Amtrak Cascades celebrates 20 years of international rail service

Written by Jenifer Nunez, assistant editor
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Amtrak

It has been 20 years since the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) and Amtrak launched Amtrak Cascades passenger train service to Canada. Today, international ridership on the line continues to grow and benefit economies on both sides of the border.

 

“Amtrak Cascades service continues to provide economic benefits and multimodal travel options for U.S. and Canadian residents,” said Washington Secretary of Transportation Lynn Peterson.

WSDOT says the successful security partnership between the two countries also laid the groundwork for completing the Preclearance Agreement signed by the U.S. and Canadian officials in March that now awaits approval by the U.S. Congress and Canadian Parliament. Once fully implemented, preclearance will streamline the customs process for travelers entering the U.S. from Canada, while still maintaining strict security. It also will reduce passenger train travel time by eliminating a second customs stop in Blaine after the initial screening in Canada.

“We are pleased to support wide-ranging efforts that ensure seamless travel along the Amtrak Cascades corridor and throughout the Pacific Northwest,” said Hal Gard, administrator of Oregon Department of Transportation’s Rail and Public Transit Division, which partners with Washington to pay for the Amtrak Cascades service.

Amtrak Cascades’ British Columbia service features two daily round trips from Vancouver, one to Seattle, Wash., and another to Portland, Ore. The number of passengers has nearly doubled since 1995; last year approximately 148,000 people traveled to or from British Columbia on Amtrak Cascades trains.

 

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