Date:  Thursday, November 19, 2009

Contact: Vickie Sheehan, Communications, 360-705-7904

OLYMPIA — Anticipating the busiest travel week of the year, the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) and Amtrak are planning ahead for the upcoming holiday by adding more Amtrak Cascades trains during the week of Thanksgiving. To accommodate more passengers traveling during this holiday week, 10 trains will be added to the Amtrak Cascades route between Portland and Seattle.

The week of Thanksgiving – Tuesday, November 24 to Monday, November 30 – is typically Amtrak’s busiest travel period of the year, carrying more than 660,000 passengers last year nationwide. In 2008, Amtrak Cascades carried 16,241 riders over the Thanksgiving weekend. The ridership over the five day period contributed more than 27 percent of the total riders for the month of November.

The additional Amtrak Cascades trains will operate Wednesday, November 25 through Sunday, November 29. The schedule will be:

Wednesday, November 25 -

• Train #511 – Departing Seattle at 1:30 pm; arriving in Portland at 5:45 pm*
• Train #514 – Departing Portland at 7:00 pm; arriving in Seattle at 11:15 pm*

Thursday, November 26 -

• Train #502 – Departing Portland at 9:00 am; arriving in Seattle at 1:15 pm*
• Train #505 – Departing Seattle at 8:30 am; arriving in Portland at 12:45 pm*

Saturday, November 28 -

• Train #502 – Departing Portland at 9:00 am; arriving in Seattle at 1:15 pm*
• Train #511 – Departing Seattle at 1:30 pm; arriving in Portland at 5:45 pm*

Sunday, November 29 -

• Train #511 – Departing Seattle at 1:30 pm; arriving in Portland at 5:45 pm*
• Train #512 – Departing Portland at 1:45 pm; arriving in Seattle at 6:00 pm*
• Train #514 – Departing Seattle at 7:00 pm; arriving in Portland at 11:15 pm*
• Train #515 – Departing Portland at 7:00 pm; arriving in Seattle at 11:15 pm*

*Schedules for station stops at intermediate cities between Seattle and Portland can be found at AmtrakCascades.com.

Regular one-way adult fares between Seattle and Vancouver, British Columbia start as low as $26, or between Portland and Seattle, $28. One-way fares between Bellingham and Portland start as low as $31; Portland and Eugene, $22; Seattle and Tacoma, $11; Olympia and Seattle, $14; and between Everett and Tacoma, $12. An upgrade to Business Class costs only a few dollars more each way and provides wider seats, more legroom and priority boarding. All Amtrak Cascades require reservations, and passengers are encouraged to purchase tickets early to obtain lowest fares. Visit www.AmtrakCascades.com, or call 800-USA-RAIL for reservations and information.

Amtrak Cascades consists of four daily round-trips between Portland and Seattle, with service between Bellingham, Wash., and Portland, via Seattle; between Eugene and Seattle, via Portland; and between Portland/Seattle and Vancouver, B.C. Amtrak Cascades is operated by Amtrak under contracts with the Washington and Oregon Departments of Transportation.

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