Well! Cooler (and Wiser) Heads May Prevail

It now appears that the cancellation of Amtrak’s second daily Cascades train between Seattle and Vancouver may be averted after all. (See previous post for details.) Politicians in Vancouver, which has been gaining all kinds of additional dollars from the tourists coming to their town on the train from Seattle and environs, have stepped up to the plate and essentially promised to cover the cost of the customs and immigration people needed to clear the two trains each day.

One of them pointed out, quite accurately, that if those rail passengers chose to visit Vancouver by plane or by driving, the Canadian government would still have to provide the personnel to process them.

All this foolishness does strike a familiar chord, doesn’t it … a conservative federal government singling out and applying stricter financial restrictions on rail transportation than those on other modes.