Two Amtrak trains will continue running daily between Vancouver and Portland thanks to Ottawa’s October 14 announcement that the federal government will pick up the daily $1,500 cost for customs agents for another year.
Public Safety Minister Vic Toews told reporters that he asked the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) to “dig and find the money” out of its current budget and that the reallocation of funds would not jeopardize national security.
The annual economic impact of the second Amtrak train, which was added in the lead-up to the 2010 Winter Olympics, has been estimated at about $15 million.
Tourism officials were understandably excited. So is Vancouver mayor Gregor Robertson.
“The Amtrak train has been a big success and has delivered tourist visits and dollars into our economy, both in Vancouver and throughout the region,” Robertson said. “The dollars that the CBSA is providing will leverage significant investment for our economy.
This is good news for Vancouver’s tourism industry and our local economy.”
Both Washington State and Amtrak had set October 15 as the deadline for the Canadian government to decide if it would waive border-crossing fees that would otherwise have kicked in.
For more on transportation access issues affecting B.C., see “Planes, trains and political pains” – issue 1092, September 28-October 4.