Train soon will stop again in Stanwood

THE OLYMPIAN | • Published November 14, 2009

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People boarding Amtrak Cascades trains in Lacey and Centralia soon will be able to get off in Stanwood, about 45 miles south of Bellingham.

Beginning Nov. 21, Cascades trains will stop twice every morning and twice every evening in Stanwood, a city of fewer than 6,000 residents that’s just east of Camano Island. The first train will arrive at 9:03 a.m. that day, coinciding with a grand-opening celebration for the new Stanwood station.

The $5 million project was funded by the state. The station is at 271st Street Northwest and the Burlington Northern-Santa Fe mainline tracks in downtown Stanwood.

Great Northern Railroad operated passenger rail service to Stanwood until 1971, according to the state Department of Transportation.

“The opening of this new station could not come at a better time with the 2010 Olympics right around the corner,” state Transportation Secretary Paula Hammond said in a news release.

For Amtrak Cascades fares and schedules, go to www.amtrakcascades.com.