PORTLAND, Ore. — Those who commute via Interstate-5 between Vancouver, Washington and Portland know it can be challenging at the best of times, with traffic often congested at the Interstate Bridge all the way down to Portland.
Amtrak recently increased service between both cities. Does that make it a better option for commuters hoping to avoid the bottleneck? KGW sought to test that out.
More trains a day
Amtrak’s Cascades service recently added two additional trains to the daily schedule, for a total of six round trips a day. It runs from Vancouver, British Columbia, all the way down to Eugene, Oregon.
The ride from the Amtrak station in Vancouver, Washington, near downtown Vancouver to Portland Union Station in Old Town costs $5 each way. If all goes well, it's a 26-minute ride.
To be clear, Amtrak is not really in the local commute business, according to Janet Matkin with the Washington State Department of Transportation.
“It's meant to transport people between cities for longer trips," Matkin said. "It certainly is an option for those who might want to go to Vancouver and Portland occasionally, as opposed to daily."
That said, KGW wanted to give it a try.
Is it a better option?
News Anchor Tim Gordon and KGW photographer John Helm bought tickets for the 8:51 a.m. southbound train from Vancouver to Portland. The train was ten minutes late getting to Vancouver, and then, river traffic kept them from crossing the bridge for trains across the Columbia River by another ten minutes.
“That boat that we've been waiting on has been spotted going through; they're going to be in the process of closing the bridge here shortly,” announced the conductor before the train got underway.
It was strike one on Amtrak for commuting for those who have to be at work or at an appointment.
“Our on-time performance right now is about at 50%, and by on-time, that means within 10 minutes of what it's supposed to be,” said Matkin.
But once the train got going, the ride was smooth with window views from a comfortable cabin.
Mary Heck rides Amtrak Cascades twice a month from Centralia, Washington, to Portland.
“It's about an hour and a half," Heck said. "Sometimes less, sometimes more."
Heck takes the train to Portland to fly out of PDX airport for work. She appreciates the convenience of someone else behind the wheel.
“I don't have to do anything. I could sit here, read a book, watch a movie and enjoy the ride," Heck said.
Heck is on the train long enough to get up and walk around, maybe head to the dining car to get something from the cafe. That's Amtrak at its best — for longer haul riders.
The verdict?
For local commuters with a traditional 9a.m. to 5 p.m. shift, a downside may be the train's schedule. Amtrak's got two southbound Cascade trains out of Vancouver in the morning and four northbound trains from Portland in the afternoon into the evening.
- Southbound from Vancouver, Washington to Portland, Oregon: 8:51 a.m., 10:07 a.m.
- Northbound from Portland to Vancouver, Washington: 2:10 p.m., 3:56 p.m., 5:55 p.m., 7:25 p.m.
For those whose car commute from the Vancouver area to Portland can last anywhere from 20 to 55 minutes or longer, KGW Anchor Tim Gordon said riding the train can be nice and relaxing. He wouldn't do it every day, but it certainly works in a pinch.