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Research and writing on current events with high speed rail by our team of grassroots advocates.
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High Speed Rail Benefits Small Towns and Large Cities

Live where you want, work where you want: the mobility that comes with high speed rail opens new housing markets to workers, reduces the cost of living, and shares economic growth with nonurban areas.

House Bill Proposes $205 Billion for High-Speed Rail as Part of Economic Recovery

Good jobs, good for business, and good for global competitiveness. High-speed rail is a bipartisan win for both Democrats seeking new infrastructure and Republicans seeking private sector investment.

Should The Government Invest in High-Speed Rail to Boost a Post-Pandemic Economic Recovery?

A large-scale infrastructure project can create areas of investment, boost employment, and increase connections for millions of people. It’s an exceptional jump-start for the post-COVID economy.

Fast Trains, Cleaner Air, and Less Congestion: Envisioning a Post-Pandemic Pacific Northwest

While North America rebuilds itself from the economic setback of the pandemic, we must look to the recovery option that will create jobs and result in the most sustainable economic growth: high speed rail.

Staying at Home Helps Us Envision a Future of Climate-Conscious Travel

The emissions reductions resulting from the pandemic is a preview of a more mindful, ecological urban environment, less congestion, and potentially better air quality. A high speed rail system for Cascadia could give us all of these benefits and more.

I-5 Lid Could Support Downtown Seattle High-Speed Rail Station

Seattle published a feasibility study to put a lid above I-5 to reconnect Downtown and First Hill, two neighborhoods divided by the freeway. It would add both housing and a park above the freeway trench, but it should also incorporate high speed rail.

Accepting the Challenge: Cascadia High Speed Rail

Our region has an opportunity to be a leader in building North American high speed rail, and the time to act is upon us.

Wide Support for High-Speed Rail at Cascadia Conference

Business and governmental leaders from Oregon to British Columbia convened at the Westin in Seattle for the “Connect Cascadia” conference to explore how to foster stronger collaboration in the Cascadia region, with major focus on high-speed rail from Vancouver, B.C. to Portland.

Video: Cascadia Rail presentation at Rail~volution

In September 2019, Rail~Volution held their annual conference in Vancouver, British Columbia. Paige Malott, Chair of Cascadia Rail, provided a comprehensive presentation on high-speed rail in the Cascadia Region.

Cascadia High-Speed Rail: Climate Implications Makes Business Case Even Stronger

WSDOT released a business case analysis that shows strong economic and environmental benefits for connecting Portland, Seattle, and Vancouver, British Columbia by high speed rail.

Transportation Appropriations Bill Kickstarts Cascadia High-Speed Rail Authority

The Washington state transportation appropriations bill will fund a signature policy priority of Governor Jay Inslee (D-WA) to study what it would take to set up an interstate high-speed rail corridor authority. Up to $895,000 is authorized for the effort.
(May 2019)

Inslee Administration Pushes High-Speed Rail Forward

State legislators received a briefing this week on the Washington-led effort to study and plan high-speed rail in the Cascadia Megregion, stretching from Vancouver, British Columbia to Portland, Oregon. Early survey results suggest that there is public interest in a high-speed rail system, with 74% of respondents stating they would “definitely try” high-speed rail.
(February 2019)

Cascadia High-Speed Rail Authority Chugging Toward Legislative Approval

Democrats in the Washington State Legislature introduced Governor Jay Inslee’s (D-WA) legislation for new transportation funding that would support creation of a high-speed rail authority. The legislation would provide up to $3.25 million in biennial appropriations through 2021 to establish the authority in partnership with the State of Oregon and Province of British Columbia.
(January 2019)

High-Speed Rail in Cascadia Will Get a Deeper Look, Report Due Mid-2019

Governor Inslee praised funding authorization for the study and expressed optimism about high-speed rail. “We are pleased to have secured $750,000 in state funds, and another $450,000 in appropriation authority for private and local funding to conduct a business case analysis of a new ultra high-speed corridor connecting Seattle and Vancouver, BC with potential stops in Portland and beyond,” he said.
(March 2018)

British Columbia Goes All In on Rapid Transit, Funds High-Speed Rail Study

Premier John Horgan (BC NDP-British Columbia), the progressive leader of the province, stood side-by-side with Governor Inslee to announce $300,000 Canadian in provincial funding for the regional high-speed rail business case study.
(March 2018)

Call to Action: Urge State Senators to Fund High Speed Rail Study

Contact legislators on the Senate Transportation committee to urge them to fund the WSDOT business case study for high speed rail.
(March 2018)

Urban Clustering: A Case for Cascadia High-Speed Rail

Density and a competitive, green alternative to air travel: just some of the benefits from the preliminary study of economic impact, which suggests urban agglomeration effects would more than pay for high-speed rail’s sizable upfront price tag.

Introducing Cascadia Rail

A new organization of advocates has launched to support bringing high speed rail to the Pacific Northwest.
(February 2018)