The proposed corridor would be a greenfield high-speed rail (HSR) system that would connect the cascadia megaregion, including metropolitan vancouver, british columbia the greater seattle,…

This Cooperative Agreement award, provided by the Federal Railroad Administration under the Federal-State Partnership for Intercity Passenger Rail program (CFDA 20.326), will fund the completion of Step 2 of the Corridor Identification and Development (CID) process for the Cascadia High-Speed Rail Corridor. The objective is to develop a Service Development Plan (SDP) that will advance the proposed high-speed rail system connecting the Cascadia megaregion, including metropolitan areas in British Columbia, Washington, and Oregon. The project aims to realize the potential benefits of this high-speed rail corridor, such as improving regional connectivity, addressing transportation and housing challenges, driving economic growth, and advancing climate and equity goals. The total federal funding amount is $55,274,312, with an award date of November 26, 2024 and an ultimate completion date of January 31, 2029. The Washington State Department of Transportation is the primary awardee responsible for delivering the project.

The proposed corridor would be a greenfield high-speed rail (HSR) system that would connect the cascadia megaregion, including metropolitan vancouver, british columbia the greater seattle, washington area and metropolitan portland, oregon and other multimodal transportation systems via one-hour, low no emission trips, with speeds up to 250 MPH. Under this agreement, the objective of the project is to complete step 2 of the CID process for the cascadia high-speed rail corridor, building off of work done during step 1 in a separate grant, to complete a service development plan SDP). The completion of step 2 will advance the cascadia high-speed rail corridor towards realizing its potential benefits, bringing the megaregion closer together, addressing congestion and housing challenges, driving bold and sustainable economic growth, and accelerating climate and equity goals.