The slow ride towards a high-speed rail connection up and down the west coast of North America is back in the news. We’ve
written about this before, and now comes more money to sharpen up the planning and feasibility prelims.
If built, high-speed rail would be an attractive new choice for those travelling between Vancouver, Seattle and Portland.
HERE is the BC Premier’s announcement.
As part of ongoing efforts to strengthen the partnership between British Columbia and Washington state, the B.C. government will help fund a study of a potential ultra-high-speed corridor service connecting Vancouver with Seattle, Portland and beyond.
Premier John Horgan was joined by Washington Gov. Jay Inslee to announce that B.C. will contribute $300,000 toward an in-depth study with Washington state on the concept of a corridor service that would cut travel times between Vancouver and Seattle to about 60 minutes, from three hours. . . .
An economic analysis released last month by Washington state estimated that a high-speed corridor link could create up to 200,000 jobs for B.C. and U.S. workers, and generate billions of dollars in economic benefits for the Cascadia Innovation Corridor between B.C., Washington and Oregon.
The Washington state legislature last week approved funding of up to US$1.2 million toward the new in-depth study. . . .
The new study will build on the previous preliminary analysis, and will consider the practicality and business case for a high-speed corridor service by addressing factors such as ridership levels, system development, delivery methods and financing. It will include involvement by key community representatives, and stakeholders from the public and private sectors.
