Oregon Public Broadcasting

A long-awaited second daily Amtrak train between Seattle and Vancouver, B.C. has gotten the green light from the Canadian government.

The schedule for the second train will allow same-day connections to Portland and Eugene, which the current timetable doesn't allow.

Washington State Rail Office spokeswoman Vickie Sheehan expects the expanded cross-border service to begin sometime next month.

Vickie Sheehan: “You know with the way the economy has been, most people are sticking closer to home and taking shorter trips. This may give an opportunity for those people that want to not take those big extravagant trips that require them to fly somewhere, they can take a train trip up there. Obviously, the tourism benefits from the Olympics come right on the heels of that.”

Amtrak Cascades service is subsidized by the Washington and Oregon transportation departments.

Startup of the second roundtrip to Vancouver became possible when the Canadian government relented on its demand for an expensive border crossing inspection fee.

The Canadians have waived the fee until after the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.

The cross-border Amtrak service will be re-evaluated then.