Amtrak to stop at new station in Stanwod, Wash.
Written by jrood
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE For the first time in 38 years, passenger rail service is returning to the community of Stanwood/Camano Island with daily Amtrak Cascades train service making two morning and two evening stops at a new rail station beginning the morning of Saturday, November 21.
"Amtrak is delighted to
stop in Stanwood and provide residents with direct access to train travel and
connections to our national network," said Kurt Laird, Amtrak District
Superintendent.
"The opening of this new
station could not come at a better time with the 2010 Olympics right around the
corner," said Paula Hammond, Washington Transportation Secretary. "Not only
does the new stop give the community of Stanwood/Camano Island access to Amtrak
Cascades intercity passenger rail service-which means more travel options to
Portland, Seattle, and Vancouver, B.C.-but it provides Olympics-bound travelers
an alternative way of getting to the games in Vancouver, B.C.," she added.
The $5-million station
project, funded by the state of Washington, is located on the corner of 271st Street
NW and the BNSF main line tracks in downtown Stanwood, and is expected to boost
the Stanwood-area tourism industry and spur local economic development near the
station. Great Northern Railroad operated passenger rail service to Stanwood
until 1971.
The new station is an
unstaffed platform and will not have any ticketing capabilities. However,
passengers have several different options for making reservations and
purchasing tickets, including Internet and phone.
Amtrak Cascades consists of four daily round-trips between Portland
and Seattle, with service between Bellingham and Portland, via Seattle; between
Eugene and Seattle, via Portland; and between Portland/Seattle and Vancouver,
B.C. Amtrak Cascades is operated by Amtrak in partnership with the Washington
and Oregon Departments of Transportation.
