Monorail resumption delayed

SEATTLE – The resumption of service on Seattle’s popular downtown monorail was delayed Tuesday after final safety checks raised concerns.

The two trains were expected to begin running Tuesday for the first time since they crashed during Thanksgiving weekend. A morning news conference to show off a debut run was canceled after safety checks found “issues that need to be resolved,” the Seattle Center said in a news release.

Popular with tourists, the monorail historically has carried as many as 23,000 riders a day. The trains crashed when one driver failed to yield to the other at a point where the tracks are too close together for passing. Fire crews helped the 84 passengers down from the 28-foot-high tracks. There were no serious injuries.

Seattle Monorail Services will announce a new restart date after all work has been completed, Seattle Monorail Services director Tom Albro said.