WSDOT – 2009 News – Second Amtrak Cascades train to Vancouver, B.C. begins service August 19.
CBC – 2nd Seattle-Vancouver train ready to roll
These articles are a week or two old, but the additional train service finally started a week ago. I went onto the Amtrak Cascades site and calculated the cost of a round trip on the train from Vancouver, BC to Seattle.
The new morning train out of Vancouver leaves at 6:40am and costs US$35 for that leg. It arrives in Seattle at 11:00am. Four hours may seem long for those who are used to speeding down I-5 to the outlet mall or elsewhere, but it’s a nice stress free way to enjoy the trip. However, I have heard that Amtrak has tons of delays everyday.
The evening train leaves Seattle at 6:50pm and arrives back in Vancouver at 10:45pm for a cost of US$35. So if you wanted to do a very short day trip in Downtown Seattle, you could now. I think it would feel a little too rushed, though. I would love to go overnight and catch a Mariner’s game in the evening and return the next day in the evening instead. For US$70, I think it would be worth it. I wouldn’t have to think about driving or parking.
metro babel 
I’d say it’s worth it if only because the border crossing is so easy. At least it has been for me the 2 or 3 times I’ve done it.
The Vancouver Portland trip may be a tougher sell because the scheduled trip appears to be about 8 hours. Not necessarily longer than driving I guess depending on the border and traffic through Seattle.
As far as delays are concerned, I’m sure there are delays. But for a few years I lived across from the station looking down on it. I watched the Amtrak train pull into the station day in and day out at 11:30 a.m. like clockwork. I took the train in the Spring and it was on time or a bit early both ways.