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closeGoodbye, Mike
Puyallup Sounder bids farewell and gives thanks to longtime employee Mike Marshall
Joan Cronk / for The Herald
Weekday mornings the Sounder station in downtown Puyallup is a beehive of activity. Not only is it one of the busiest Sounder stations, second only to King Street Station in train riders, it is a safe environment.
That is due largely in part to Mike Marshall.
Linda Robson, spokesperson for Sound Transit, said that 25 percent of riders between Tacoma and Seattle get on or off at the Puyallup station. In 2007, Sounder carried almost 2.2 million passengers.
Commuters on the Sounder train have access to free wireless Internet, worktables, high-back cloth upholstered seats, surge-protected outlets for laptop computers, overhead compartments, bicycle storage and cup holders. Each Sounder car has seating for 148 travelers, including up to four passengers in wheelchairs. Restrooms are also available.
For the past four years, it was Marshall’s job to make sure passengers had a safe and comfortable experience as they boarded the train in the morning. He will leave the Puyallup Station at the end of April to move to Kent. His day started at 4:30 a.m. when he arrived in downtown Puyallup, and he finished up around 12:30 p.m.
“The best part of the job,” Marshall said, “is seeing and talking to people in the mornings, making sure they start their day out well.”
But Marshall, who is 6’7”, did more than meet and greet. He rode his bike to the parking lots to be sure cars are safe, answered questions for folks taking the trains and the buses and responded to problems. If a problem arose, he called 911.
“Part of this job is to observe and report,” Marshall said. “It is easier for me to call 911 and get somebody here to respond.”
Marshall said that 90 percent of the time there are no problems, and he only has had to call the police once.
Most of the time he is available to welcome his friends — the Sounder passengers — with a warm smile and a hug, and a “How are you doing today?” Passengers looked forward to seeing Marshall in the morning as they arrived with steaming cups of coffee, dragging their briefcases, ready to board the train and get on with their day.
“Mike is friendly and doesn’t know a stranger,” said passenger Lori Daane. “He even sings to us.”
Gaylene Dilley said “he applauds me when I make an earlier train and if you haven’t seen him for awhile, he asks where you have been.”
Robson said that even though Puyallup is one of the busiest stations, “it ranks near the bottom for the number of reported incidents.” An incident could mean anything from a car prowl to someone falling down or damage or problems with some of the ticketing equipment.
Puyallup station offers 300 parking spaces and there are also bike lockers available, leaving Marshall with a large territory to cover.
“We are lucky to have somebody like Mike who is associated with Sound Transit,” Robson said.
He helped folks board the train, telling everyone to “have a nice day.” If a new rider arrived, he assisted them in the ticket purchasing process, giving instructions but making them do it themselves, so they learned for the next time.
Security personnel are not sworn police officers, but still have the eyes and ears of them. Robson said the head of security at Sound Transit likes to say, “Our security staff are there to make the ride safe, secure and comfortable for everyone.”
That would include things like making sure passengers don’t dash across the tracks without looking both ways for oncoming trains.
“Anyone who comes down to ride the train any given weekday morning will instantly see that, for Mike, it’s not just about safety and security, but making everyone’s day a little easier and a little brighter,” Robson said.
Marshall, the father of three grown daughters, thinks he has the best job in the world. He loves the people and the early morning hours are the best part of the day.
“I get off at 12:30,” he said, “and home in time to walk the pups and take a nap before my wife gets home from work.”