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High-speed rail system to test Jan. 16-17

Joint Base Lewis-McChord Public Affairs Office

Jan. 15, 2021 | 0:30

Sound Transit is scheduled to conduct tests of the high-speed rail system on the train tracks that run along Interstate-5 by JBLM from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Jan. 16 to 17. These tests will have high-speed trains passing through JBLM at speeds up to 79 mph.

In the future, Amtrak Cascades' Coast Starlight service along I-5 (the Point Defiance Bypass) between Tacoma and Nisqually will resume.

Personnel entering and exiting Lewis North through the 41st Division Drive Gate (Exit 120) or the DuPont Gate (Exit 119) should be aware and pay close attention to the traffic signals at the rail crossing just outside the gates.

Given the potential speeds of these crossings, there will be no opportunity for the train to stop if a car crosses onto or gets stuck on the tracks. Never stop on the tracks.