(The following appeared on the Seattle Times website on July 21, 2010.)
SEATTLE, Wash. — Amtrak Cascades, which operates trains from Seattle to Portland and Seattle to Vancouver, B.C. has shown double-digit ridership growth and has broken records each month this year, according to the state Department of Transportation.
Ridership for April, May, and June showed the highest second quarter totals since 1994, with 214,641 passengers. Compared to the second quarter of 2009, this is an increase of nearly 12 percent, or more than 25,000 new passengers.
The first quarter of 2010 also had record ridership with an increase of nearly 34,000 riders since 2009.
Total ridership on Amtrak Cascades is 398,414 through June 30, or nearly an 18 percent increase over 2009.
Some of the increase was due to the Olympic Games in Vancouver, said the state.