WSDOT launches Amtrak electric buses that will operate between Seattle and Bellingham

Puneet Bsanti
·2 min read
22

The Washington State Department of Transportation and Amtrak rolled out their first sustainable electric buses on Wednesday that will make daily round trips from Seattle to Bellingham on the Amtrak Cascades route.

According to an Amtrak press release, this is the first electric vehicle in the Amtrak National Network and is one of two buses that will make the trips. The roll out of the electric buses, owned and operated by MTRWestern, helps advance Amtrak’s goal of meeting their pledge to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2024.

The electric buses can make the nearly 200 mile travel on a single charge.

“At Amtrak, we strive to give our passengers reliable, comfortable, and sustainable travel options. By incorporating environmental considerations into our current operations and as we work with our partners to reach more of America, we continue to make Amtrak an even ‘greener’ mode of transportation,” Amtrak Sustainability Director Kara Oldhouser said in the release.

According to WSDOT, the southbound Amtrak buses leave Bellingham from the Fairhaven Village at 10:45 am and 3:00 pm. The northbound buses leave Seattle at 12:15 pm and 4:00 pm. The trip is two hours and each bus holds about 50 passengers.

“The mid-day buses provide additional connectivity beyond the morning and evening train service offered on Amtrak Cascades. The Cascades Thruway buses also stop in Everett and Mount Vernon and connect with trains heading to and from stations south of Seattle,” WSDOT said.

One-way tickets start at $19, according to WSDOT.

“Amtrak’s addition of an EV bus to the Cascades route is another important step toward building a cleaner and greener transportation network in Bellingham and Northwest Washington,” said U.S. Rep. Rick Larsen, D-Everett.

Larsen is the lead Democrat on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.

“I will continue to champion aggressive and progressive investment in transit, passenger rail and other modes of transportation, like Amtrak and Whatcom Transportation Authority service, that reduce pollution, grow the economy, create more jobs and improve overall quality of life in the Pacific Northwest,” he said.