According to an announcement made today, the province has invested another $300,000 in a study of a potential “ultra-high-speed corridor service” that would link together BC, Washington State, and Oregon.
The joint study first began in October 2018 under the backing of Premier John Horgan and Washington Governor Jay Inslee. The hope is that a high-speed train could feasibly be built to connect the two countries, reducing the travel time between Vancouver and Seattle from approximately three hours down to one.
Travel down the corridor could see trains moving at speeds of up to 400 km/h.
“Gov. Inslee and I recognize the enormous potential for growth in our region to deliver strong, sustainable economic development, create good jobs and a better future for people on both sides of the border,” said Premier Horgan in a statement.
“Improving transportation connectivity is a critically important part of the path forward, and we’re going to keep working together to seize opportunities and strengthen the relationship between Washington state and B.C.”
BC’s $300,000 investment goes towards a combined total of $1.5M USD by interested parties. The corridor research backers are: BC ($300K), Washington state ($750K), Oregon ($200K), and Microsoft ($300K).
Last year, Washington state released an economic analysis of the potential train system and found that the corridor link could create up to 200,000 for people in BC and the US, and generate billions of dollars in economic benefits between the three regions.
The analysis also found that after a few years of operation, approximately 1.8 million people would use the train annually.
“I want to thank Premier Horgan for his generous contributions to the ultra-high-speed corridor project,” said Gov. Inslee in a statement.
“Our Cascadia region has the critical mass of a growing population, the muscle mass of a strong economy and the traffic problems to justify ultra-high-speed connections, and this investment will help move the project to the next level.”
