Here's when Amtrak trains between Vancouver and Seattle will return

Rail travel between Vancouver and Seattle is back on track after a two-year hiatus.

The Amtrak Cascades passenger train service announced on August 31 that the first scheduled trip has been set to depart Seattle at 7:45 a.m. on Sept. 26. It'll arrive in Vancouver at 11:45 a.m. It'll be the first time since the pandemic began that the service has made that run.

"Mark your calendars! Amtrak Cascades service is returning to Vancouver, BC on September 26th thanks to our partnership with @wsdot, @OregonDOT, and @VIA_Rail," they shared on Twitter.

A return trip is scheduled to depart Vancouver at 5:45 p.m., arriving in Seattle at 10:10 p.m.

A second round trip is coming once staffing and equipment is available, states Amtrak in a press release.

Tickets for the trip can be purchased now through Amtrak's or Via Rail's websites.

Amtrak had previously cancelled all train service to Canada in March 2020, and Canadian train service on the Cascades train north of Seattle in May 2020, when the Canadian border closed to non-essential travel. 

Despite the Canadian border's reopening, Amtrak Cascades said previously that service will not resume until late 2022 due to staffing shortages. Fortunately, the start date is now two months earlier than expected. 

"Earlier plans called for a December return to Canada, but Amtrak was able to advance the schedule," they wrote in a previous press release.