Amtrak Cascades service stays intact

Canadian Minister for Public Safety Vic Toews said Tuesday in a press interview, “Upon careful review of the business case and despite some significant financial constraints, the Canada Border Services Agency has decided that it will continue to provide publicly funded border clearance service to Amtrak’s second daily train.”

Toews made the announcement in Winnipeg, Manitoba, accompanied by U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano.

Canadian and U.S. officials, including Customs officials in both nations, have struggled for years to expedite Amtrak Cascades service crossing the linking Portland and Seattle with Vancouver, B.C. Amtrak added a second Cascades train serving Vancouver in part to handle anticipated traffic for the 2010 Winter Olympics, held in Vancouver, and ridership on the route is up 24% in 2011 over 2010, according to Amtrak.

The second train’s 10:50 p.m. local arrival time at Vancouver’s Pacific Central Station had led Canada to demand a $1,500 daily charge to cover the inconvenience to the CBSA of the late hours. Neither Amtrak, nor the Washington State Department of Transportation, was willing to fund such a cost; CBSA responded by considering the second Cascades frequency a “temporary” service.