BC to fund high-speed rail study between Vancouver, Seattle

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – The BC government has announced $300,000 to further study the idea of high-speed rail between Vancouver, Seattle, and Portland.

Premier John Horgan and Washington state Governor Jay Inslee met to talk about it in November, and now the very early stages of the plan are taking a small step forward.

At a press conference in Vancouver, Inslee says high-speed rail is one possible technology but says it is not guaranteed that’s what may be used. A timeline as to when we’ll actually see this happen has not been provided.

If built, the trip between Seattle and Vancouver would reportedly cut travel time from three hours to close to one.

“The convenience of a one-hour trip between Vancouver and Seattle would create countless opportunities for people in both BC and Washington, from sports or concert getaways for families, to untold economic growth potential for businesses,” Horgan says. “Exploring the possibility of creating a clean, efficient high-speed corridor is particularly important as the Pacific Northwest grows in economic importance, and we look to reduce barriers to expansion across our borders.”

Washington state will be investing up to $1.2 million toward the study.

“This ultra-high-speed corridor is an exciting proposal for both British Columbia and Washington, aligning with our mutual goal of strengthening our economies through collaboration,” Inslee adds. “The early study results show the corridor would help create jobs, generate affordable housing options, ease freeway traffic and clean our air. It’s an exciting step for Washington and British Columbia.”

According to the province, the corridor makes up part of an ongoing effort to “strengthen the partnership between British Columbia and Washington state.”

It adds an economic analysis conducted by Washington state suggests a high-speed corridor may create hundreds of thousands of jobs, and benefit both BC and its neighbouring US states economically.