Amtrak Cascades resumes direct service between Vancouver and Portland, Ore.

The northbound Amtrak Cascades train rolls across the Interstate 5 overpass in DuPont, Wash., on Thursday, Nov. 18, 2021. The overpass was the site of the fatal train derailment in December 2018. (Tony Overman /The News Tribune via AP)

Direct, daily train service between Vancouver and Portland, Ore. resumed Monday, according to an update from Amtrak.

Travel along the Cascades route was suspended with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 when the Canada-U.S. border was closed to non-essential travel. Service to Seattle resumed last September.

"We’re aware of just how ready everyone is for this direct service from Portland to Vancouver to come back,” said Karyn Criswell, administrator of the Oregon Department of Transportation’s Public Transportation Division, in a statement.

"We’re excited to see ridership grow throughout the corridor, giving people in the Pacific Northwest an affordable, comfortable and safe option for travel."

The route stops at 13 stations throughout western Washington state and Oregon, including Seattle.

The train leaving Vancouver will depart at 6:35 a.m. and arrive in Portland at 2:55 p.m. The train leaving Portland will depart at 3:05 p.m. and arrive in Vancouver at around 11:00 p.m., according to the website.

The company touts the benefits of rail travel along the route including "river and mountain vistas," "spectacular natural attractions," free Wi-Fi and the ability to check two items and carry on two bags free of charge.

Last year, Washington state officials approved $150 million USD in spending to study the possibility of building a high-speed rail service from B.C. to Oregon – a project that could eventually replace the Cascades, but it’s expected to take decades to build and estimated to cost at least $42 billion.

With files from The Associated Press