WSDOT wants public input on proposed high-speed rail connecting Seattle, Portland, and Vancouver

The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) is asking for public input as it studies a potential high-speed rail line connecting Seattle, Portland, and Vancouver, British Columbia.

The Cascadia High-Speed Rail proposal is being studied through 2028 as transportation agencies consider whether high-speed rail could help meet the Cascadia megaregion’s future transportation needs.

“It’s an exciting opportunity to really marry two significant transportation efforts together and really look at ways that we can more effectively deliver multiple modes of transportation,” Ben Tripousis, program administrator for Cascadia High-Speed Rail and I-5 improvement program, said.

In December 2024, the Federal Railroad Administration awarded WSDOT $500,000 of a $49.7 million grant to develop a service development plan for the project. The Washington State Legislature also provided $5.5 million in state matching funds.

The proposed high-speed rail system would not replace the existing Amtrak Cascades passenger rail service.

Amtrak Cascades trains currently share tracks with freight trains. A high-speed system would likely require new dedicated tracks for trains capable of traveling between 160 and 250 mph.

WSDOT estimates the high-speed trains could carry between 1.7 million and 3.1 million riders annually when the system opens, generating between $160 million and $250 million in annual revenue.

The project could also significantly reduce travel times between the region’s largest cities.

“Travel times between Portland and Seattle and Seattle and Vancouver could go from the current three-hour-plus time to just about an hour,” Tripousis said.

WSDOT projects the region will add about 3.4 million people by 2050. Addressing that population growth and the accompanying demands on transportation infrastructure is a major driver behind the high-speed rail study.

Now, the agency wants the public to help shape what transportation in the region could look like in the decades ahead.

WSDOT is asking people to complete a brief survey on the high-speed rail proposal by Nov. 13.

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“The focus for us is ensuring that we do this together, that we want our communities to be part of the effort,” Tripousis said.

For more information about the project and to take the survey, click here.