Is hopping an Amtrak Cascades train from Vancouver to Portland a reasonable option for commuters?
That was the question Columbian reporter William Seekamp explored in a recent story. That story was prompted by a reader asking if that scenario were logical, given that the Cascades line has added two round-trips between Portland and Seattle, for a total of six per day.
Seekamp’s research found that while catching the Cascades train in Vancouver and riding it to Portland’s Union Station is relatively quick — and fun — it’s probably not the most economical nor efficient way to commute between the two cities.
One-way train fare from Vancouver to Portland is typically $5, twice the cost of C-Tran’s service into Portland. In addition, the train leaves Vancouver at 8:51 a.m. and arrives at Union Station at 9:17 a.m. Unless a commuter works near Union Station and has a workday that doesn’t start until after 9:30 a.m., that’s probably not going to be feasible.
By comparison, C-Tran’s No. 105/105X I-5 Express leaves the 99th Street Transit Center starting at 5:07 a.m. and runs regularly until 11:07 a.m., and it stops at three different locations in downtown Portland.
Nonetheless, an increase in Amtrak service between Portland, Vancouver and Seattle is good news. Rail travel is an increasingly popular form of public transit that gets vehicles off the roads and allows riders to focus on work or relaxation. Anyone who has visited a country with an extensive train system, such as Great Britain, can attest that rail is a comfortable, convenient way to get around.
After a slump during the COVID-19 pandemic, Amtrak’s ridership has been climbing steadily, including in the Pacific Northwest. Amtrak reports that its fiscal year 2023 ridership on the Cascades line was 669,820 passengers, a 71.6 percent increase over its fiscal year 2022 figure of 390,248 — which was a 115 percent jump over fiscal year 2021’s number.
While riding Amtrak from Vancouver to Portland might not seem like the best idea right now, it could become more practical once construction to replace the Interstate 5 Bridge gets underway, perhaps in 2025. When that process begins, alternatives for crossing the Columbia River will gain in importance and likely popularity.
Looking ahead, when discussing rail transit we’d be remiss to not touch on light rail, which might be part of the I-5 Bridge replacement project. That has not been definitively determined, but The Columbian Editorial Board supports the idea primarily for the climate benefits it would provide.
Be it traditional railroad or light rail, travel by train provides a variety of benefits. Transportation market publication Transportation & Logistics International earlier this year listed 10 benefits of rail transport. Those included cost effectiveness, environmental friendliness, reliability, safety, reduced vehicle traffic congestion and flexibility. The magazine wrote, “Compared to other modes of transport, it is cheaper to transport goods and passengers via train than by car or plane.”
Clark County residents love and rely on their vehicles, but if rail options are convenient, affordable and efficient, we think many of the 65,000 or so who commute to Oregon would be willing to park their cars and hop the rails to work instead.
Until then, Amtrak Cascades’ current service between Vancouver and Portland is probably not enticing enough to get many to answer the call of “All aboard!”
