Amtrak Cascades services will see a significant increase from December 11, 2023, with daily round trips between Seattle and Portland increasing from four to six, which combined with the Coast Starlight long-distance service to and from Los Angeles will offer fourteen daily departures.
New schedule: https://www.amtrakcascades.com/sites/default/files/amtrak-cascades-schedule-12-11-23.pdf
With this timetable change, Amtrak Cascades departures and arrivals in Vancouver are also being adjusted, with the morning departure moving from 06.35 to 07.15 and the evening train arriving at 22.00 rather than 23.00. This change will give passengers a bit more time to get to and from the station and clear border security.
There is also an increase in Thruway bus service between Vancouver and Seattle, from two round trips to four, and this will now increase an early departure at 05.30, arriving in Seattle at 09.00 to connect with the southbound Coast Starlight, and a late evening bus departing Seattle after the northbound Coast Starlight arrives and arriving in Vancouver after midnight.
Transport Action BC continues to engage with Washington State DOT consultations about the expansion of Amtrak Cascades, supporting promises of increased Amtrak train service between Vancouver and Seattle in future. However, British Columbians can only watch as our American neighbours continue to invest heavily in fast and frequent inter-city rail, including the new Airo trains expected to enter service in 2026, while Canada’s investment in VIA Rail lags behind; and so TABC will continue campaigning for the restoration of passenger rail to connect cities across the lower mainland and BC interior and on Vancouver Island.
