Amtrak will postpone the restoration of Cascades passenger trains between Seattle and Vancouver, British Columbia, likely until December due to staff shortages.
The service gap came despite the much-touted $ 66 billion in the Biden administration’s Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act to catch up and expand Amtrak’s national rail service to new cities, including Las Vegas, Phoenix, Columbus and Nashville, Seattle Times reported.
Janet Matkin, a spokesman for the Washington State Department of Transportation, said Washington’s transportation officials hope the trains will run again by summer or even late spring.
Read more: Amtrak train was below speed limit when derailed in Montana, killing 3: employees
Amtrak still does not have enough conductors, mechanics and on-board service personnel to operate the trains, although new classes of conductors are being trained, according to a letter to the railway directors of Washington and Oregon from Ray Lang, Amtrak’s vice president.
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Approximately 159,000 people a year traveled between Seattle and Vancouver, British Columbia, before the pandemic, or 290,000, including stations between major cities, Matkin said.
Passenger tickets traditionally cover about two-thirds of operating costs, while the states cover the rest.
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“Amtrak’s lack of support for the Amtrak Cascades service cannot continue, and Amtrak’s plans to delay restarting the Canadian service for seven months or more are not acceptable for WSDOT and ODOT,” said a response signed jointly by WSDOT Secretary Roger Millar and Oregon Transportation Director Chris Strickler, who meanwhile offers at least a partial service.
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Amtrak currently advertises 18 jobs in Seattle, such as bus cleaners, cooks and electricians, among nearly 450 vacancies nationwide.
Washington lawmakers this year approved $ 150 million to study and plan a high-speed rail line between British Columbia, Washington and Oregon, possibly replacing Amtrak one day.
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But it is estimated that at least $ 42 billion and decades are needed to build it.
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