B.C. government spends $300K on third study of high speed train to U.S.
The estimated $42 billion Ultra High Speed Ground Transportation Project would connect Vancouver with Seattle and Portland.
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The B.C. government says it will spend $300,000 on another study looking at whether to build a high-speed rail service connecting Vancouver, Seattle and Portland.
The province has already spent $600,000 on two earlier studies for the estimated $42 billion Ultra High Speed Ground Transportation Project.
“Improving transportation connectivity throughout the Pacific Northwest is an important part of our work to build a stronger, more sustainable future for people on both sides of our border,” said Premier John Horgan in a statement Tuesday. “This proposal has the potential to significantly cut transportation time between Seattle and Vancouver — presenting new opportunities for clean economic growth, job creation and tourism throughout the region.”
The next phase of the study, led by the Washington State Department of Transportation in partnership with B.C., Oregon and other regional and local agencies, intends to address the future funding responsibilities of the project, and develop a regional public outreach and engagement strategy, according to a government news release.
Washington state’s Department of Transportation estimates that building the Cascadia corridor would be a 10- to 15-year process, depending on how quickly governments and groups started.
The Framework for the Future report, released in December 2019, was the last study on the proposal following 2019 business case and 2017 feasibility studies that identified a potential $355 billion payoff in increased economic development along the cross-border corridor.
On Oct. 10, 2018, Horgan and Washington Gov. Jay Inslee signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to act jointly to grow the region’s innovation economy, protect the environment and combat climate change, promote trade and improve transportation connectivity.
Washington state has approved US$4 million in funding to advance the next phase of the study for the train, which could travel as fast as 400 km/h, according to the B.C. government.
—with files from Derrick Penner
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