SEATTLE — A daylight saving time difference between the Pacific Northwest and British Columbia will affect Amtrak Cascades train travel beginning Sunday, Nov. 1.
The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) said passengers traveling between Seattle and Vancouver, British Columbia, will receive tickets displaying either a three-hour trip southbound or a five-hour trip northbound, though the actual travel time in both directions remains 4 hours.
The ticket discrepancy occurs as households in Washington and Oregon set their clocks back one hour on Nov. 1 to return to Pacific Standard Time. British Columbia decided last year to stop turning clocks back, maintaining permanent year-round daylight saving time, referred to in the province as Pacific Time.
Tickets for the international route will reflect the local departure time at the origin city and the local arrival time at the destination city. Onboard announcements will remind passengers of the time change as trains cross the U.S.-Canada border.
The time difference between British Columbia and neighboring U.S. states will end each spring when Washington and Oregon advance their clocks by one hour for daylight saving time, realigning all three jurisdictions on the same time.
Amtrak Cascades operates two daily roundtrips to and from British Columbia, serving one route from Seattle and another from Portland. The rail line connects 14 stations along the corridor to Pacific Union Station in downtown Vancouver, British Columbia.
WSDOT says the passenger rail line is funded jointly by them and the Oregon Department of Transportation. Both state agencies offset operational costs not covered by ticket sales and contract with Amtrak to operate the service on their behalf.
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