-only service at the beginning of the service day on Tuesday morning, Oct. 7. This will allow WSDOT to restore two-boat service on the Edmonds/Kingston route. The 188-car Walla Walla that was operating on the Edmonds/Kingston route had to be removed from service on Monday for repairs. WSDOT has no spare vessels because several vessels are out of service for regularly scheduled maintenance and inspections.
To fill in for the Walla Walla, WSDOT will move the 144-car Hyak to the Edmonds/Kingston route, along with the 188-car Spokane. The 144-car Kaleetan will continue to serve the Seattle/Bremerton route. In addition, WSDOT will contract with private operator Victoria Express for passenger-only service to supplement the single auto-ferry service. A complete schedule is available at www.wsdot.wa.gov/ferries.
WSDOT is working to make a vessel available as quickly as possible to restore Seattle/Bremerton to two-auto-ferry service, but service on that route is expected to be reduced for the rest of this week.
Commuters who usually ride the popular 6:20 a.m. sailing from Bremerton should consider alternate sailing times because there will be limited passenger-only service at that time.
The 188-car Walla Walla had to be removed from service on the Edmonds/Kingston route after engineers discovered damage to a major piece of equipment on the vessel during a planned inspection Sunday night, Oct. 5. The Walla Walla is at Everett Shipyard for repairs that are expected to take a minimum of two weeks.
The Edmonds/Kingston route has a high volume of vehicle use, and is heavily used by commercial traffic throughout the day. The Seattle/Bremerton route has a high percentage of walk-on riders, especially during the morning and evening commute times, and customers also have many options for transit connections. Therefore, the decision was made to move a second auto ferry to the Edmonds/Kingston route and add passenger-only service to the Seattle/Bremerton route.
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