The route linking Portland, Seattle, and Vancouver, BC served nearly one million riders in 2024.
Amtrak’s Cascades rail service linking Vancouver, Seattle, and Portland broke ridership records last year, indicating a renewed interest in intercity rail travel in the Pacific Northwest, reports Kenneth Chan for Daily Hive. “Currently, Amtrak Cascades operates two daily cross-border round-trip trains between Vancouver and Seattle with four trains, six daily roundtrip trains between Seattle and Portland with 12 trains, and two daily roundtrip trains between Portland and Eugene with four trains.”
The service was shut down during the pandemic, then fully revived in March 2023. The line served over 985,000 passengers in 2024, up from 746,000 in 2023. “Furthermore, the Vancouver-Seattle segment saw its own record ridership in 2024, with 205,000 passengers using Amtrak Cascades at Pacific Central Station — up from 161,000 in 2023 and 169,000 in 2019.” The line began offering free fares for youth 18 and under in 2024 for trips within Washington state.
Read the full story: Record-breaking year for Amtrak Cascades ridership between Vancouver, Seattle, and Portland
B.C. and Washington Seek High Speed Rail to California
Officials in the Pacific Northwest are calling for a high speed rail line that connects British Columbia with California.
Texas DOT report outlines options for commuter rail between Austin and San Antonio
Amtrak currently operates just one trip per day between the two cities.
Amtrak Virginia Ridership Increased Exponentially This Year. But is Future Growth in Jeopardy?
The rail system keeps gaining riders and seeks to expand their reach to other areas in the commonwealth amid federal mass layoffs and budget cuts.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
California plans to bury El Niño’s downpour
If the state plays its cards right, it may be able to store a billion acre-feet of El Niño’s water in aquifers.
Chicago breaks ground on $3 billion megadevelopment
The new neighborhood, titled Foundry Park, will one day host 3,700 residences.
Satanic Place Names
From streams and lakes to valleys and canyons, I mapped more than 1,000 places named after the Devil.
California High-Speed Rail Authority CEO resigns after $600,000 scandal
Under Ian Choudri, the authority used taxpayer dollars to fund first class flights and trips to nightclubs.
Want to study the Missouri River? Soon, you may need unanimous approval from 10 states
Legislation would require 10 governors’ permission to study or build projects moving water outside the basin.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
City of Rosemead
Rutgers University, Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
One Hundred Miles
Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY)
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
City of Cambridge
Montrose County
The Pocatello Development Authority