A second daily Amtrak passenger train linking Seattle to Vancouver is expected to begin service in August as part of a seven-month trial that will help transport American visitors north during the 2010 Winter Olympics.

The long-planned second daily train had been stalled for more than a year because the federal government was insisting Amtrak pay $1,500 a day to cover the costs of performing more customs and immigration checks.

But Ottawa has now relented and agreed to absorb those costs for the duration of the trial, which is slated to end in late March.

Transportation minister Shirley Bond said the expanded service should provide a significant boost to B.C. tourism.

"It's estimated that the additional service will carry 50,000 passengers in its first full year of operation and is expected to inject $13 million into the economy," Bond said.

The province had spent $3 million upgrading tracks on the north side of the border in in Surrey and Delta in anticipation of the second Amtrak train.

It's also hoped expanded Amtrak service connecting the Lower Mainland to Seattle and beyond will reduce vehicle congestion and cut greenhouse gas emissions.

The existing once-a-day 220-seat Amtrak Cascades train leaves Seattle early in the morning and departs Vancouver for the return trip in the evening.

The schedule for the second train isn't set yet, but is expected to be the opposite – an evening northbound run and a morning southbound trip.

Provincial government officials said they hope the second train proves popular and can be made permanent.

Amtrak has no immediate plans for its trains to stop at White Rock.

Amtrak's travel time to Vancouver is hampered in part by the old New Westminster rail bridge that opens and closes for ship traffic.

Some observers have suggested the Amtrak terminal be moved to Surrey, where passengers heading downtown could transfer to SkyTrain.

The U.S. government has a longer-term vision for high-speed passenger rail service that would extend from Portland through Seattle to Vancouver.

For more information on Amtrak's west coast service, see www.amtrakcascades.com