Amtrak now mostly busing passengers to and from Vancouver after corrosion sidelines railcars

Amtrak says buses are replacing most of its train service between Vancouver and U.S. destinations along its Cascades route, including Seattle and Portland.

In a notice posted to the company website, Amtrak says its had to remove 26 passenger cars from the Cascades route after recent inspections found issues with aging and corrosion.

Amtrak said the Bombardier-built passenger cars had been in service since 1989. Across its entire operation, the company is removing a total of 70 of the Bombardier Horizon cars.

"During daily routine inspections, we spotted some corrosion and so we pulled some of the fleet and had them undergo more intensive inspection and came to the conclusion that the corrosion was to a level that we worried about the structural integrity during a crash," said spokesperson Kelly Just.

Just said Amtrak was moving passenger cars from other locations to restore at least a portion of the service to Vancouver starting on April 1, albeit with a shorter train. 

"Trains 516 and 519 will actually be back in operation, so that is the daily train that goes from Seattle to Vancouver, B.C., that leaves Seattle at 8:30 in the morning," she said. 

The Cascades route has 18 stops, including its northernmost terminus in Vancouver and southernmost in Eugene, Ore.

Although many travel sectors have reported a drop in Canadian travelers heading to the U.S., Just said passenger volumes had no effect on Amtrak's decision to remove the train cars from service. 

Just said refunds are available for customers who booked on the train and don't want to take the bus alternative.

Unlike the trains, there is no business class seating on the buses, and Just said anyone who purchased a business class ticket for the train will be reimbursed the difference.

Like the trains, the buses do accommodate bicycles. 

Other Amtrak lines affected by the corroding cars are the Downeaster, Hiawatha and Borealis, located in the midwest and eastern U.S.