Amtrak Cascades Service discussion

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Harmon Shay said:
Train 11, as a long-distance train, is also apparently going to be permanently short of capacity. So I think the new 8:55 a.m. Seattle departure will help with that problem. I think also that business travel, the original reason for the extra-early departure back in December 2017, has slipped some post-pandemic.

I'm wondering how trimetbusfan managed to get that southbound schedule posted in perfect order. It looks like it's from Wanderu, but I had to print the Wanderu northbound schedule and do an old-fashioned cut-and-paste with paper and scotch tape to do what he did on the computer with he southbound schedule.
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I just took a screenshot of the screen that shows up when one searches to buy a PDX-SEA train ticket on Amtrak’s website.
 
I came across this today. Washington State has been working on increasing access to public transportation for youth and apparently now youth can ride Amtrak Cascades in WA free also. Here is a link to a news article about this: https://www.kiro7.com/news/local/youth-ride-free-amtrak-cascades/W3MTFYASLBCFDGHUC3K5VPYBEU/

Edited to say I checked this thread to make sure someone else had not already posted about it, and there was nothing...but when I posted my message, obviously the screen refreshed and Maglev's message popped up. Pardon my error! Moderator, I won't be mad if you delete this instead of letting it post :)
 
It's a nice idea but not entirely ready for prime time, since it only covers WA-only itineraries. The WSDOT folks on social media have been fielding tons of questions from people complaining that they can't use it to travel between SEA-PDX or SEA-VAC, which are obviously two very popular segments on the Cascades.

Their solution? Book separate tickets for the same train. In other words, if your 17-year-old wants to travel from Seattle to Portland (on their own or with their family), they'd have to book a ticket from Seattle to VanWa, and then a separate ticket from VanWa to Portland. Because Amtrak's reservations system isn't sophisticated enough, this has to be done with two completely separate transactions, as opposed to a multi-city ticket.

Understandably, segments involving Canada are a different beast. But it seems as though with a bit more upfront effort, they could have figured out how to cover the entire SEA-PDX segment under this promotion. Instead, they are asking people to navigate Amtrak's complicated user interface and also blaming the state of Oregon for not stepping up. Not a great look, if you ask me.
 
fairviewroad said:
It's a nice idea but not entirely ready for prime time, since it only covers WA-only itineraries. The WSDOT folks on social media have been fielding tons of questions from people complaining that they can't use it to travel between SEA-PDX or SEA-VAC, which are obviously two very popular segments on the Cascades.

Their solution? Book separate tickets for the same train. In other words, if your 17-year-old wants to travel from Seattle to Portland (on their own or with their family), they'd have to book a ticket from Seattle to VanWa, and then a separate ticket from VanWa to Portland. Because Amtrak's reservations system isn't sophisticated enough, this has to be done with two completely separate transactions, as opposed to a multi-city ticket.

Understandably, segments involving Canada are a different beast. But it seems as though with a bit more upfront effort, they could have figured out how to cover the entire SEA-PDX segment under this promotion. Instead, they are asking people to navigate Amtrak's complicated user interface and also blaming the state of Oregon for not stepping up. Not a great look, if you ask me.
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Agreed. Seems weird multi city is not allowed/possible.
 
And the buses to Portland aren't handy to the Vancouver train station either. Perhaps bringing a bicycle...

One interesting thing to watch is how it will affect Trains 11/14. I expect that some family might find it convenient to use a paid trip one way and a free trip the other. Or will it reduce ridership on the paid trains?

Radical fare experiments are usually educational, although sometimes later it's hard to get results data. I once ran a small, single-route "night & Sunday" promotion in Edmonton that was an almost complete failure, except that the Edmonton Journal ran a really positive editorial about it!

The "no multi-city" issue has some similarity to my Edmonton experiment. Almost all of the "night & Sunday" customers on the free line were transfers with lines at the regular fare, so offering free rides was not very attractive. In the Washington case, will it seem so complicated that people will not take advantage of it? Or will hordes of bicyclists be seen heading for the Interstate Bridge?
 
I don't think that VanWa's proximity to local bus routes or the ease of navigating the Interstate Bridge via bicycle will really come into play here. IF someone can figure out the ticket-purchasing angle of it, getting a free ticket from Seattle to VanWa and then a paid ticket on the same train from VanWa to PDX is still significantly cheaper than a paid ticket for the entire SEA-PDX segment.

I don't think families are going to tell their teenager to disembark in VanWa to find their own way to Portland when the alternative is staying on the train and finishing the trip for an extra $6 or so. I think the real problem is the frustration people will have when attempting to get a "free ticket" and finding it doesn't apply to their itinerary and/or trying to navigate Amtrak's website to make the double-ticket purchase.
 
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I think this is a sensible change, but it's odd to place the blame on "businesses now relying on virtual meetings."

The real issue is more likely that leisure travelers didn't want to leave Seattle that early, and business travelers who needed to be in PDX by 9 a.m. couldn't take that train anyhow (Alaska Airlines can get you into PDX for a 9 a.m. meeting, though.)
 
fairviewroad said:
I think this is a sensible change, but it's odd to place the blame on "businesses now relying on virtual meetings."

The real issue is more likely that leisure travelers didn't want to leave Seattle that early, and business travelers who needed to be in PDX by 9 a.m. couldn't take that train anyhow (Alaska Airlines can get you into PDX for a 9 a.m. meeting, though.)
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On a corridor service a train starting that early is meant more for trips from the intermediate points to the big city. In this case, the big city is in a different state and is smaller than the one that customers can reach on the early morning northbound train.

The DOT's should be given thanks for being willing to experiment.
 

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