Six daily roundtrip trains will operate between Seattle and Portland
OLYMPIA – Just in time for the holidays, WSDOT and ODOT are starting two additional Amtrak Cascades daily roundtrips between Seattle and Portland. Beginning Monday, Dec. 11, more trains will run in both directions – for a total of 12 trains every day between the two most popular cities on the route.
The new schedule will see trains departing Seattle at 5:52 a.m. and Portland at 6:45 a.m. The latest trains between the two cities will leave at 7:25 p.m. from Portland and 7:50 p.m. from Seattle. Station stops between the two cities include Tukwila, Tacoma, Olympia/Lacey, Centralia, Kelso/Longview, and Vancouver, Washington. Other routes serve stations south from Portland into Oregon and north of Seattle into Canada.
Dec. 11 also brings changes to the existing schedules. The northbound morning train from Eugene will leave later in the morning and allow for continuous travel on the same train all the way to Seattle. Later morning departures also will occur on trains leaving in both directions between Seattle and Vancouver, British Columbia. Afternoon trains will depart earlier from Canada to Seattle and from Portland to Seattle to Vancouver.
“The additional roundtrips and updated schedules provide more convenient travel options for Amtrak Cascades passengers,” said Jason Biggs, director of WSDOT’s Rail, Freight and Ports Division. “Many of our trains are sold out, so the addition of these two trains between Portland and Seattle has long been awaited by our customers.”
“Amtrak Cascades passenger rail gives people a great way to move between key cities and towns in the Pacific Northwest, and now it will be easier than ever to take the train,” said Kris Strickler, ODOT director. “Taking the train is a more environmentally friendly way to travel than flying or driving, and reducing carbon emissions is one of ODOT’s top priorities.”
“Today’s announcement gives riders two more options to go from Seattle to Portland,” said Senator Maria Cantwell. “This significantly increases capacity for riders traveling between the two busiest stops on the Amtrak Cascades route every morning and evening. These cities along the I-5 corridor are interconnected, and growing fast – together, Portland and Seattle added nearly a million residents and 700,000 new jobs over the last decade.”
Tickets for the newly added trains will be available on Dec. 1 at AmtrakCascades.com. Customers are encouraged to book early, especially for the holidays, with special discounts available for children, students, seniors, military and groups.
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Ridership has not yet recovered from the pandemic lockdowns. There is minimal demand for additional rail service. It is not economically viable.