On April 1, Amtrak is restoring one more daily Cascades train run to Vancouver, Canada and back
Amtrak will start restoring train trips on the Cascades service, after removal of 26 rail cars last Wednesday. The railroad has sourced Amfleet I rail cars from across the Midwest, New York, and North Carolina to supplement Horizon rail cars withdrawn from service over corrosion issues.
As of today, five Amfleet I rail cars are in Seattle, after being pulled from Chicago on the Empire Builder. More Amfleet I rail cars are on the way to fill out and fully restore the Cascades service.
Starting on Tuesday, April 1, Amtrak will restore one daily roundtrip between Seattle and Vancouver, British Columbia with the 8:30am northbound trip (Train Number 516) and 4:45pm southbound trip (Train Number 519) using Amfleet I rail cars. The Amfleet additions will build on the surviving daily roundtrip between Seattle and Eugene via Portland, which operates a 7:10am southbound trip (Train Number 503) and a 4:30pm northbound trip (Train Number 508) using a Talgo 8 series trainset.
All other Cascades trips will continue to be served by replacement bus service until additional Amfleet I rail cars arrive and can be put into service.
For now, Amtrak’s available equipment is limited and each Cascades trip supported by Amfleet I rail cars will operate with shorter trains. According to Amtrak, those trains will include two Coach class cars and one cafe car. The cafe cars will have 17 seats for Business class passengers. As a result of the shorter trains, capacity on some Cascades trips could be about half of normal.
The Horizon rail cars taken out of service last week haven’t been repaired yet. Amtrak is still coordinating with the responsible manufacturer, Alstom, to determine what repairs would need to take place and anticipated costs. As for the extra Talgo 8 series trainset damaged by a recent windstorm, Amtrak says that it is under repair and that they have necessary parts. However, there’s no timeline yet or when the trainset might go back into service.
Amfleet I rail cars are older Amtrak equipment, dating from 1975 to 1977 and built by the now-deduct Budd Company, but have been refurbished. The rail cars are typically found on Northeast Corridor and Amtrak Midwest services.
Later this week, as more Amfleet I rail cars arrive, Amtrak expects to restore several other Cascades trips between Seattle and Portland (Train Numbers 505 and 506) and between Vancouver, British Columbia and Portland via Seattle (Train Numbers 517 and 518).
In addition to Cascades, regional intercity rail passengers can continue to book tickets on the once daily Amtrak Coast Starlight long-distance service between Seattle and points south into Oregon.
While the service pinch on Cascades is likely to continue for quite a while in one form or another, Cascades does have new Airo (Siemens Venture) trainsets on order, which are supposed to be delivered and put into service starting in spring 2026.
Stephen is a professional urban planner in Puget Sound with a passion for sustainable, livable, and diverse cities. He is especially interested in how policies, regulations, and programs can promote positive outcomes for communities. With stints in great cities like Bellingham and Cork, Stephen currently lives in Seattle. He primarily covers land use and transportation issues and has been with The Urbanist since 2014.