Ron Pate
Rail Division Director
Kerri Woehler
Rail Planning and Strategic Assessment Manager
Rail Division
Lynn Peterson
Secretary of Transportation
Katy Taylor
Chief of Staff
Detroit, Michigan
April 23, 2013

467-mile corridor with service between
Vancouver, B.C. and Eugene through Seattle and Portland.
2012 performance:
• 11 daily trains totaling 4,015 annually
• Ridership exceeded 830,000
• Ticket revenues exceeded $30 m
• FFY Farebox recovery 64.3%
Partnerships make it possible:
• BNSF and UP own the tracks
• Amtrak operates the service
• Talgo and Amtrak maintain equipment
• Who pays:
• The states of Oregon and
Washington, Amtrak, and www.wsdot.wa.gov/rail www.AmtrakCascades.com
passengers pay for the service U.S. and Canada provide funds for border security
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• Incremental approach

Adding daily service one round trip at a time

Strategic planning and project development

Seek grants and other funding
• Collaborative planning and stakeholder engagement
• Supportive Governor, stakeholders and legislative champions
• Use of all funding sources available (state and federal)
• Effective cost management
Amtrak Cascades at the International Border. June 29, 2011. AaverageJoe/Michael Chu. Flickr. April
16, 2013. www.flickr.com/photos/mikechu/5888854439 /
.
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Saves 10-minutes by eliminating international border train stop
Results:
• Reduced travel time
• Improved on-time performance
• Reduces risk of unanticipated delays
(can be up to 60 mins)
Benefits:
• Improves convenience for passengers
• Makes international rail travel a stronger component of the transportation system
• Supports strategy to increase ridership in our 2 nd largest market
Beyond the Border: full preclearance at
Vancouver, B.C. for passenger rail
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Service to and from
Vancouver, B.C.:
• 2 daily round trips
• Vancouver, B.C. / Seattle
• Vancouver, B.C. / Portland
*Second train introduced in 2009 to support the Vancouver Olympic Games.
Made permanent in 2011.
• Seattle/Vancouver, B.C., is 2 nd biggest market for Amtrak
Cascades, contributing 13% of total annual revenue
• Estimated annual economic impact for Vancouver, B.C., is
$14 million
Vancouver, B.C. (Metro)
2.5 million residents
141,000 on/offs
Seattle (Metro)
3.5 million residents
461,000 on/offs
Portland (Metro)
2.3 million residents
462,000 on/offs
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Strengths:
• Strong anchors in population centers
• Supports regional efforts to improve international travel and trade
Key challenges:
• Passenger inconvenience at the border
• Slow travel speeds due to infrastructure needs north of the U.S. border
Population density adjacent to Amtrak
Cascades stations, 2010/2011
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Today:
Cost Sharing for 2011-2013,
Based on Subsidy
October 1, 2013:
Section 209 of the Passenger Rail
Investment and Improvement Act of 2008 (PRIIA) takes effect:
• Amtrak’s contribution to operating subsides will be $0
• Washington and Oregon will assume 100% of operating subsidies for Amtrak Cascades
• It is estimated Washington will pay up to $5 million more per year
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Objectives:
• Deliver consistently on customer expectations for fast, reliable, and affordable high-speed rail
• Build revenue to cover the cost of operations
• Grow ridership in economic centers
• Pool resources for increased efficiencies
• Manage costs
Strategies:
• Capital improvements
• Washington and Oregon corridor approach
• Washington and British Columbia collaboration
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• U.S. federal high-speed rail funds - $794.9 million
• Supports overall program goal of more frequent and reliable Amtrak Cascades service
– Two additional round trips between Seattle and
Portland, for a total of 12 trains per day
– Improved on-time performance to 88%
– 10-minute time savings
• 20 projects in Washington building additional rail-line capacity and upgrading tracks, utilities, signals, passenger stations and advanced warning systems
• British Columbia: The province’s $67 million investment in the South Fraser Perimeter Road project will eliminate two at-grade crossings
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Washington and Oregon
• Memorandum of Understanding
• Appointed Corridor Director
• Established on-time performance task force
– WA, OR, BC, Amtrak, BNSF, UP, Sound Transit, and
Talgo
• State rail plan coordination
• WSDOT/ODOT monthly team meetings
• Created and endorsed Cascades
Rail Corridor Management
Workplan
• Work on tri-party operating and maintenance agreements is underway
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Washington and British Columbia
Joint Transportation Executive Council, established by Governor and Premier
Current work program focus:
• Joint letter requesting the implementation of integrated customs and immigration preclearance for passenger rail in
Vancouver, B.C. per the stated commitment in the joint federal
“Beyond the Border” Action Plan
• Assess responses to financial operating pressures resulting from the elimination of U.S. Federal
Amtrak funding. Options include increasing fares, reducing service, or increasing partner contributions.
• Deliver capital improvement projects
Amtrak Cascades over the Fraser Bridge heading to Vancouver, B.C. Rog45/Roger.
Boats N Stuff - Brownsville - Surrey BC. 28 September 2006. Flickr. April 16, 2013. www.flickr.com/photos/rog45/256066529/
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Preclearance:
Eliminate stop at the border by combining Immigrations and Customs prior to boarding in Canada
• Unique needs for Amtrak Cascades
• Well-functioning system already in place - implement the system that already works
Other possible focus areas for TBWG working group on passenger rail:
• PRIIA Section 209 implementation and implications for cross-border passenger rail
• Strategies for developing and strengthening operating partnerships between states and provinces
• Rail infrastructure investments in Canada to improve service
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For more information please contact:
Kerri Woehler
Rail Planning and Strategic Assessment Manager
Rail Division
(360) 705-6902 woehlek@wsdot.wa.gov
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