About
For Amtrak Cascades customer service and all your ticketing and reservations information, please contact: AMTRAK 1-800-USA-RAIL | 1-800-872-7245
Or visit Amtrak.com
Amtrak Cascades service connects 18 cities in the Pacific Northwest region along a 466-mile rail corridor that spans from Eugene, Oregon to Vancouver, B.C. Amtrak Cascades operates three daily round-trips between Portland and Seattle; one daily round trip between Seattle and Vancouver, B.C., and one between Portland and Vancouver B.C.; and daily service between Eugene and Seattle, via Portland.
Amtrak Cascades trains are built for speed and comfort
Amtrak Cascades trains are designed for high-speed rail service, but current track and safety systems limit the trains to a top speed of 79 mph. Amtrak Cascades trains feature a special technology that uses gravity to tilt through curves while speed is maintained. This technology shortens current travel between Seattle, Washington, and Portland, Oregon, by 25 minutes. Each Amtrak Cascades train typically consists of 12 cars and seats approximately 250 passengers, with space for four mobility-impaired passengers. There are five Amtrak Cascades trainsets and each is named after a Northwest mountain – Mt. Rainier, Mt. Adams, Mt. Hood, Mt. Baker, and Mt. Olympus.
What's the deal with the fins?
Current locomotives are seven feet taller than the train cars. The tail fins were designed and built onto the trains to make a smooth visual transition from the low trains to the taller locomotives. Hidden beneath the tail fins at both ends of the train are baggage and service cars that supply the electricity and lights.
More round trips on Amtrak Cascades are coming soon
- Work is underway on $781 million in rail improvements resulting in faster and more reliable Amtrak Cascades service.
- By 2017, we’ll add two more round trips between Seattle and Portland; more choices, more flexibility.
For more information on future plans for Amtrak Cascades, visit: http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/Funding/stimulus/passengerrail.htm.
Amtrak Cascades service is sponsored by the states of Washington and Oregon. For questions and comments regarding Washington and Oregon's involvement in intercity passenger rail, or Amtrak Cascades Web site content, please use the contact list below:
Washington State
Department of Transportation
PO Box 47407
Olympia, WA 98504-7407
rail@wsdot.wa.gov
www.wsdot.wa.gov/Freight
Oregon State
Department of Transportation
555 13th St SE
Salem, OR 97301- 3871
raildivision@odot.state.or.us
www.oregon.gov/ODOT/rail_truck_freight