Amtrak Cascades ridership stays steady through Bellingham

Amtrak Cascades ridership through Bellingham stayed steady in fiscal year 2024-2025, even after an early-2025 disruption threatened the route’s momentum. Amtrak says more and better trains and service are expected starting next year.

This is reported by the railway transport news portal Railway Supply.

Numbers compiled by the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) and the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) — the agencies that jointly manage and fund the corridor — show the Eugene, Oregon, to Vancouver, B.C., rail service rose 1.26% from October 2024 through September 2025, as cited by Mass Transit.

That change equals 951,327 riders in 2025, up from 939,504 in 2024, according to WSDOT. WSDOT’s Janet Matkin told The Bellingham Herald that demand remained strong into the fall, but capacity was limited.

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“While demand for train travel was still high over the summer and into the fall, we could not accommodate all who wanted to ride because of the shorter train sets,” Matkin wrote in an email.

March 2025 disruption on the Northwest corridor

In March 2025, Amtrak removed almost all passenger train cars in the Northwest from service, and the Cascades corridor shifted to bus service for several months. The national passenger rail carrier cited safety concerns after corrosion was found during inspections, an issue also covered by Railway Supply.

Those service disruptions came as Amtrak continues rebuilding its fleet and seeing a ridership surge in the Northwest and across the nation, according to earlier Bellingham Herald reporting.

Service levels through Bellingham and new train sets

For now, there are two trains daily in each direction through Bellingham. More service is considered likely once new train sets — engines and passenger cars — enter service next year along the Northwest corridor. Elsewhere on the Northwest corridor, service is provided through a combination of trains and buses.

Nationwide Amtrak ridership

Nationwide, Amtrak reported both record revenue and record ridership, logging 34.5 million customer trips for fiscal year 2024-2025, according to Amtrak Media.

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