Sound Transit’s Sounder train service may be temporarily suspended due to a national rail strike that could begin Dec. 9.
Sounder trains serve Kent Station.
Railway labor negotiations are ongoing – and congressional action in Washington, D.C., to force a contract looms – but a national rail strike could occur next week, according to Sound Transit.
Sounder trains are operated and dispatched by BNSF Railway employees under contract on tracks owned by BNSF. The event of a national rail strike would result in Sounder service being temporarily suspended beginning Friday, Dec. 9 and continuing until workers return.
Sound Transit is working with its partner agencies on contingency plans, but given the ongoing shortage of bus operators, these are unlikely to make up for the potential loss of train service, according to Sound Transit.
According to nbcnews.com, the House passed legislation Nov. 30 in Washington, D.C., to avert a strike. That bill now goes to the Senate.
Railway workers want paid sick time, one of the issues that has held up an agreement, according to media reports.
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