Cascades 510 sold out for Winter Olympics next February

[AlanB]

Going into Canada at Niagra Falls on the Maple Leaf took about an hour. They went over the train with a fine tooth comb and questioned everyone ***** like. Leaving Canada from Vancouver was less traumatic. It still took at least 30 minutes to board the train. Crossing the border into the US was uneventful. The agents were on the train for just a few minutes. I don't see how they can institute much in the way of rail service on this route unless they improve the station facilities in Vancouver. There is only one track dedicated to the Cascades service. It is fenced off and gated from the rest of the station. All customs work is performed as you board. I assume the do the same in reverse. To leave the train has to negotiate a complicate process of unlocking gates, turning manual switches etc that takes forever. The train is basically imprisoned there. On the other hand the Bus seems to board in front of the station and just leave. No complicated process at all. I assume they do the customs stuff at the border on the Bus.

Thank you Henry, however not only am I well aware of how things work on the Maple Leaf, it is also handled very differently than the Cascades service. Canadian Customes doesn't board the Cascades train, you get off and walk to the the agents on the platform and once cleared, immediately enter the station. So that changes things considerably, as if the agents want to further question someone, it doesn't hold up the entire train as the train has already arrived at it's final stop.

 

[AlanB]

What is Canadian Customs problem with doing their job?

Well, the word as I've seen it is that the Canadian government wants Amtrak or the U.S. to pay for the additional customs staffing required by a second train. Amtrak and the U.S., of course, don't want to pay that.

If I were Amtrak, I might use this as leverage and agree to pay for the customs presence IF it is done in the manner that European border inspections are (customs staff boards the train at some point before the border and does the inspection while the train is in motion, getting off at some point after the border, therefore doing the inspection without delaying the train.

Yes, but now you'd have to clear the Canadian Customes officers through US Customs so that they could board at the last stop before Vancouver, which is in the States.

Do you have an idea of what the average amount of time it takes to get through customs? I'm trying to get a feel for how much time I need to allow, as I need to schedule a bus to Victoria from the train station.

WHOA WHOA WHOA!! Stop the presses! AlanB asked a question!!

 

I think this may be the first time since I joined AU that I've seen Alan not know the answer to something!! Alan, your status as Amtrak God in my head just got lowered a notch... :lol:

Hey, I didn't ask a rail question. I asked a customes question. :lol:

 

[jackal]

What is Canadian Customs problem with doing their job?

Well, the word as I've seen it is that the Canadian government wants Amtrak or the U.S. to pay for the additional customs staffing required by a second train. Amtrak and the U.S., of course, don't want to pay that.

If I were Amtrak, I might use this as leverage and agree to pay for the customs presence IF it is done in the manner that European border inspections are (customs staff boards the train at some point before the border and does the inspection while the train is in motion, getting off at some point after the border, therefore doing the inspection without delaying the train.

Yes, but now you'd have to clear the Canadian Customes officers through US Customs so that they could board at the last stop before Vancouver, which is in the States.

Well, somehow the Finns and Russkies do it. I think I've seen some of the Europeans frequenting AU mention other [non-Schengen] European states do it, too.

Do you have an idea of what the average amount of time it takes to get through customs? I'm trying to get a feel for how much time I need to allow, as I need to schedule a bus to Victoria from the train station.

WHOA WHOA WHOA!! Stop the presses! AlanB asked a question!!

 

I think this may be the first time since I joined AU that I've seen Alan not know the answer to something!! Alan, your status as Amtrak God in my head just got lowered a notch... :lol:

Hey, I didn't ask a rail question. I asked a customes question. :lol:

All right. You just went back up 1/2 a notch.

 

[DET63]

If we suffer another 9/11-like terrorist attack, you'll probably see customs inspections at any port of entry so thorough you'll have to enter the country bare naked.

I thought the main issue with the Cascades service coming in from Vancouver wasn't the customs or even the track condition, but the track capacity. While the line is primarily double-tracked south of Bellingham (or isn't it?), it's either single-track or has a lot of freight traffic in the border area.

Is there anyone who has information as to the track capacity vs. usage in the border area?

 

[TrackWalker]

Between Portland, OR and Everett, WA. BNSF mainline is multiple main track. (Double track as you call it. But they are two different definitions)

Between Everett and New Westminster, BC (Just past the Fraser River Bridge) it is single main with sidings. Then a couple of miles of multiple main until almost to the Vancouver, BC depot.

At the Swift siding where the VACIS is located just south of the border, dirt work is almost complete for a project to add another track for train meets. It is interesting on busy days to watch Amtrak pull into the siding behind a freight while they both wait for a southbound. And then have Amtrak back out of the siding before heading north again.

To my knowledge, the new Oliver siding in B.C. was to take care of the additional capacity problem with train meets on the Canadian side.

 

[jackal]

To my knowledge, the new Oliver siding in B.C. was to take care of the additional capacity problem with train meets on the Canadian side.

That's what I'd heard, too.

I'm not sure what the status is on the customs debate--only that I heard it was another impedance to increased service. Perhaps it's been resolved.

 

[henryj]

Going into Canada at Niagra Falls on the Maple Leaf took about an hour. They went over the train with a fine tooth comb and questioned everyone ***** like. Leaving Canada from Vancouver was less traumatic. It still took at least 30 minutes to board the train. Crossing the border into the US was uneventful. The agents were on the train for just a few minutes. I don't see how they can institute much in the way of rail service on this route unless they improve the station facilities in Vancouver. There is only one track dedicated to the Cascades service. It is fenced off and gated from the rest of the station. All customs work is performed as you board. I assume the do the same in reverse. To leave the train has to negotiate a complicate process of unlocking gates, turning manual switches etc that takes forever. The train is basically imprisoned there. On the other hand the Bus seems to board in front of the station and just leave. No complicated process at all. I assume they do the customs stuff at the border on the Bus.

Thank you Henry, however not only am I well aware of how things work on the Maple Leaf, it is also handled very differently than the Cascades service. Canadian Customes doesn't board the Cascades train, you get off and walk to the the agents on the platform and once cleared, immediately enter the station. So that changes things considerably, as if the agents want to further question someone, it doesn't hold up the entire train as the train has already arrived at it's final stop.

Actually Alan, I believe that is what I said if you reread the above. The train is impounded on it's own isolated and fenced off track in the Vancouver station. I was not arriving, but leaving. However, as I stated above, they did the Canadian customs work as you boarded...before they released you to board the train. I assume they do the same in reverse. There is only the one track so impounded so they are restricted as to how many trains they can run or have in the station at any time coming from the US. It did not appear that the buses were given the same treatment as they board out in front of the station. I get the feeling that the Canadians customs just don't want to mess with trains.