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On a special visit to the British Columbia legislature Tuesday, Washington state Governor Jay Inslee said the time is right to move forward on an ambitious plan to create a high-speed rail route between Vancouver and Seattle, and maybe even as far south as Portland. The results of a $1 million feasibility study launched earlier in the year by the state government will be released soon, possibly forming the foundation of Canada's first high-speed rail link.
The cost-benefit analysis examines a "ultra high-speed" rail connection with trains travelling up to 400 kilometres an hour. With service that fast, travel time between Vancouver and Seattle would be cut from three hours to just one hour.
The lingering issue, as always with multi-billion-dollar megaprojects like these, is the question of financing. But the study, conducted by engineering consultancy firm CH2M, save for preliminary revenue projections, will mostly leave the financial details to the politicians to figure out. And Governor Inslee is confident that the demand for such a service exists, which the study will also examine.
The Cascadia Innovation Corridor agreement, signed by B.C. and Washington in 2016, positions the Vancouver-Seattle corridor as a growth magnet for tech and innovation. An integral part of the agreement commits the governments to enhancing transportation between the two cities, and high-speed rail has often been touted as an achievable and proven way of supporting bilateral economic growth.
While it'll be years until any high-speed rail link is realized, some transportation improvements are coming to the corridor. Direct floatplane flights between Coal Harbour and South Lake Union are expected to be operational by next spring, a service that will surely benefit Seattle-based tech companies that are looking to expand their footprint across the border.
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