Media contact: Chris Gleason, Community & Media Services manager, (253) 502-8222

When the Spirit of Washington Dinner Train closed its shop in October, it left behind more than $100,000 of debt. Tacoma Rail’s attempts to collect that money have been unsuccessful, so it filed a lawsuit today with the Pierce County Superior Court in an effort to receive payment for the services provided.

The Spirit of Washington Dinner Train operated in Tacoma between August and October 2007. During that time, Tacoma Rail provided personnel, locomotives, fuel, equipment storage and use of its tracks and property. The unpaid bill for those services came to $105,000.

The lawsuit also includes $6,000 of compensation for ending the 10-month contract after only three months, without providing the required 30 days’ notice. The Spirit of Washington verbally notified Tacoma Rail on Oct. 29 that it intended to terminate operations—the day after dinner train service stopped.

“We have an obligation to our current customers and to the residents of Tacoma to collect the money that’s owed to us,” said Tacoma Rail Superintendent Paula Henry. “It would be irresponsible for us to simply write off this debt.”

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About Tacoma Rail
Tacoma Rail is one of three operating divisions of Tacoma Public Utilities. It is municipally owned, but the Tacoma Public Utility Board serves as its governance. The City Council appoints the five non-salaried members. Tacoma Rail pays 8 percent of its gross earnings to the City of Tacoma's General Fund and 1.5 percent to the state of Washington.