Amtrak Cascades train service in Bellingham delayed for months. Here’s why
The popular Amtrak Cascades train service north of Seattle to Bellingham and Vancouver B.C. will not start up until late 2022 because of staff shortages.
The company informed Washington and Oregon about its plans, with both state governments expressing “extreme dissatisfaction” with the plan. In a news release Friday, May 13, the two state governments urged Amtrak to at least consider offering service a few days a week on an interim basis until full service can resume in December.
According to the news release from the Washington State Department of Transportation, Amtrak said it is committed to an earlier start date if it can work out staffing. From WSDOT’s standpoint, Amtrak’s engineers requalified for the route earlier this year, so state requirements are met.
This route, serving Seattle, Edmonds, Everett, Stanwood, Mount Vernon, Bellingham and Vancouver, B.C., has been suspended since March 2020 when the Canadian border closed to non-essential travel. Daily bus service between Seattle and Vancouver, B.C., and between Seattle and Bellingham will continue to be offered through the Amtrak ticketing system.
The route from Vancouver, B.C., to Eugene, Oregon, had an annual ridership of more than 800,000 in each of the four years before the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2019 the number of people who got on or off at the Bellingham station totaled 54,000, according to data from the Washington State Department of Transportation. The Bellingham station also generated $928,000 in ticket sales in 2019.
The north-of-Seattle portion is the second most popular segment in the Amtrak Cascades system, said Janet Matkin, communications manager for WSDOT’s rail, freight and ports division. Along with the trip being beautiful because it is often along the water, it’s particularly popular with those going on cruises out of Seattle and Vancouver.
“Lots of summer vacations are planned around the trip,” Matkin said in an email.
According to the news release, positions that are open include conductors, on-board service staff and mechanics. One challenge is that as people are hired they must complete an extensive training program before starting. For those interested in working for Amtrak, details are available online at careers.amtrak.com.
This story was originally published May 13, 2022 at 4:11 PM.
