Cascadia Prospectus

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By eliminating duplicative inspection functions and increasing the speed of travel between Canada and the U.S., the Beyond the Border accord serves as a long-awaited landmark agreement. ... By December 2012, with pre-clearance a reality, the region will benefit from one - instead of two - inspections, meaning a faster and more efficient train travel experience. The decision is also better for the inspection officers who will be able to consolidate their efforts in Blaine, Wash., to one central location in Vancouver, British Columbia.

In conjunction with the Canada Border Services Agency's decision in August to permanently waive the inspection fee, the Beyond the Border accord points to a brighter future for the Amtrak Cascades service. 

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As Crosscut's C.B. Hall writes, the company says if a location can't be found, it'll need to leave Seattle. It's a test, he says, to Seattle's "commitment to mass transportation."

Greyhound officials, according to Hall's reporting, say the company's preference for a new home would be at or near King Street Station in Pioneer Square. According to Hall's Crosscut article, "Greyhound's first choice, says [Greyhound] district manager Mike Timlin, 'would be to go in with King Street Station, with other providers, to turn King Street into a sort of intermodal hub.'"

Once upon a time, according to Hall's reporting, King Street Station as intermodal hub had even more political will behind it than it has today. Former Seattle mayor Greg Nickels and former city council Transportation Chairwoman Jan Drago were strongly behind the notion several years ago. But, as Hall reports, even though the station is going through a restoration, the political landscape has changed (including more of a regional focus on the deep-bored tunnel to replace the Viaduct). Though Seattle once wanted Greyhound included in the transportation hub, it isn't clear whether that can now work out. (The Crosscut article includes artist J.Craig Thorpe's drawing of what a remade station with bus terminal might look like. Cascadia Center has often relied on Thorpe's talents to help communicate complex policy issues visually.)

Comparing the opportunity for turning King Street Station into a true multimodal terminal, as has been done in Vancouver, British Columbia and Meridian, Miss., among other locations, Hall poses the only question that really matters: "Does Seattle intend to seize the opportunity?"