Amtrak Cascades
Highlights
2023
- Amtrak Cascades ridership increased 75% to approximately 746,000 passengers in 2023 compared to around 427,000 in 2022
- Amtrak Cascades ticket revenue increased 87% from $17.4 million in 2022 to $32.5 million in 2023
- On-time performance improved from 47% in 2022 to 55% in 2023 and remained below the target of 88%
2022
- Amtrak Cascades ridership increases 70% to approximately 427,000 passengers in 2022 compared to around 251,000 in 2021
- Amtrak Cascades ticket revenue increased 81% from $9.6 million in 2021 to $17.4 million in 2022
- On-time performance worsened from 51% in 2021 to 47% in 2022, and remained below the target of 88%
2021
- Amtrak Cascades ridership increases 46% to 251,000 passengers in 2021 compared to 2020
- Amtrak Cascades ticket revenue increased 47% from $6.5 million in 2020 to $9.6 million in 2021
- On-time performance worsen from 62% in 2020 to 58% in 2021, and remained below the target of 88%
A total of 251,000 people rode Amtrak Cascades trains in 2021—a 46% increase from 172,000 in 2020 but still a 69% decrease from the 824,000 riders in 2019, prior to the pandemic. This severe decline was caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, which resulted in:
- Directives from Gov. Jay Inslee to reduce non-essential travel,
- New safety protocols to protect passengers and staff,
- Closure of the Canadian border that suspended all train service north of Seattle, and
- A reduction in service levels between Seattle and Portland.
These factors contributed to the drop in ridership and, consequently, in revenue, which began in March 2020 and continued throughout 2021.
2020
- Amtrak Cascades ridership dropped 79% to 172,000 passengers in 2020 compared to 2019
- Amtrak Cascades ticket revenue decreased 80% from $33.2 million in 2019 to $6.5 million in 2020
- On-time performance improved from 58% in 2019 to 62% in 2020, but remained below the target of 88%
A total of 172,000 people rode Amtrak Cascades trains in 2020—a 79% decrease from 824,000 in 2019. This severe decline was caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, which resulted in:
- Directives from Gov. Jay Inslee to reduce non-essential travel,
- New safety protocols to protect passengers and staff, including limiting ticket sales to 50% of available seats (to allow for physical distancing),
- Closure of the Canadian border, and
- A significant reduction in service levels.
2019
- Amtrak Cascades ridership reached a seven-year high of 829,000 passengers in 2019
- On-time performance improved from 50% in 2018 to 58% in 2019, but was below the target of 88%
- Amtrak Cascades ticket revenue increased 6.3% from $31.3 million in 2018 to $33.2 million in 2019
A total of 829,000 people rode Amtrak Cascades trains in 2019—over 27,000 (about 3.4%) more than in 2018. Promotions to encourage travel in the slower months of January through May generated increases in ridership in each of those months.
Amtrak Cascades background
Amtrak Cascades is an intercity passenger rail service between Vancouver, BC and Eugene, Oregon.
WSDOT and the Oregon Department of Transportation jointly fund and manage the service. WSDOT oversees the portion of the Amtrak Cascades corridor between Vancouver, British Columbia and Portland, Oregon, while ODOT has primary responsibility for service between Portland and Eugene. WSDOT and ODOT pay Amtrak to operate the service.
Amtrak Cascades operates on privately owned tracks; BNSF owns the tracks in Washington and British Columbia, and Union Pacific owns the tracks in Oregon. Dispatching services are provided by BNSF in Washington, Union Pacific in Oregon and Canadian National in British Columbia. Along the Amtrak Cascades route, stations are owned by various entities, including WSDOT, cities, transit agencies, and railroads.