Making plans for my cross Canada trip in a couple of months. It has been some 17 years since my last trip north of the border and I know much has changed. Other than a passport, anything else to grease the skids at US customs in Vancouver on my return? Considering getting Global Entry on general principles but not sure that helps in this instance as it is not listed as one of the accepted documents on the Amtrak website. I looked at NEXUS but that requires an interview with Canadian authorities which wouldn't be practical on this trip, though maybe down the road. A lot of logistics to consider when applying and interviewing for both GE and NEXUS.
I'm flying into Montreal and note that Canada has the ArriveCan app which looks to be a convenient entry tool there.
There is no separate NEXUS line at Pacific Central Station. GE members could use it if there were (entering the US). You stand in the same line as everyone else as a NEXUS or GE member. BC kind of lets you cut the line as the BC and coach lines merge into one line for US border inspection after Amtrak check in.
I use the Cascades to/from Vancouver pretty regularly. US CBP at Pacific Central are usually about as laid back as CBP ever gets. They are typically quick and reasonably polite. Historically, it was CBSA there that had tended to be overly officious, though their attitude at Pacific Central has seems to have mellowed since service resumed after COVID.
I wouldn't bother with either GE or NEXUS just to ease the US inspection at Pacific Central because they really don't do much, if anything, to improve or speed up the experience there. The main actual benefit of the Trusted Traveler programs is the special, speedier lines. Those don't exist at Pacific Central. A passport works just fine.
I am a NEXUS cardholder and use it at Pacific Central primarily because it is card sized and always in my wallet, so it is handy to pull out. I wouldn't feel disadvantaged using my passport, though. The main utility of the NEXUS card for me is the access to NEXUS lanes at vehicle crossings. Those save loads of time and trouble. Unless you plan on crossing relatively frequently by car, there is not a lot of point in getting a NEXUS card, IMHO.
Finally, a GE card would work just fine entering the US, both at booking and at the station, if you had one. It is a DHS Trusted Traveler card, just like those NEXUS and SENTRI cards listed. On the website, you just check the Trusted Traveler card option and enter the PASSID on the back of the GE card. At the Pacific Central Station Amtrak doesn't do much with ID, they've got CBP 25 feet behind them that is really handling the documents.
