Amtrak questions Vancouver to Seattle

Please can someone with experience advise about checking ourselves & baggage onto the Amtrak train.

We have a train departure time of 06:20 from VAN to SEA. We are staying at the St Regis and will need to get a taxi to the station, so my question is how soon do we need to be at the station before the train departs? We will have 3 suitcases which will need checking in as they are not cabin sized. We have pre-booked business class seats if that makes any difference.

I have read we need to be there an hour before departure but then also read the station does not open till 05:30. :confused:

Thanks very much! :)

For an "official" response, I'd check with Amtrak. Their website usually has some info regarding that for individual stations and routes. If you can't find it there, try calling their 800 number.

Being there when the station open or shortly after sounds about right. You do have to clear U.S. immigration ("passport control") before you board so if you can get U.S. customs entry forms and fill them out before you get to the station, it'd help (get them when you board the ship in Vancouver). U.S. customs comes aboard the train when it goes south of the border at Blaine and may or may not question you further.

Business class clear customs and are allowed to board before the general boarding public.

Can't remember what time I arrived the last time I took the morning train.

Hope this helps some.

Cheers!

Dennis

Actually the station opens at 5am - but ticket desks and luggage storage have different hours than the station proper. Also, since it's not an Amtrak station calling Amtrak won't necessarily help much - better to get it straight from the horses mouth by checking with VIA who actually run the place. The phone number is in the link above.

One hour before is recommended. When we book business class with only carry ons we show up 30 minutes early, as you can skip the long line for checkin - but since you have checked bags I'd play it safe and show up an hour early as advised. Get a cab from St Regis at 5:15 and you'll be there on time - that early it should be a four minute drive.

As Brits you'll also have a little more hassle since you'll have to fill in another Visa Waiver form to cross the border (regardless of what some US border staff say, these are definitively NOT valid for multiple entries so the one you completed at the start of your trip needs to be handed in to the Canadian staff at disembarkation and a new one completed for your VAC>SEA trip).

Keep your passports handy for the stop at the border too - you don't get off, but dogs & guards board the train and walk through, 'randomly' asking extra questions to everyone without a US/Canadian passport held up. It's usually the standard "why, where, how long?" combo as you have already been seen by other officers at boarding.

Actually the station opens at 5am - but ticket desks and luggage storage have different hours than the station proper. Also, since it's not an Amtrak station calling Amtrak won't necessarily help much - better to get it straight from the horses mouth by checking with VIA who actually run the place. The phone number is in the link above.

 

Actually, on Amtrak's website for Vancouver, BC station they state the same 5 AM opening time you mention from your source. Amtrak also states, "...arrive at least one hour prior to departure for border crossing processing."

 

The station may be in BC but, its still appropriate for Amtrak to provide information regarding a station on one of their routes.

Some really useful info, thanks very much all :)

Actually, on Amtrak's website for Vancouver, BC station they state the same 5 AM opening time you mention from your source. Amtrak also states, "...arrive at least one hour prior to departure for border crossing processing."

 

The station may be in BC but, its still appropriate for Amtrak to provide information regarding a station on one of their routes.

Absolutely agree it's appropriate for Amtrak to supply info - it's the lack of accuracy of their info that concerns me. Amtrak have listed incorrect info in the past about Pacific Central (whenever things change there's usually a delay between the official VIA info updating and then Amtrak following suit) and they still don't have correct info about WiFi & payphones, or any info about baggage storage hours.

See what you are referring to when I look at VIA's website vs Amtrak for Vancouver station. Beyond this thread but, the inconsistency is not good, especially considering that a customer would tend to look on the website of their ticket issuer. As an Amtrak customer, it didn't occur to me to check with VIA. For may people, that would cause them to ask, which one is correct!

Thanks

One point of clarification, while it is a Via station, Via staff does not handle check in and baggage check for Amtrak. The only thing Via does for Amtrak is sell tickets and offer day-check baggage storage.

The Amtrak crew does check in and baggage check, which is done on the platform trainside for Amtrak.

You should get there an hour in advance because you do US Immigration processing after check in. They usually close up entirely 15 minutes before departure.

See what you are referring to when I look at VIA's website vs Amtrak for Vancouver station. Beyond this thread but, the inconsistency is not good, especially considering that a customer would tend to look on the website of their ticket issuer. As an Amtrak customer, it didn't occur to me to check with VIA. For may people, that would cause them to ask, which one is correct!

Thanks

Exactly why I made a point of saying to ask the local guys.

I guess you're a pretty experienced train traveler John, with all those routes in your sig. I very much enjoy Amtrak travel (more so than VIA actually) and I'm sure they're a lot more accurate when they have control of all aspects of the experience (although I think I'm right in saying the actual tracks are owned by various different freight-primary companies in the US, no?). I'm looking forward to the 'high speed' network rolling out so more destinations become rail-accessible within practical timeframes.

As a kid in the UK I grew up with a single national rail carrier which then broke up into multiple private companies by the time I was old enough to be booking my own rail travel - all using tracks and stations administered by an entirely different organization. So even though we kept centralized ticketing I learned to always check any info about the on-train services with the specific train company but questions about routes, trackworks, and detours with Railtrack.

Zeph's point about Amtrak doing their own baggage handling from check-in to train also reminds me that I forgot to mention that the 'baggage carts' mentioned at the station are only for VIA service. When Amtrak trains are due they tend to be already herded safely away in corrals outside the station area so that Amtrak passengers can't use them - I recall being told this was because the Amtrak crews were notorious for stealing the carts! I guess we build 'em better to cope with Canadian climates?

The station is so small though that getting bags from taxi rank to check in is only about fifty yards.

In closing (we've strayed from the OP), as you stated, Amtrak does operate on tracks owned by the private freight railroads, (UP, BNSF, etc.) however many (maybe most) stations/platforms are NOT owned by Amtrak or the railroad that serves the station but, rather local municipalities or other entities.

Regards