Jumbo ferry’s breakdown causing commute headache

SEATTLE – Ripples from Tuesday’s ferry breakdown are being felt across the Puget Sound.

Commuters were grappling with long waits Wednesday morning and backups were common as the ferry system adjusted to the loss of the jumbo ferry Tacoma, KOMO-TV reported.

The Tacoma’s problems couldn’t have come at a worse time because one of the state’s other jumbo ferries, the Wenatchee, is also out of service for maintenance work.

The interim director of the ferry system said technicians are still investigating what caused the Tacoma to lose power around 1 p.m. Tuesday.

He did not say how long the vessel would be out of service.

In the meantime, ferries are being moved around to keep the whole system working.

Commuters were experiencing backups lasting hours on the Edmonds-Kingston route, after one of its two vessels was moved to the Bainbridge Island run.