high speed rail Archives - Northwest Public Broadcasting

Cascadia High-Speed Rail: Will It Finally Happen Or Is It ‘Time To Kill This Thing’?

By Tom Banse December 8, 2020

Acela II passes through Halethorpe, MD on its way to Washington DC for the first Amtrak has full rights to this image. New Acela 21 in Testing

A new government report on high speed rail in the Pacific Northwest recommends that Oregon, Washington and British Columbia formalize their interest in a Cascadia bullet train by creating an independent body to plan and eventually build it. But a critic associated with a conservative think tank responded that the region should take heed of California's high speed rail woes Read More

Study Estimates High Costs, Low Ridership If Washington Boosted East-West Train Service

By Tom Banse June 24, 2020

The rail corridor studied stretches from Seattle to Spokane with six intermediate stops including Ellensburg, Yakima and Pasco.

The Washington Legislature commissioned the $250,000 study last year to see if it would be feasible to restart passenger service on the Stampede Pass line. The route crosses the Cascade Mountains from Seattle to Ellensburg, then stretches onward through the Yakima Valley to Pasco and Spokane.Read More

Plans To Beef Up Amtrak Cascades Service Still Delayed Two Years After Fatal I-5 Derailment

By Tom Banse December 29, 2019

A holiday wish of many Pacific Northwest rail fans is more roundtrips on the Amtrak Cascades schedule with greater speed and reliability. But in order to beef up train service between Seattle and Portland, a bypass route south of Tacoma needs to be reopened. There is still no fixed date to return Amtrak trains to those tracks where a deadly derailment happened just over Read More

Cascadia Bullet Train Proposal For I-5 Corridor Urged On Despite Electorate’s Anti-Tax Mood

By Tom Banse November 8, 2019

After bemoaning that the state's highways, bridges, ferries and rail cars "are on a glide path to failure," Washington State Department of Transportation Secretary Roger Millar laid out the case for building an ultra-high speed railway on dedicated track.Read More

All Aboard The Case Study For Oregon- Washington-Vancouver Bullet Train

By Tom Banse July 23, 2018

Shown is a W7 Series Shinkansen in Japan. Could the Pacific Northwest be served by high speed trains in the future? I HOKURIKU / TINYURL.COM/Y9PPKGE6

The push for a bullet train between Portland, Seattle and Vancouver, BC, is getting additional backing. The state of Oregon and Microsoft Corporation are putting money into an in-depth "business case analysis" previously launched by Washington and British Columbia.Read More

British Columbia Helps Fund Portland-Seattle-Vancouver Bullet Train Feasibility Study

By Tom Banse March 16, 2018

The province of British Columbia will support and has agreed to contribute money to further study of bullet train service from Portland to Seattle to Vancouver. British Columbia Premier John Horgan spoke approvingly of the possible high speed train at a joint appearance with visiting Washington Gov. Jay Inslee on Friday, March 16. Read More

Is A Portland-Seattle-Vancouver Bullet Train A Reality? Lawmakers Dedicate Money To Study

By Tom Banse March 8, 2018

The Washington Legislature has approved further study of a super-fast train from Portland to Seattle to Vancouver, BC. Lawmakers passed and sent to the governor's desk a supplemental transportation budget which includes $1.2 million for a consultant to prepare a "business case analysis" of bullet train service from Portland to Vancouver, BC with stops in between.Read More