(The following appeared on the Progressive Railroading website on August 25, 2010.)
After a year in operation, the second Amtrak Cascades train from Washington state to Vancouver, B.C., has exceeded ridership expectations and recorded its best month in July at about 25,000 trips, according to the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT).
From the first day of service on Aug. 19, 2009, through July 31, 2010, ridership totaled more than 221,000. Ridership on the original Cascades train increased more than 21 percent compared with 2009.
The second daily train currently is being operated as a pilot program through September, with plans to continue the service if the Canada Border Services Agency decides to allow the train to pass without additional security fees, WSDOT officials said in a prepared statement.