Sounder service between Tukwila and Lakewood is operational once again following a nationwide communication issue.
Three trains were stopped around 8 a.m.:
- Train # 1512 (6:46 a.m. Lakewood departure) stopped at Auburn
- Train # 1514 (7:20 a.m. Tacoma departure) stopped just outside the Puyallup Station
- Train # 1516 (7:50 a.m. Tacoma departure) stopped at Tacoma Dome Station
Sound Transit said the BNSF Fort Worth Dispatching Center reported "significant communication problems." Those issues were seemingly resolved by 9:30 a.m. when trains continued to their intended destinations.
Buses were dispatched to stations in Auburn, Puyallup, Tacoma Dome and Sumber to transport riders during the outage.
Neither agency detailed what sparked the system-wide issue.
Sound Transit says the communication issue is not expected to impact the afternoon commute.