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“Can I help you with that?” a uniformed porter offered to hoist my carry-on bag up the stairs, then guided me into the coach car on an Amtrak Cascades train that would take me from Seattle’s King Street Station to Vancouver, BC. “Sit anywhere you’d like,” he advised. I picked a single seat at the very back of the train’s last car, and put my laptop and water bottle on the table separating me from two facing seats, only one of which was occupied. The train on this new Amtrak Cascades service had a “new car smell.” I marveled at the large, clean windows, and settled in for the four-hour journey north.
When I arrived at the beautifully restored King Street station, its white walls glowed in ultra-white light. My suitcase rolled effortlessly over the tiled floor. But the hard surfaces and tall ceilings provide no sound absorption, making it a challenge to understand announcements. Which track? What line to stand on? The amplified words bounce off the walls, rendering them difficult to make out. So, passengers confer with one another, figuring out that Gate 5 is where to line up for the Amtrak Cascades Train, #516, with its brand-spanking-new Airo cars. Replacing an aging fleet that was getting harder and harder to maintain, the Airos are Amtrak Cascade’s first revamp in 55 years. It was worth the wait.
The ticket booth at King Street is tucked away in an alcove. I’d gotten an email confirming my booking, but no link to print the ticket or save it to my phone. Presenting my passport instantly brought up my itinerary and I was handed a printed roundtrip ticket and a yellow, bookmark-sized slip. “Show this to the gate agent and keep it with you on the train. It means we’ve seen your passport and you’re approved for boarding.”
One week before traveling, I’d purchased a “flexible” ticket, which allowed for cancellations or changes. It cost $135 round trip, way less than a tank of gas. For the return trip, I upgraded to business car. New total: $182. Had I driven my electric car, I’d have to find an EV charging station, plus wait while until the battery reached full capacity. The train is relatively fast and affordable.
After walking down the platform with the other coach travelers and being helped into the car, I was instantly impressed. The lighting is bright and welcoming. The windows are large and clean. There’s ample luggage storage and the overhead shelf has a transparent bottom, making it less likely you’d forget something up there. Each seat has a little tray for watching movies on small devices, a USB-C port for each passenger, and a lever for reclining. Super comfortable.
There are open spaces and adjustable tables for wheelchairs in every car, and mechanical lifts to reach car level. The restrooms are enormous, making it possible for a wheelchair to turn around. Bikes can be accommodated –- by pre-arrangement –- in vertical racks, though without a ramp, help is needed to hoist the bike onto the train.
The Amtrak Cascades Cascade Café Car features grab-and-go sandwiches, salads, and a selection of hot items from Pacific Northwest icons including Alki Bakery, Bob’s Red Mill and Ivar’s, plus a water bottle refill station and table seating.
For my northbound ride in coach, I sat on the left side of the train and enjoyed the water views to the west. To accommodate its wider seats, the business car is configured differently: two seats on one side, and a row of singles on the other. As a solo traveler, I was assigned a single for my return trip in Business. This $47 upgrade provided even more leg room, a leg rest, adjustable lighting, retractable coat hook, early boarding, and a $3 coupon for the Café Car.
The new Airo trains were built in California and North Carolina to “Buy America” standards using components from 31 U.S. states. The Amtrak Cascades line from Eugene, Oregon, to Vancouver, BC, which debuted on Sept. 30, is their first roll-out.
Aside from the environmental benefits, travel on Amtrak Cascades allows you to read, write, walk around, stretch your legs and enjoy a dining car. It’s a friendly way to travel. And the views can’t be beat.
Meanderings is an award-winning travel column by Mercer Island resident, Mindy Stern. For more essays, or to comment, visit her website www.mindysternauthor.com
