Amtrak trains now arriving at $5 million Stanwood station

Long-awaited passenger rail service has return to Stanwood and Camano Island.

The Washington State Department of Transportation unveiled the new Amtrak Cascades train station in Stanwood on Saturday.

Of course, Whidbey Islanders can hop a train a little closer in Mount Vernon or Mukilteo, but the new stop creates more transportation choices for Camano residents.

“This has been a long time coming, and it’s going to make a huge difference for so many people in so many ways,” said Sen. Mary Margaret Haugen, D-Camano Island, in a news release. “Everywhere I go, people are talking about the train station.”

Amtrak Cascades will make two morning and two evening stops daily in Stanwood as part of its service from Eugene, Ore., to Vancouver, B.C. The northbound train will stop in Stanwood at 9:03 a.m. and 8:14 p.m. The southbound run will stop in Stanwood at 9:18 a.m. and 8:25 p.m. The run includes stops in Seattle, Portland and 13 other cities including Bellingham and Mount Vernon.

Sample fares from Stanwood start at a range of $9 to Mount Vernon, $11 to Bellingham, $8 to Everett, $13 to Seattle and $31 to Portland.

“This will make a big difference for commuters and other travelers in the surrounding communities,” Haugen said. “It’s about time, energy, environment, quality of life. This increases the travel options for everyone in the Stanwood and Camano Island area.”

Haugen wrote legislation authorizing the station in 2006 and has followed up every year since with additional funding and legislative measures to ensure its completion. Built on land donated by the city of Stanwood, the $5 million project was funded by the state of Washington. After extended negotiations to establish a site, construction began in April of this year and was completed this month, on time and under budget.

The new station is an unstaffed platform, which means tickets are purchased online at Amtrak.com or by calling 1-800-USA-RAIL.

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