Edmonds-Kingston route on 1-boat service as ferry woes continue

EDMONDS, Wash. — The woes continue for those who use Washington state ferries.

On Monday, the Edmonds-Kingston ferry route will be running on only one boat and that means riders should plan on longer than normal wait times.

Washington State Ferries has been struggling with a shortage of vessels. Currently, only 14 of 21 boats are in service.

We’ve been reporting on the ongoing ferry issues for months now.

Just last week we talked with people who were left stranded when the last boat on the Fauntleroy-Vashon route was canceled.

At that time, Washington State Ferries said there wasn’t enough staff.

Right now, the agency says those two things are their biggest issues: staffing and an aging ferry fleet.

“This is a really tough position to be in and in fact, historically I can’t remember a time when we’ve had this low of a number of vessels, and quite frankly, it’s just not enough to serve the routes as they are right now,” said Washington State Ferries spokesperson Ian Sterling.

Sterling says every time a boat is taken out of rotation for maintenance it’s like playing Tetris.

He also says these problems are not going to be remedied anytime soon because they need new boats and that won’t happen for another 2 to 3 years.

We’re being told there’s a possibility they may go down to 13 boats by next month.

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