The Amtrak Cascades schedule between Seattle and Portland will change later this month, according to the Washington State Department of Transportation.
Starting July 11, several daily trains will make the trip 10 minutes faster than they do now. What has been a three hour and 50 minute trip between Seattle and Portland will now take three hours and 40 minutes, according to WSDOT. The change will remain in effect through Sept. 13.
In addition, a permanent change starting July 11 will mean Train 509 leaves Seattle in the evening at 6:05 p.m., 35 minutes later than the current schedule. The later departure is intended to better accommodate business travelers.
The changes come a year after WSDOT added extra time to some routes to accommodate for construction along the rail corridor. Officials decided to limit those interruptions this summer, according to WSDOT.
Once rail improvements are completed in 2017, the Amtrak Cascades corridor is expected to see faster travel times and better on-time performance, according to WSDOT.
