(The following story by Jared Paben appeared on The Bellingham Herald website on March 23, 2010.)
BELLINGHAM, Wash. — The second daily Amtrak train service between Seattle and Vancouver, B.C., will be extended through September, state and British Columbia officials announced Tuesday, March 23.
The second daily train was added last August and expected to last through the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Games as a pilot project. Its future depends on whether the Canada Border Services Agency will waive a $1,500-per-day border inspection fee, money the state of Washington doesn’t have budgeted. The agency has agreed to extend the service through the end of September.
The announcement was made by the state Department of Transportation secretary and the B.C. Transportation and Infrastructure minister. They’ll work this year toward longer-term operation of the second daily train.