Dude, where’s my train? Why freight makes Amtrak late

Like other Amtrak routes, the Cascades run — between Vancouver, British Columbia, and Eugene, Oregon — is often late.

Audrey Lundin of Portland stands on a train platform in Edmonds, Washington, waiting for the southbound Amtrak Cascades. It’s about 45 minutes late.

It is Lundin’s fourth trip on the line that runs between Vancouver, Canada, and Eugene, Oregon, and her first major delay.

It could be worse: Amtrak’s Empire Builder, inbound from Chicago, is about five hours behind schedule.

“I prefer it to driving,” Lundin said. “I do not have to be on the road, navigating traffic and the Seattle roads. And I can read or watch something.”

According to the Washington state Department of Transportation, 47% of Amtrak Cascades trains arrived on time in 2022, with on-time performance rising to 56% in the first nine months of 2023.

“Come on down, folks, come on down!” An Amtrak conductor shouts to hustle boarding passengers along after the train rolls up and perhaps make up a little of its lost time.

Late is par for the course for Amtrak trains nationwide. The passenger rail company blames illegal interference from freight trains for most of its passengers’ often-substantial delays.