Seattle Center Monorail back in action

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Saturday, August 12, 2006

Seattle Center Monorail back in action

By PHUONG CAT LE
P-I REPORTER

Almost daily since a collision shut down the Seattle Center's Monorail nine months ago, 3-year-old Lulu Schoef has been asking when she can ride it.

The Seattle toddler got her long-awaited answer Friday when the Seattle Center, which owns the system, put its two trains back in service.


		Gilbert W. Arias / P-I
	Fully repaired, the Seattle Center Monorail resumed normal service Friday.

The girl took a round-trip joy ride and liked it so much that she had to be coaxed by her father, Jack Kearney, to leave when the one-mile ride was over.

"We're back in business," said Tuan Le, 29, a Monorail operator who, with a crank and some relief, returned the Monorail to the Seattle skyline Tuesday morning.

The picture of the Monorail cruising back and forth between the Seattle Center and Westlake Mall on Friday proved far better than the one last November, when the Blue and Red trains sat wedged together for two days after sideswiping each other at the line's narrowest point, near Olive Way. The November shutdown was the second in 17 months for the trains, which were sidelined for several months after being damaged by fire on Memorial Day 2004.

The Monorail was reopened Friday after nearly $4 million in repairs and upgrades, including a new automated braking system designed to prevent November's collision from happening again.

A sensor system is now in place and will automatically shut down the trains' power and apply brakes to prevent collisions, said Tom Albro, who directs Seattle Monorail Services, the train's private operator.


		Gilbert W. Arias / P-I
	Mayor Greg Nickels, center, announced Friday that the Seattle Monorail is back on track after nine months and $4 million in repairs.

They've also tackled the technical problems that delayed an anticipated opening last month, including improperly functioning brakes and doors that kept sticking on the Red Train, Albro said.

He said a combination of insurance and federal grants paid for the repairs, and insurance is expected to cover the $1.5 million in lost revenues during the Monorail's nine-month closure. About 2 million people ride the Monorail each year.

Friday's morning riders were mostly tourists, cameras slung around their necks, Seattle maps in hand and looks of surprise when it made just one stop.

"That's it?" one asked when the Blue Train had come to the end of the one-mile route.

"No, it's not the 'El'," said Leila Ramagopal, 41, who was visiting from outside Chicago, which has an elaborate elevated train system. "But I think it's worthwhile keeping up anything that proves a moment of pleasure. ... Everything's generic, without character. This is a great attraction."

P-I reporter Phuong Cat Le can be reached at 206-448-8390 or phuongle@seattlepi.com.

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