B.C. government to fund a 3rd study to evaluate feasibility of high-speed rail linking Oregon, Washington and Lower Mainland

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California embarked on a similar mission over a decade ago and the results have not met expectations. Voters passed a high-speed rail referendum, Proposition 1A in 2008, and 14 years later, that bullet train project is nowhere near completion. The project was designed to stretch the full length of the west coast, from San Diego to Vancouver. It has yet to produce a single mile of track despite approximately $5 billion spent, according to published reports.

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As for B.C., the next phase of the study, led by the Washington State Department of Transportation in partnership with B.C., Oregon and other regional and local agencies, intends to:

* address the roles, responsibilities and future funding requirements of the project;

* develop a regional public outreach and engagement strategy;

* explore opportunities to integrate ultra-high-speed rail into regional transportation and land-use planning; and

* develop plans for future environmental review processes, engineering and design requirements.

“I want to thank our partners in British Columbia and along the West Coast as we continue making progress toward a high-speed rail system that will strengthen our economic and cultural bonds and transform how we travel,” said Washington Gov. Jay Inslee. “This is one more example of our shared belief that innovation drives prosperity and a more sustainable world for everyone.”

According to the B.C. government press release, results from pervious phases of the study show the project presents significant benefits, such as:

* stronger trade ties between B.C., Washington and Oregon;

* economic activity equalling as much as $355 billion within the region;

* creation of as many as 200,000 jobs;

* between 1.7 million and 3.1 million one-way trips annually by 2040, with Vancouver to Seattle estimated at 25 per cent of the total (425,000 to 775,000 trips);

* a reduction of as much as six million tonnes of greenhouse gas in the first 40 years of operations; and

* estimated construction costs for as much as $42 billion with revenue expected to cover project costs by 2055.

On Oct. 10, 2018, Premier Horgan and Gov. Inslee signed an MOU to act jointly to grow the region’s innovation economy, protect the environment and combat climate change, promote trade and improve transportation connectivity.

Three years later, in November 2021, a new MOU between B.C., Washington and Oregon was executed that committed the parties to continue advancing activities that support the program.

Washington state has approved US$4 million in funding to advance the next phase of the study. B.C. has also provided $300,000 toward each of previous two studies, completed in 2019 (total study cost: US$1.5 million) and 2020 (total study cost: US$1 million).