High-speed rail between Vancouver and the Pacific Northwest is being explored
Written by RT&S Staff
California High Speed Rail Authority
Still in the testing-the-water phase, officials in Washington State, Oregon and British Columbia had another study to wet their appetite about a high-speed line that would zig-zag between the U.S. and Canada.
The latest report outlines steps governments would have to take to make the project a reality.
The high-speed line would reach speeds of 250 mph and it would take just one hour to travel between Vancouver and Seattle and Seattle and Portland. Stops also would be made along the line.
The cost to build high-speed rail would be steep … it could be as much as $42 billion. However the economic activity generated could be as much as $355 billion, and revenues from the high-speed line could cover operating costs by 2055.
“We are living in unprecedented times that call on us to envision our future in new ways,” Washington State Gov. Jay Inslee said in a statement. “Transformative infrastructure projects like this one could help us rebuild our economy in the short term and provide us with a strong competitive advantage in the future. Imagine fast, frequent and reliable travel with potential for zero emissions and the opportunity to better compete in a global economy. It could transform the Pacific Northwest.”
A panel with representatives from Washington, Oregon and British Columbia would have to be formed to move the project into development.
Funding, of course, will be a major obstacle. Fees and taxes could be raised to help generate some money for construction, but the private sector will most likely have to get involved to see the project through. Microsoft helped pay for the latest study and could be a candidate, along with Amazon.
Read more stories on passenger rail.
