Pandemic complications and border restrictions have put the brakes on Amtrak’s plans to boost train travel across the U.S.-Canadian border.
A proposed third daily train from Seattle to Vancouver, British Columbia, has been pushed back indefinitely, with resuming any train service at all becoming the first priority for the company.
The goal for 2022 is simply to resume halted train service over the Canadian border, Amtrak Cascades and Washington State Department of Transportation officials said.
The current focus is reestablishing consistent service, said Olivia Irvin, Amtrak public relations officer.
“We are working with federal agencies on resuming train service to Canada,” Irvin said, “We hope to resume passenger rail service between our two locations and will announce at a later date when services will be restored.”
Amtrak Cascades officials said the hope is that Amtrak can resume its regular service to Vancouver in the spring.
Amtrak was severely impacted by the pandemic, said Janet Matkins, a spokesperson for Amtrak Cascades and WSDOT. Ridership dwindled substantially and has recently only bounced back to 60% of the traffic it received in 2019.
Matkins said making sure riders are prepared to meet requirements set by the Canadian government is the first step to resuming train travel.
“We don’t want someone traveling to Canada on one of our trains, and then not being let in because we did not prepare them,” Matkins said.
Travel to Canada is largely for leisure, Matkins said. A large portion of those commuting with Amtrak to Vancouver are either going on a day trip or on their way to board a cruise ship.
“Seattle to Vancouver B.C. is our second largest corridor; Seattle to Portland being the first,” Matkins said.
Amtrak currently offers bus service to Canada through a partnership with Cantrail. The bus route reopened as of December 2021 and will continue with four scheduled daily buses for as long as the border remains open, said Cantrail Spokesperson Leanna Bernardini.
Bernardini said Cantrail has been partnered with Amtrak as a bus service to provide train connections. Now that the service is once again active, logistical issues remain.
“One issue we’ve had is riders not having proof that they have taken a PCR (COVID-19) test within 72 hours of their planned trip, and with a negative result of course,” Bernardini said.
Bernardini said because riders must locate their own testing, many are unable to travel back across the border when they planned. Employees such as drivers are exempt from testing, because their service is deemed essential by the Canadian government.
“We need a few months to sort out the logistics surrounding COVID and traveling,” Matkins said.
WSDOT is creating a service development plan for Amtrak Cascades to expand service options, Matkins said. The plan will include recommendations for what train service will look like over the next decade, and will be published by the end of 2022.