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Dinner train shuts down after move to Pierce County
TACOMA — After less than three months, a planned 10-month experiment with a dinner train transplanted from Renton to Tacoma has ended with the shutdown of Spirit of Washington Dinner Train service.
Dinner train owner Eric Temple says higher-than-anticipated costs coupled with lower-than-projected ticket sales doomed the train's run in Pierce County.
The shutdown means about 50 employees will be laid off.
The last run was Sunday.
The city of Tacoma had a 10-month contract with the dinner train for use of the city-owned tracks.
The train operated successfully for 15 years from Renton to Woodinville along Burlington Northern Santa Fe tracks along the east side of Lake Washington before a planned freeway expansion cut off the southern part of the rail route.
The dinner train moved to Tacoma Rail tracks in early August.
Copyright © 2007 The Seattle Times Company
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