Tides flood rail lines near Edmonds, delaying Sounder commuters

It’s a transportation mess that’s classically Puget Sound — high tides flooded rail lines on Tuesday afternoon, delaying the north line Sounder commuter trains.

Tides peaked at 12 feet around noon, tide tables show. That happens a few times a year, but transit officials say high winds combined with the tides to wash over the railway, which mostly hugs the shore of Puget Sound.

Rock ballast that supports the railroad washed away in the Blue Ridge and North Edmonds areas, the agency said, requiring urgent repairs.

Sound Transit sent a rider alert saying “a large accumulation of water on the tracks” prevented normal north-line service, and would trap the trains at King Street Station. The alert suggested alternate bus routes to Edmonds, Mukilteo and Everett.

However, operators managed to send the first two trains out 35 and 15 minutes late, and two more were scheduled to leave at 5:05 and 5:35 p.m. but to move more slowly than usual in places, said spokeswoman Kimberly Reason.

Over the years, reliability and ridership have been pummeled by mudslides following rainstorms — but it’s a new curse for tracks to be blocked from the beach side.