Date:  Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Contact:
Jeff Knight
Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure
250-356-7707

VICTORIA – Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Shirley Bond and Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) Secretary Paula Hammond today announced an extension of the second Amtrak Cascades train service between Vancouver and Seattle, as well as measures to reduce wait times at border crossings. The announcement concluded the first meeting of the British Columbia-Washington State joint Transportation Executive Council, which was held by video conference.

“Today’s meeting continues our constructive and collaborative approach to addressing our shared transportation challenges and opportunities,” said Bond. “By extending the second daily Amtrak train service, visitors will not only have another travel option during the upcoming summer tourist season, but it is also an essential first step in developing and advancing a shared, long-term vision of high-speed rail connecting Vancouver and Seattle. This will provide more information when considering the viability of making the second train permanent, as well as gauging demand for future high-speed rail.”

“The success of this additional Amtrak Cascades service reinforces what we already know – that intercity passenger rail service is a valuable transportation resource and people are using it,” said Paula Hammond, Washington transportation secretary. “As we continue to grow this service, it will provide more travel options for Pacific Northwest travellers, reduce congestion at our border crossings and help our environment.”

The second daily Amtrak Cascades train began service on Aug. 19, 2009 as a pilot project, running through the end of the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. The Canada Border Services Agency has since agreed to extend the provision of border clearance services for the second Amtrak Cascades train through the end of September 2010.

During the 2010 Winter Olympic Games, the Amtrak Cascades train service carried over 11,000 passengers. Popularity of the Amtrak Cascades and the international exposure received by the region during the Games has opened the door for new tourism opportunities, with significant new interest being expressed in two-nation tours. Amtrak Cascades is operated by Amtrak in partnership with the Washington and Oregon Departments of Transportation.

Investments to more efficiently move people and goods through the border crossings were also discussed. This includes $7 million in U.S. federal Coordinated Border Infrastructure funding for Washington State to upgrade the Advanced Traveller Information System (ATIS) for Interstate 5 between Bellingham and the border in Blaine. The ATIS provides real-time information on wait times at border crossings, allowing motorists the option to select an alternate crossing.These improvements will allow an expansion of WSDOT’s web-based traffic congestion maps and include many new cameras, an additional electronic message sign and expansion of highway advisory radio to communicate border wait times to travelers. Fibre optic cable will replace much slower and less reliable communication technology to ensure accurate and timely traveler information.

British Columbia will explore partnering opportunities to expand the ATIS in British Columbia to include the Aldergrove/Lynden (Hwy 13) and Huntingdon/Sumas (Hwy 11) border crossings. In B.C., the ATIS is currently in place at the Peace Arch (Hwy 99) and Pacific (Hwy 15) border crossings only. All four crossing in Washington State are served by ATIS.

The British Columbia-Washington State joint Transportation Executive Council is co-chaired by B.C.’s Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure and Washington State’s Department of Transportation Secretary. Its next meeting will take place in the fall 2010.

The Executive Council was established following the signing of the Framework for Transportation, Competitiveness and Prosperity by Governor Chris Gregoire and Premier Gordon Campbell at the October 2009 Washington/B.C. Joint Cabinet Meeting. 

The Executive Council’s role is to facilitate co-operation on initiatives of mutual interest related to multi-modal regional transportation planning and coordination, and related bi-national transportation issues. Specific issues the Executive Council will address this year include:

• Developing and advancing a shared vision of high-speed passenger rail service, including working to establish the long-term operation of the second Amtrak Cascades train between Seattle and Vancouver.
• Supporting implementation of proposed international harbour-to-harbour air service.
• Supporting completion of a border circulation analysis study and jointly developing a co-ordinated Cascade Gateway Strategy and priority actions to improve capacity and efficiency of cross-border travel and trade routes.
• Co-operating on new and existing border transportation management and trans-boundary freight regulation initiatives.

For more information on government services or to subscribe to the Province’s news feeds using RSS, visit the Province’s website at www.gov.bc.ca

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