Vancouver, Washington (Amtrak station)

This article is about the Amtrak station in Vancouver, Washington. For the Amtrak station in Vancouver, British Columbia, see Pacific Central Station.
Vancouver (Washington)
Amtrak inter-city rail station
Location 1301 West 11th Street
Vancouver, Washington 98660[1]
 United States
Coordinates 45°37′43″N 122°41′12″W / 45.6287°N 122.6866°WCoordinates: 45°37′43″N 122°41′12″W / 45.6287°N 122.6866°W
Owned by BNSF Railway & City of Vancouver
Line(s)
Platforms 2 side platforms,
2 island platforms
Tracks 4
Construction
Parking Free
Disabled access Yes
Other information
Station code VAN
History
Opened 1908
Rebuilt 1988 (partial)
2008 (complete)
Traffic
Passengers (2014) 96,330[2] Decrease 2.18%
Services
Preceding station   Amtrak   Following station
toward Eugene
Cascades
toward Los Angeles
Coast Starlight
toward Seattle
Terminus
Empire Builder
Bingen-White Salmon
toward Chicago
  Former services  
toward Seattle
Pioneer
Discontinued in 1997
toward Chicago
Location
Location of the Vancouver, Washington Amtrak Station
Location of the Vancouver, Washington Station within Washington

The Vancouver, Washington Amtrak Station is a train station in Vancouver, Washington, United States. The station is served by Amtrak's (the National Railroad Passenger Corporation) Amtrak Cascades, Coast Starlight, and Empire Builder.

It is a unique, two-sided station situated in a "wye", where passengers board the Empire Builder on the southeast side of the station while the Amtrak Cascades and Coast Starlight are boarded on the northwest side of the station.[3] The station building is now open after extensive interior renovations.

Of the 19 Washington stations served by Amtrak, Vancouver was the third busiest in FY14.[2]

Service

Although the Amtrak Cascades runs between Eugene, Oregon and Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, there is no train that starts at one terminus and ends at the other. However, each day eight Amtrak Cascades trains (four northbound and four southbound) stop at the Vancouver, Washington Station.[Note 1] The Coast Starlight and Empire Builder have simpler, less frequent schedules. The Coast Starlightruns daily in each direction between Los Angeles, California and Seattle.[Note 2] The Empire Builderruns daily in each direction between Chicago, Illinois and Portland, Oregon.[Note 3] After having split in Spokane, part of the Empire Builder train continues on to Seattle--this part does not pass through or stop at the Vancouver, Washington Station. (The next northbound stop on both the Amtrak Cascades and the Coast Starlight is in Kelso and the next southbound stop is in Portland, Oregon. The next westbound stop on the Empire Builder is also in Portland and next eastbound stop is in Bingen.)

Railfanning

The Amtrak depot is a popular area for railfans to congregate and is a busy railroad junction in the Pacific Northwest. The depot sits within the wye between the BNSF Fallbridge and Seattle subdivisions and is within sight of the southern part of the Vancouver yard. There is free parking around the depot and it is rare that there isn't at least one railfan hanging around taking photographs or just watching trains. In addition to the Amtrak passenger trains, there are also many freight trains operated by BNSF Railway, Union Pacific Railroad and Portland & Western Railroad. BNSF and Union Pacific trains often include locomotives from other railroads of the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

Boardings and Alightings

Year 2011[7] 2012[8] 2013[9] 2014[2]
Total 99,001 99,363 98,473 96,330
YoY Difference N/A 362 -890 -2143
YoY Difference % N/A 0.37% -0.90% -2.18%

Notes

  1. ↑ As of 6 January 2014 the new Amtrak Cascades schedule is as follows:[4]
    • Southbound trains:
      • Train 501 stops at 10:30 am (originating in Seattle and heading to Portland, Oregon)
      • Train 513 stops at 2:25 pm (originating in Vancouver, British Columbia and heading to Portland)
      • Train 507 stops at 5:00 pm (originating in Seattle and heading to Eugene, Oregon)
      • Train 509 stops at 8:30 pm (originating in Seattle and heading to Portland)
    • Northbound trains:
      • Train 500 stops at 8:35 am (originating in Eugene and heading to Seattle)
      • Train 506 stops at 12:30 pm (originating in Portland and heading for Seattle)
      • Train 516 stops at 3:00 pm (originating in originated in Portland and heading for Vancouver, British Columbia)
      • Train 508 stops at 7:05 pm (originating in originated in Eugene and heading for Seattle)
  2. ↑ As of 13 January 2014 the southbound Coast Starlight (Train 11) is scheduled to stop at 12:58 pm and the northbound (Train 14) is scheduled to stop at 4:28 pm.[5]
  3. ↑ As of 6 October 2013 the westbound Empire Builder (Train 27) is scheduled to stop at 9:18 am and the eastbound (Train 28) is scheduled to stop at 5:07 pm.[6]

References

  1. ↑ "Vancouver, WA (VAN)". amtrak.com. Amtrak. Retrieved 12 Jan 2014.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 "Amtrak Fact Sheet, FY2014, State of Washington" (PDF). amtrak.com. Amtrak. Nov 2014. Retrieved 6 Jan 2015.
  3. ↑ "Great American Stations: Vancouver, WA (VAN)". greatamericanstations.com. Amtrak. Retrieved 13 Jan 2014.
  4. ↑ "Amtrak Cascades" (PDF). amtrak.com. Amtrak. 6 Jan 2014. p. 2-3. Retrieved 12 Jan 2014.
  5. ↑ "Coast Starlight" (PDF). amtrak.com. Amtrak. 13 Jan 2014. p. 2. Retrieved 12 Jan 2014.
  6. ↑ "Empire Builder" (PDF). amtrak.com. Amtrak. 6 Oct 2013. p. 2. Retrieved 12 Jan 2014.
  7. ↑ "Amtrak Fact Sheet, Fiscal Year 2011: State of Washington" (PDF). Amtrak. November 2011. p. 1. Retrieved 6 Jan 2015.
  8. ↑ "Amtrak Fact Sheet, Fiscal Year 2012: State of Washington" (PDF). Amtrak. November 2012. p. 1. Retrieved 6 Jan 2015.
  9. ↑ "Amtrak Fact Sheet, Fiscal Year 2013: State of Washington" (PDF). Amtrak. November 2013. p. 1. Retrieved 6 Jan 2015.

External links