By ANNELI FOGT

Editor

A ferry line gridlock that had begun Sunday after the 124-car Issaquah was taken out of service for repairs should end Tuesday afternoon with the return of the Issaquah at 2:20 p.m.

Washington State Ferries sent out an alert Tuesday reporting that after two days without the Issaquah, it would make the 2:20 p.m. sailing from Vashon to Fauntleroy. The news comes after triangle route commuters were plagued by long waits Sunday and Monday and were told Tuesday morning to expect delays up to 90 minutes.

The 64-car Salish was the replacement boat  for the Issaquah, one of the route’s two largest ferries,  since Sunday afternoon. The reduced capacity wreaked havoc on wait times.

“The Salish is half the capacity; it’s major downsizing,” WSF spokesman Ian Sterling said Monday. “The delays are due to (this).”

Some residents reported they waited as long as three hours to get off the island on Monday, and the north-end ferry dock line was seen backing up past Burma Road.

Sunday’s service reduction, which began around 10:45 a.m., was the second time during last week that the Issaquah was pulled due to engine trouble. The vessel was also pulled out of service on the morning of Wednesday, Oct. 21.

A total of at least 15 sailings along the Southworth-Vashon-Fauntleroy route were cancelled over the two days: seven on Wednesday, between 6:40 a.m. and 9:20 a.m., and eight on Sunday, between 12:20 p.m. and 3:20 p.m.

Sterling said Monday that the Issaquah was having an “intermittent electrical problem” that causes one of the ship’s two engines to shut down.

“Because it’s electrical, it’s very complicated, so it will work for a little while and then it stops,” Sterling said.