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City of Seattle
Gregory J. Nickels, Mayor
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NEWS ADVISORY
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| SUBJECT: Mayor rolls out plan for repairing Seattle Monorail
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
2/9/2006 11:00:00 PM |
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:
Alex Fryer (206) 684-8358
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Mayor rolls out plan for repairing Seattle Monorail
Service will be restored this summer on refurbished trains
SEATTLE - Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels, along with Seattle Center and Seattle
Monorail Services today announced a plan to repair and refurbish the Seattle
Center Monorail and get it back on track this summer.
Cost of the repairs will range between $3 and $4 million, but the majority
of the bill will be paid by insurance. The rest will be covered through grants
and operation revenue when the monorail resumes service. No general fund dollars
will go to the repairs.
“We will repair the Monorail and get it ‘back on track’ safely
and responsibly this summer,” said Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels. “The
Monorail is not only an important transportation link that carries more than
2 million people a year, it is an irreplaceable part of Seattle’s character.”
The plan calls for collision repairs plus adding an extra safety layer with
an automated stopping system that will prevent a similar accident in the future.
Collision repair is expected to be complete this summer but the trains will
not return to two-train service until the automated stopping system installation
is complete this winter.
“Visitors and the public alike recognize the Monorail as an icon from
our history,” said Virginia Anderson, Director of Seattle Center, “and
they continue to include it as part of their experience of Seattle Center.”
“After these refurbishments, the Monorail will be in the best shape
it’s been in for 25 years,” said Tom Albro, General Manager of
Seattle Monorail Services. “We’re excited to bring it back to the
citizens and visitors of Seattle.”
Visit the mayor’s web site at www.seattle.gov/mayor. Get the mayor’s
inside view on initiatives to promote transportation, public safety, economic
opportunity and healthy communities by signing up for The Nickels Newsletter
at www.seattle.gov/mayor/newsletter_signup.htm
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Office of the Mayor
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