Amtrak Cascades Resumes Daily Service To Vancouver

SEATTLE — Travelers across the Pacific Northwest can again travel by train over the Canadian border to British Columbia after the Amtrak Cascades restored daily passenger service between Seattle and Vancouver, B.C., Monday morning. The popular and budget-friendly option was suspended in March 2020 due to the burgeoning COVID-19 pandemic.

Over the last few weeks, transportation agencies in Washington, Oregon and Canada worked with Amtrak to restore daily roundtrips between the Emerald City and British Columbia, including stops at five stations along the way.

The first Cascades train departed Seattle's King Street Station at 7:45 a.m. Monday and was scheduled to arrive at Vancouver's Pacific Central Station by 11:45 a.m. Southbound trains will leave Vancouver at 5:45 p.m. and arrive back in Seattle at 10:10 p.m. Amtrak plans to add a second daily trip as soon as their staffing and equipment levels can accommodate the expansion.

Canada-bound riders flocked to King Street Station for Monday’s big return. The first train out of Seattle was 70 percent full, matching pre-pandemic volumes, and business class seats were sold out, KING 5 reported.

Until Saturday, travelers heading to British Columbia will still need to use the "ArriveCAN" app to upload their vaccination records before the trip. Masking is required after the train crosses the border and inside Canadian stations. Both restrictions will end Oct. 1, along with many other pandemic-related border measures, officials announced Monday.

Travelers can book tickets for upcoming trains on Amtrak’s website, with coach fares starting at $44.