The Amtrak Cascades is a passenger train route operated by Amtrak. It is named after the Cascade mountain range that the route parallels. The Cascades covers a 446-mile (718 km) rail corridor and connects 18 cities in the Pacific Northwest from Eugene, Oregon to Vancouver, British Columbia. However, no single train covers the whole distance from Vancouver, BC to Eugene, OR. As of December 2023, two daily trains operate between Vancouver, BC and Seattle (one continuing to Portland), six daily trains operate between Seattle and Portland, and two daily trains operate between Eugene and Seattle. Check the schedule for exact times.
Between Seattle and Eugene, Amtrak's Coast Starlight makes the same stops as the Amtrak Cascades with the exception of Tukwila and Oregon City. The Coast Starlight route also travels between Eugene to Los Angeles.
See rail travel in the United States for further information about Amtrak and other train routes.
Stations
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The stations serve as bus stations for local public transit and to Greyhound and other intercity bus companies in some places. See 'By bus' or 'By public transit' in a city article for listings of bus companies serving that location. They are listed in below from north to south:
- 1 Vancouver – Pacific Central Station. A connection can be made here to VIA Rail Canada's The Canadian. Thruway bus connections to Seattle by Cantrail and to Victoria by Wilsons Transportation Ltd.
- 2 Bellingham – Fairhaven Station. A connection can be made here to the Alaska Marine Highway System
- 3 Mount Vernon – Skagit Transportation Center.
- 4 Stanwood – Stanwood Station. Gateway to Camano Island
- 5 Everett – Everett Station. A connection can be made here to the Empire Builder.
- 6 Edmonds – Edmonds Station. A connection can be made here to the Empire Builder.
- 7 Seattle – King Street Station. A connection can be made here to the Empire Builder. Thruway bus connections to Vancouver by Cantrail and to Port Angeles by Greyhound Connect.
- 8 Tukwila – Tukwila Station. The Coast Starlight train passes through but does not stop here.
- 9 Tacoma – Freighthouse Square.
- 10 Olympia/Lacey – Centennial Station. Located in Lacey. The closest station to Washington state's capital of Olympia.
- 11 Centralia – Centralia Station.
- 12 Kelso/Longview – Kelso Station. Located in Kelso, though close to Longview.
- 13 Vancouver – Vancouver Station. A connection can be made here to the Empire Builder.
- 14 Portland – Union Station. A connection can be made here to the Empire Builder. Thruway connections to Eugene is operated by Cascade Point and to Astoria by Northwest Point, both operated by MTR Western.
- 15 Oregon City – Oregon City Station. The Coast Starlight train passes through but does not stop here.
- 16 Salem – Salem Station.
- 17 Albany – Albany Station.
- 18 Eugene – Eugene Springfield Station. Thruway connections to Portland is operated by Cascades Point