Amtrak Cascades service returns to Vancouver for first time in years
A cross-border passenger train connecting Vancouver to Seattle has entered Canada for the first time in years.
Amtrak Cascades service to Vancouver was suspended early in the COVID-19 pandemic, but returned to the city Monday on a new schedule that includes a single daily round-trip.
The train currently departs Seattle at 7:45 a.m. and arrives in Vancouver at 11:45 a.m., then departs Vancouver at 6 p.m. and arrives in Seattle at 10:10 p.m., with stops at five U.S. cities along the way.
But travellers can't take the Cascades directly between Vancouver and Portland as they used to, at least for the time being.
Trains from Vancouver arrive in Seattle too late to make any southbound connections, and trains from Portland arrive in Seattle too late to make any northbound connections.
It's unclear whether direct service from Vancouver to Portland will return. CTV News has reached out to the operator for more information.
Last month, Amtrak Cascades issued a statement promising a second daily trip to and from Vancouver would eventually be added when "staffing and equipment allow."
For now, there are three daily round-trips between Portland and Seattle, two daily round-trips between Eugene and Portland, plus bus service between Vancouver, Seattle and Bellingham.
Prior to the pandemic, about 159,000 people rode the Cascades between Vancouver and Seattle annually.
The service boasts "spectacular" views of forests and ocean, along with a bar car, hot food and free onboard Wi-Fi.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Honda to get up to $5B in govt help for EV battery, assembly plants
Honda is set to build an electric vehicle battery plant next to its Alliston, Ont., assembly plant, which it is retooling to produce fully electric vehicles, all part of a $15-billion project that is expected to include up to $5 billion in public money.
BREAKING New York appeals court overturns Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction from landmark #MeToo trial
New York’s highest court on Thursday overturned Harvey Weinstein’s 2020 rape conviction, finding the judge at the landmark #MeToo trial prejudiced the ex-movie mogul with improper rulings, including a decision to let women testify about allegations that weren’t part of the case.
Residents of northern Alberta First Nation told to shelter in place
Residents of John D'Or Prairie, a community on the Little Red River Cree Nation in northern Alberta, were told to take shelter Thursday morning during a police operation.
Secret $70M Lotto Max winners break their silence
During a special winner celebration near their hometown, Doug and Enid shared the story of how they discovered they were holding a Lotto Max ticket worth $70 million and how they kept this huge secret for so long.
Remains from a mother-daughter cold case were found nearly 24 years later, after a deathbed confession from the suspect
A West Virginia father is getting some sense of closure after authorities found the remains of his young daughter and her mother following a deathbed confession from the man believed to have fatally shot them nearly two decades ago.
Monthly earnings rise, payroll employment falls: jobs report
The number of vacant jobs in Canada increased in February, while monthly payroll employment decreased in food services, manufacturing, and retail trade, among other sectors.
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.
Metro Vancouver mayors call for serial killer Robert Pickton to be denied parole
A dozen mayors from around Metro Vancouver say federal Attorney General and Justice Minister Arif Virani should deny parole for notorious B.C. serial killer Robert Pickton, and reassess the parole and sentencing system for 'prolific offenders and mass murderers.'