Sound Transit rail cars last year at a Mukilteo assembly facility. (Joshua Trujillo/P-I)
Sound Transit crews plan to start removing graffiti Monday from a new light rail train vandalized next to Interstate 5 in Tukwila.
Taggers caused about $1,000 damage, which was reported early Saturday, Sound Transit spokesman Geoff Patrick said.
Sound Transit officials put it on the elevated track near Highway 518 to make it visible and had security monitoring it.
“Unfortunately, it was also an incentive for taggers,” said Patrick, who did not specify how often or how many security officers checked. The train, which has since been moved to the Sound Transit maintenance facility in Sodo, is now under 24-hour surveillance, he said.
Authorities said the graffiti discovered Saturday was the first case of vandalism on a Sound Transit train.
“But it’s not going to be the last,” said Patrick, adding vandalism repair is already part of the Sound Transit budget. “In the greater scheme of things, it’s a fairly minor incident. But it’s still irritating.”
The damaged train was scheduled to run light rail testing next month in the Rainier Valley.
Officials expect light rail from Seattle to Tukwila to start next year and a track to Sea-Tac International Airport to be in place by 2009.
[Via:blog.seattlepi.nwsource.com]
