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Last Thursday I rode the Cascades service from Seattle to Portland and return.  It was a pleasant experience.  It is a good example of where passenger trains make sense. I used my Guest Rewards points to book business class for both legs of the trip. Redeeming the rewards was easy. Also, I was able to print my tickets at home, and the conductor was able to scan them when I got to King Street Station as well as Union Station in Portland. The cost of a coach ticket from Seattle to Portland is $32 for tickets bought several weeks in advance.  Business class is another $17. However, at least for now, business class passengers get a $3 coupon to use in the bistro car. The upgrade is worth the extra money. My breakfast items (coffee and yoghurt) were decidedly better than the food that I had on my last trip on the Texas Eagle. I was told by the car attendant that the food service is contracted out, although the bistro car attendant is an Amtrak employee.   King Street Station is being renovated. Accordingly, it is not an ideal place to wait for the train, especially if one did not have a wake-up cup of coffee before getting to the station. Union Station in Portland, on the other hand, is fully functional, with ample space to wait for the train. It has food service in the station. Moreover, adjacent to the station but in the same building is a first class restaurant. I did not eat lunch there; instead I opted to stroll a few blocks to a redeveloped warehouse district (lots of new apartments and seemingly trendy restaurants) where I had lunch. Within easy walking distance of Union Station is the bus terminal where one can catch an intercity bus to a variety of points in the Northwest or further if needed.  Also, there is a light rail stop within a block or so of the station that one can catch to get downtown or to many other locations in the Portland area. It appears that Portland has developed an integrated public transit system without a lot of top down direction from Washington and Salem. The train departed King Street Station a few minutes late, but it arrived in Portland on time. And the return train was on time. The crew members were amongst the best that I have experienced on Amtrak. They were pleasant and helpful. The attendant in my car greeted some of the regulars on a first name basis. I did not see any of the negative attitudes that I have seen on some of the east coast and long distance trains. Even the attendant in the bistro car, who was trying to placate a line of caffeine needy passengers in the morning, was cheerful. Amtrak's Cascades are painted green and brown.  The car interiors are dominated by earth tones.  The seats in business class, which are three across, i.e. two on one side of the car and a single on the other, are comfortable, and the coach seats appear to be equally comfortable. The windows are large and ideal for watching the scenery roll by, which is particularly pleasing as the train travels along Puget Sound. The Talgo equipment seems to ride a little rougher than so-called standard equipment, i.e. the vibration when changing tracks was more noticeable, but all in all the ride was very comfortable.   Passengers traveling on the Cascades, at least from Seattle and Portland, are required to check-in prior to train time to get a seat assignment. Business class passengers can check in at anytime during the day, I was told, to get a seat assignment, but coach passengers have to line up about 30 to 40 minutes before train time to get their assignment.
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