Cascadia High-Speed Rail
316 miles
250 mph
9 million people
The Cascadia High-Speed Rail project will create a high-speed transportation corridor connecting Portland, OR, Seattle, WA and Vancouver, BC. The line is anticipated to create an integrated regional economy and a clean and high-capacity, alternative to heavily congested highways and airports.
Cascadia is one of the fastest-growing regions in the nation and a center of innovation. By linking three major hubs in under two hours, the system will reduce emissions, ease highway and airport congestion, and create new economic opportunities.
Cascadia High-Speed Rail
will generate more than 200,000 direct and indirect jobs. It's a once-in-a-generation opportunity to build a clean, connected, and globally competitive transportation network. It redefines regional mobility while protecting the environment
Transforming the Pacific Northwest
Frequently Asked Questions
The project is in early development, with a feasibility study, business case, market anaysis, completed or underway. It is part of the FRA Corridor ID Program with $49.7 million from the federal government matched by $5.5 million from the State of Washington. Under study are routes, stations, trip times, ridership and other metrics.
Cascadia high-speed rail will reduce highway and airport congestion, enabling people to travel quickly and safely between three major urban hubs. The system will remove 6 million tons of carbon emissions annually, spur new housing around the stations, allow those who want to stay in their homes to commute to good-paying jobs in the city, and create tens of thousands of new jobs and careers across the region. Studies show high-speed rail could generate $355 billion in economic growth and support
Today, it takes 2.5-3 hours to drive from Portand or Vancouver to Seattle. High-speed rail will make those trips in one hour. As for air trafvel, getting to and from the airport, waiting in security lines and
at the gate can add hours to 45 minutes in the air. Travel time by high-speed rail: 0ne hour from Portland or Vancouver to Seattle.
To meet oveall trip times, fewer stations are planned. In Seattle, planning centers on the Central I-5 Link Commuter station or the King Street station. In Portland, the focus is on Rose Quarter and Union Station. In Vancouver, it's Pacific Central Station and Metro Vancouver.
Intermediate stops under consideratiion include Bellingham, Everett, Tacoma and Olympia in Washington; in Oregon, Salem and Eugene; and potential spur connections to Seattle-Tacoma and Portland International Airports.
Ridership is projected to exceed 3 million passengers annually, or up to 8,500 daily riders - as much as 20% of current intercity travel.
