Amtrak restores full daily train service to Vancouver, B.C.

SEATTLE (AP) — Amtrak has restarted direct trips on its Cascades passenger-train service between Portland, Oregon and Vancouver, British Columbia, marking full restoration of daily service on the popular route.

Effective Monday Amtrak Cascades customers can choose from multiple daily roundtrips between Seattle and Canada, some by connecting bus service, The Seattle Times reported.

About 159,000 people each year took direct trips between Seattle and Vancouver, B.C., before the COVID-19 pandemic. Overall, including trips with stops along the way, about 290,000 passengers rode the train between the two cities.

Passenger trains to Vancouver, B.C. were halted in 2020 when Canada closed the border. The border reopened in August 2021 for vaccinated travelers, but service did not immediately resume.

One daily trip was restored between Seattle and Vancouver, B.C., in September 2022.

Amtrak previously blamed staffing for lingering service disruptions, while federal and state officials called upon the company to quickly restore full service trips.

Passenger fares have traditionally covered about two-thirds of Amtrak operation costs, while states cover the rest.

Washington state lawmakers last year approved $150 million to study and plan high-speed rail between British Columbia, Washington and Oregon, perhaps replacing Amtrak someday. But that has been estimated to require at least $42 billion and decades to build.