Traveling to Seattle or Portland is not as convenient and carefree as it was in the past. Now drivers are faced with one to two hour border waits, the growing price of gas, and the stress of driving through congested freeways in and around Seattle. If you are considering going south, why not indulge yourself and your family and travel by train?
Traveling by train is a growing trend allowing passengers to once again enjoy all aspects of their journey south. Passengers can relax in large comfy seats, enjoy the passing scenery while savouring a glass of wine or café latte, reading a book or going online.
The Amtrak route starts at Vancouver Pacific Central Station (Main and Terminal,) skirts through East Vancouver, New Westminster, over the Fraser River, out through Delta and then along the coast passing by Crescent Beach and White Rock. The border stop is minimal as the procedure is systematic and well-rehearsed. The guards board the train, the train continues to roll slowly allowing the guards to get off the same point they entered. The entire stop will usually take 15 minutes. Afterwards the train continues south, briefly stopping in the towns along the way. The stops are non-intrusive as they’re short and passengers see towns that may not generally warrant a detour off the freeway.
The train cars are as follows: regular passenger cars, a dining car, a car with a café, and business class cars. The regular passenger cars have large seats with sufficient arm and leg room. Along the floor at each row of seats is a power outlet to power your laptop. When travelling with a partner and both are using laptops, bringing a power bar would be recommended. An upgrade to business class is an additional $33.00. The only difference are the wider seats, more space, less people, free Canadian and American newspapers and a small credit to the café. The dining car is equipped with bench seats and tables, smaller ones for two people or larger ones allowing for groups of people to sit and eat together. There are plenty of bathrooms on the train so they are not over used. To have a better idea of what travelling by train would be like, be sure to peruse the list of pictures below.
Life can be demanding with a by-product of wanting to get away and relax. Instead of racing away to finally enjoy the excursion, why not start enjoying the journey from the beginning? Travel by train.
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