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The British Columbia Ministry Of Transportation has announced they will provide $4.5 million in funding that will permit a second daily Seattle-Vancouver train. The remainder of the project will be funded by BNSF & Amtrak.
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That is excellent news and hopefully will be in effect before the BC Olympics. I could not get the link to come in (it said "temporarily not working"), but I hope there is a later northbound train that westbound Empire Builder passengers can catch to Vancouver BC and an earlier southbound train that gets in early enough to make the eastbound Empire Builder as well as some of the Cascades trains--or perhaps IS one of those Cascades trains, starting in VAC instead of SEA.
Posts: 2642 | From: upstate New York | Registered: Mar 2004
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Coudn't get the link to work or any varition of it. Search on the gov.bc.ca site did no good either.
Posts: 2808 | From: Olive Branch MS | Registered: Nov 2002
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quote:Originally posted by George Harris: Coudn't get the link to work or any varition of it. Search on the gov.bc.ca site did no good either.
There was an item on the Trains Newswire about this two or three days ago. Link to the website is below but you must be a Trains Magazine subscriber to set up a password and access the article.
Briefly said the goal was to have the train up and running by the June 2008.
This is good progress......makes it possible to make a same day rail connection to/from Vancouver off the Empire Builder.
Climbing toward 5,000 posts like the Southwest Chief ascending Raton Pass. Cautiously, not nearly as fast as in the old days, and hoping to avoid premature reroutes. Posts: 4203 | From: Western North Carolina | Registered: Feb 2004
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This really is great news! I took the Casacade train, this past summer, and there was a rumor that a morning train from Vancouver to Seattle was a possibility. As per what Sojourner was saying, the reason has to do with the 2010 Olympics in Whistler.
David..that is also good news if they have it runnning by June of 2008. I am thinking of an all train vacation, in the summer of 2008, up on the Coast Starlight to Seattle, the Cascades to Vancouver, then up to Whistler to catch to Fraser Discovery route of the Rocky Mountaineer. I also am thinking of the VIA, out of Jasper, for the return to Vancouver. Having morning trips on the Cascade from Seattle and Vancouver will enhance those plans. Thanks for the info.
Richard
Posts: 1909 | From: Santa Rosa | Registered: Jan 2004
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I'm really surprised to hear this given the anti-train bias of the BC government under Premier Campbell. His government discontinued the BC Rail train to Prince George as well as the steam tourist train. As for the Winter Olympics, the BC government apparently has no plans to put in rail service to the site of the games, just an upgraded road. Perhaps I can connect to this new train from The Canadian rather than having to wait all day for the evening Cascade to Seattle. I wonder if there is any hope of improving the condition of the tracks in BC, currently a very slow operation.
Posts: 524 | From: Toronto Ont. Canada | Registered: Mar 2001
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The second trains to Vancouver, BC will be extensions of the existing 513/516 service to Bellingham. The schedule for those trains already have time built into them for service to VAC. 513 should leave VAC at about 700am, with arrival in SEA at about 1055am. 516 will leave SEA about 640pm with an arrival time in VAC at about 1100pm.
Passengers will be able to connect from the Empire Builder without spending a night in Seattle. Portland, OR will also get same day service to VAC.
Posts: 78 | From: Seattle | Registered: Jun 2006
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"A railway siding, or "passing track," will be built on the BNSF Railway in Delta near Colebrook road. The passing track is a second section of track running parallel to the existing track, and it allows one train to move to the side, so another train can pass. The passing track is required to accommodate the operation of a second daily Amtrak train.
The Province will contribute up to a maximum of $4.5 million dollars. The remainder of the project will be funded by BNSF and Amtrak. The work will start this spring, and the project is expected to be completed by summer of 2008."
The rest of the article is fluff.
For BNSF, this is the New Westminster Subdivision from mile 119.6 at the border to 155.3 at CN Junction. The maximum speed is 60P/40F, but a lot of it is restricted to lower speeds, down to 10 mph over the Fraser River bridge.
Posts: 2808 | From: Olive Branch MS | Registered: Nov 2002
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Sounds great. But Royal Train, I wish all those other trains were around too!
Yukon 11, your plans sound lovely. And if the new Vancouver train is running when you make your trip, one thing you might consider is taking the Coast Starlight only as far as Portland, overnighting there, and catching the Cascades to Vancouver, BC, next day. This would enable you to get in at a more comfortable time on the CS.
One bit of advice to all when this Vancouver line begins running: Be careful an agent doesn't book you into Vancouver Washington by mistake! I already almost had that happen to me when I was getting some tickets for my trip last May from an East Coast Amtrak agent who didn't know there were 2 Vancouvers!!! Luckily I had already been nosing around at the Amtrak website and knew there was no train to Vancouver BC arriving at the time the agent was telling me!
Posts: 2642 | From: upstate New York | Registered: Mar 2004
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Wow - talk about basic education - that's the most elementary description of a passing track I have ever seen. Not complaining......just observing.
What really strikes me is that this means Amtrak is now clearly going to be carrying the bulk of the rail passengers into and out of Vancouver now. We're talking 14 arrivals and departures each week compared to a meager 3 for VIA Rail.
Sure would like to see VIA able to run the Canadian 5 days a week instead of 3.
-------------------- David Pressley
Advocating for passenger trains since 1973!
Climbing toward 5,000 posts like the Southwest Chief ascending Raton Pass. Cautiously, not nearly as fast as in the old days, and hoping to avoid premature reroutes. Posts: 4203 | From: Western North Carolina | Registered: Feb 2004
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quote:Originally posted by notelvis: Wow - talk about basic education - that's the most elementary description of a passing track I have ever seen. Not complaining......just observing.
What really strikes me is that this means Amtrak is now clearly going to be carrying the bulk of the rail passengers into and out of Vancouver now. We're talking 14 arrivals and departures each week compared to a meager 3 for VIA Rail.
Sure would like to see VIA able to run the Canadian 5 days a week instead of 3.
Actually Via should run The Canadian six days a week, three on the current CN route and three on the old CP route. The problem, however, is that the Rocky Mountaineer has enough political influence to block a CP Canadian (claiming it would unfairly compete with their train).
Posts: 524 | From: Toronto Ont. Canada | Registered: Mar 2001
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quote:Originally posted by notelvis: Wow - talk about basic education - that's the most elementary description of a passing track I have ever seen. Not complaining......just observing.
Exactly what I thought. Almost cut the sentence out of the quote for that reason, but left it in jsut because that is somewhat the flavor of the entire article. George
Posts: 2808 | From: Olive Branch MS | Registered: Nov 2002
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In October my wife and I will be taking the bus from Vancouver to Seattle to catch the Empire Builder to Chicago. Looks like we'll need to take the 8 a.m. bus, which arrives at noon, to make the 4:45 p.m. departure of the Builder. There is a bus that arrives at 4:30 p.m. but that connection looks way too tight.
Are these buses generally full? Is it a good idea to buy a ticket from Amtrak well in advance?
Posts: 2236 | From: Evanston, Ill. and Ontonagon, Mich. | Registered: Feb 2007
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I read your post and thought, why not catch the Builder at Everett? Then I looked at the schedule and see that, The Bus Does Not Stop There ! What? Sure seems like it ought to.
George
Posts: 2808 | From: Olive Branch MS | Registered: Nov 2002
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Greyhound offers service from BC to Seattle via Everett. But if you have to kill a couple of hours waiting for a train, Seattle will be a better place.
Posts: 78 | From: Seattle | Registered: Jun 2006
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The bus from Vancouver to Seattle is appalling. Strongly advise that you take the previous day's Cascade, overnight in Seattle and then connect with the Empire Builder.
Posts: 524 | From: Toronto Ont. Canada | Registered: Mar 2001
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