AVOIDING THE STRAIN. Amtrak's Cascades service allows Washington state residents to bypass road construction.

Monday, about a dozen people strained to hear the familiar horn as they awaited the 1:03 p.m. train to Seattle. Becky and Sean Brennan of Renton had taken their first train to Kelso due to a death in the family and seem to be hooked.

"We like how convenient and fast it is. It's two to three hours without traffic and five hours with traffic versus two hours from Tukwila to here," Becky Brennan said. "We'd talked about it and we really enjoyed it. If we can do it again, we will."

The Brennans said taking the train saved them gas money. But round-trip tickets for two to Kelso from Tukwila likely took a bigger bite out of their pockets than driving, even though a one-way ticket from Tukwila to Kelso can be as low as $39 on a weekday afternoon.

Still, her husband noted that Amtrak is a good way to avoid traffic, which "is insanity" between Seattle and Tacoma this summer due to highway projects.

Construction congestion induces additional ridership on Chicago's Metra. I'm pleased to see the inducement working elsewhere.

Sharon Parris of Everett has taken the train here every six weeks for six years to visit friends.

"Most of the time I take the train, I prefer it to driving," she said while awaiting the Seattle-bound train to arrive in Kelso Monday.

"There's not the hassle of traffic. The commute can be fast or it can be slow. With the train, you don't have to worry about it."

Jim and Lina Grace of Kelso said they have been riding Amtrak for 30 years. Monday they took the train to Seattle, then planned to train to Leavenworth in North Central Washington for their 30th wedding anniversary. "We're not frequent flyers. We take it on special occasions," Lina said.

Kelso City Councilman Dan Myers is a major advocate for increased train travel. He said Monday the volunteer All Aboard Washington group started staffing the train depot in August and the response is "overwhelmingly positive." The volunteers greet travelers, answer questions and announce incoming and departing trains.

"People repeatedly said they are so glad someone is there. We help them with where to go and how to buy tickets and with schedules. We answer a lot of questions," Myers said.

"We're trying to raise awareness of train travel as a good alternative and think we have. My wife and I have taken the train to Portland to go shopping and it's a great way to go."

With the recent cri de coeur of a Jet Blue cabin attendant, and Time offering 20 reasons to hate the airlines, a mode of transportation that does not involve waiting in line for ticketing, security, embarking, and debarking has its appeal. You don't have to deploy an escape slide to unload quickly, either. Simply note the door where you see a uniformed crew member. (On the Northeast Corridor, all doors open at high level platforms.) And in construction season, there's something called a Form B order that when used properly lets the train go through the work zone at track speed.