Amtrak Reopens Vancouver-Seattle Train

Amtrak

The COVID-19 pandemic has halted a variety of services, from in-person medical treatment to international transportation. After a two and a half-year hiatus, Amtrak Cascades has reopened their passenger train between Vancouver and Seattle, travelling for the first time since the pandemic began, on Sept. 26.

Previously, the Vancouver-Seattle route had over 190,000 annual travellers, with 61,000 people travelling from Vancouver to Portland annually. Since the direct route from Vancouver to Portland has not yet been resumed, travelling that route in one day is not currently possible. It is unknown if the direct route from Vancouver to Portland will resume operation.

Amtrak Cascades currently offers one trip south and one trip north each day. The company has plans to increase the number to two, as it was prior to the pandemic, once they have enough staff. The northbound train leaves Seattle’s King Station at 7:45 a.m. and arrives at Vancouver’s Pacific Central Station at 11:45 a.m.. The southbound train leaves Vancouver at 5:45 p.m. and arrives in Seattle at 10:10 p.m.. Both trains have five stops along the 230 km long route: Bellingham, Mount Vernon, Stanwood, Everett, and Edmonds. A one-way ticket starts at $34 USD (about $47 CAD).

The amenities on the Amtrak Cascades trains include WiFi, reclining seats, no middle seat, electrical outlets, checked baggage, and a bistro car for food and drinks.

Amtrak has plans to add a complete fleet of eight train sets to the Cascades operations in 2025 to 2026. This will include 48 passenger rail cars, two locomotives, and one spare cab.