Amtrak will add a second round trip to Vancouver, B.C., starting on March 7, restoring the line to pre-pandemic levels of service, according to Washington Sen. Maria Cantwell.
Amtrak, in a letter to Washington State Department of Transportation and the Oregon Department of Transportation, said it will also increase the number of daily trips between Seattle and Portland from four to six this fall.
“I’m thankful that Amtrak is finally on the path to fully restore service in the Pacific Northwest. I-5 corridor in the state of Washington is one of the most congested corridors in the nation and the Cascades service provides a convenient alternative to travelers,” Cantwell said in a news release.
Before the onset of the pandemic, more than 750,000 riders traveled along the Cascades line each year. The route to Vancouver was suspended in May 2020 and one trip was restored in September 2022.
Amtrak previously blamed staffing for lingering service disruptions, which Cantwell, chair of the Senate Commerce Committee, rejected as an excuse as she urged the company to restore full service between Vancouver and Washington.
Amtrak is set to receive $66 billion as part of the federal infrastructure bill signed into law in 2021 by President Joe Biden.
A new fleet of Northwest-themed trains will make its debut in 2026, hitting the tracks with an “evergreen and mocha” color scheme and graphics of Mount Hood and Mount Rainier on each car, according to WSDOT.
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