An American city is asking for B.C.’s help to pay for a new train stop just south of the border.
The train station in Blaine, Washington has been deserted for decades, but city council wants it to become a stop on the twice-daily Amtrak train between Vancouver and Seattle. For many British Columbians who live south of the Fraser River, the Blaine station would actually be closer than the one in Vancouver.
Blaine city councillor Ken Oplinger says White Rock and Surrey have already signed resolutions of support for the plan, while Langley is also drafting one.
“I think a lot of people who live in the south of Fraser area already look at coming into Whatcom County to fill up or to get groceries. It’s not like it’s a foreign trip for them; it’s something they do already,” he said.
Even though the station is on the American side of the border, Oplinger wants the B.C. government to help pay for it.
“We know that it’s going to be primarily Canadians using this stop,” he said.
“In order for this to work there's got to be more that just Washington State putting this together, because I think there's going to be benefits to both sides of the border and so both sides ought to participate in it.”
B.C. Transportation Minister Blair Lekstrom told reporters Tuesday that adding a stop in Blaine would be good news for economies on both sides of the border, but he stopped short of offering funding.
“I think it’s far too premature to say that there's dollars on the table that we would like to enter discussions about, but the discussions are worthwhile to have,” he said.
With a report from CTV British Columbia’s Shannon Paterson
