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8/17/2023
Amtrak and the Washington State Department of Transportation are replacing a diesel-powered bus with an electric vehicle (EV) on the Amtrak Cascades Thruway route.
The first EV bus on Amtrak's national network, the bus — owned and operated by MTRWestern — can make the nearly 200-mile roundtrip on one single charge, according to a news release.
Daily midday buses provide additional connections beyond the morning and evening train service between Seattle and Bellingham. The Cascades Thruway buses also stop in Everett and Mount Vernon, and connect with trains heading to and from stations south of Seattle.
The EV bus is expected save approximately 10,000 gallons of diesel fuel per year, cutting CO2 emissions by 109 tons annually. The charging hub, installed at MTRWestern’s Seattle facilities, sits on land once used to store large petroleum tanks.
"We consider the collaboration on this route a transformational step toward even greater EV regional transit,” said MTRWestern President Jeremy Butzlaff.