Pre-Clearance and Amtrak Cascades

S e n at e Tr a n s p o r t at i o n C o m m i t t e e M e e t i n g

RON PATE, Director

Rail, Freight and Ports Division
Roger Millar, Secretary of Transportation

November 20, 2019 Keith Metcalf, Deputy Secretary of Transportation

Amtrak Cascades at Vancouver, B.C

Washington began funding passenger rail service

between Seattle and Vancouver, B.C. in 1995
 The 1993 Washington State Legislature recognized the
importance of offering passenger rail service to meet the
growing demand for intercity travel
 Amtrak Cascades currently provides one daily round trip
between Seattle and Vancouver, B.C and one daily Pacific Central Station, Vancouver, BC
roundtrip between Portland and Vancouver, B.C.
 Pacific Central Station in Vancouver, B.C. is the third
busiest station on the Amtrak Cascades route
 Serves some 165,000 passengers each year and
accounts for more than $4 million in annual revenue
 Pacific Central Station is a designated border inspection
facility, even though it is 30 miles inside Canada

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Inspection process for Amtrak Cascades passengers
heading north across the international border
Entering Canada from the United States
 Amtrak staff verifies all passengers have
proper documentation before leaving
Bellingham
 The train enters a secure cage area upon
arrival at Pacific Central Station in
Vancouver, B.C.
 Passengers disembark, collect luggage and
then get interviewed by Canada Border
Services Agency officers before being
allowed to leave the station
 This happens twice a day, everyday

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Inspection process for Amtrak Cascades passengers
heading south across the international border
Entering the United States from Canada
 All passengers and their possessions are “pre-inspected” by U.S.
Customs and Border Protection officers at Pacific Central Station
 Once passengers are inspected, they must stay in the secured
area and cannot go back into the station
 When everyone is on-board, the secured cage holding the train is
opened and the train proceeds to Blaine
 At Blaine, the train stops, U.S. Customs and Border Protection
officers board the train and collect passengers’ Custom
Declaration forms
 This process is unpredictable, but usually takes about 10 minutes
Interior of Pacific Central Station, Vancouver, BC
 Officers disembark and the train proceeds to Bellingham
 This happens twice a day, everyday

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Pre-clearance will improve Amtrak Cascades service

• U.S.-Canada Beyond the Border agreement and

federal legislation allows for pre-clearance
• All customs processing will occur at Pacific Central
Station
• Trains returning to the U.S. will no longer stop in Blaine
for a second customs processing
• Travel time will be shortened by at least 10 minutes,
leading to more predictable schedules
U.S and Canadian customs agents at Pacific Central Station
• Shorter, more reliable, travel times makes service
more attractive and promotes a modal shift from cars,
buses, and airplanes to rail
• U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers no longer
have to leave post at Peace Arch border crossing to
inspect the train

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Starting pre-clearance at Pacific Central Station

 On October 16, 2019, Amtrak formally requested

pre-clearance at Pacific Central Station from U.S.
Customs and Border Protection
 The station’s inspection area was upgraded in
advance of the 2010 Winter Olympics and will likely
not need major upgrades
 Amtrak and U.S. Customs and Border Protection
personnel will reach agreement on any additional
items needed at the station to institute pre-
clearance
 Funding would need to be secured if any items are
identified
Interior of Pacific Central Station, Vancouver, BC
 Amtrak predicts pre-clearance could be in place by
2021 or sooner

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Questions?

For more information,

please contact:

Ron Pate
Rail, Freight and Ports Division
PateRD@wsdot.wa.gov
360-705-7900