OLYMPIA, WA (MyBellinghamNow.com) – More people opted to travel by train across the Pacific Northwest last year than years prior.

Amtrak says that their Cascades route, which stops in Bellingham, saw over 940,000 people travel between Vancouver, B.C. and Portland in 2024. That’s an over 40% increase from 2023 ridership.

In late 2023, WSDOT and ODOT worked with Amtrak to add two more roundtrip trains between Seattle and Portland. Amtrak also implemented a policy, in tandem with state initiatives, that allows children 18 and under to ride the Cascades route for free.

Nationally, Amtrak saw a nearly 15% increase in passengers between 2023 and 2024.