Earlier this month, U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood announced $31.1 million for the state of Washington to improve intercity passenger and freight rail service on the Amtrak Cascades line.
“The investments we’re making in the Cascades line will improve reliability and service for passengers while putting people to work on crucial rail projects,” said Secretary LaHood. “It’s a win-win because these investments will also help create jobs and grow the economy by building and maintaining railways with American-made materials.”
Amtrak’s Cascades Service is one of its faster growing routes. Ridership grew 10 percent in 2010 to 838,251 passengers, and is trending to break that record in 2011.
“Ridership continues to grow with travelers choosing Amtrak Cascades in record numbers,” said Washington Transportation Secretary Paula Hammond. “Securing these federal dollars gets us going on improvements to make the service more reliable so our passengers can get to their destinations on time,” she said.
