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Fentanyl smoke delays Seattle light-rail train, officials say
Updated Feb. 6, 2023
Light-rail service on Sound Transit’s 1 Line was briefly delayed Sunday night because someone was smoking fentanyl in the lead railcar.
The operator of a southbound train headed toward SeaTac reported smoke entering the control cab near Tukwila International Boulevard Station around 8:10 p.m., said transit spokesperson John Gallagher. The operator continued to Angle Lake Station at the end of the route, then traveled by ambulance to a medical center, Gallagher said.
The train was removed from service.
Like many U.S. cities, Seattle is undergoing an epidemic of fentanyl use. At least 61 people have died of overdoses involving fentanyl so far this year in King County, as of Friday. Nearly 700 such deaths were reported countywide last year.
Members of the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 587 have reported a massive rise in drug incidents, including 20 incidents in 2021 when transit operators said they were irritated by fumes from drugs used aboard their buses or trains, sometimes badly enough to halt work.
The odor of fentanyl smoke resembles a mixture of burnt motor oil and peanut butter. Users typically heat the drug on a piece of aluminum foil and suck the fumes through a straw.
The upper seats in the railcars, which are near the cabs, are the preferred spots to smoke, said Local 587 Vice President Ron Anderson. “By the time they get to the end of the line, they’ve passed out.”
Sound Transit is preparing to sign contracts with four security firms to greatly increase guard presence in the wake of understaffed patrols in 2020-22, as passenger surveys rate safety and cleanliness as the top two needs.
Agency officials believe state law prevents law enforcement officers from removing passengers for drug possession or personal use, Gallagher said. Transit agencies historically have been allowed to set their own code-of-conduct rules.
https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/transportation/fentanyl-smoke-delays-seattle-light-rail-train-officials-say/