Bullet train under consideration: Portland to Seattle in an hour?
Oct 9, 2018, 6:11 AM
Officials in Oregon, Washington and British Columbia are in the very early stages of planning a bullet train that could travel between Portland, Oregon, and Vancouver, British Columbia, in about two hours.
The Oregonian/OregonLive reports that the rail discussion is in its infancy, but the governments hope to make it a reality by 2035.
Transportation officials are meeting Tuesday, for the second time this year, about what the ultra-high-speed rail line would look like.
Microsoft paid for a study of economic feasibility and found that the plan could create 38,000 construction jobs for a decade and create billions in labor income.
If it were to happen, the train could theoretically connect Portland and Seattle in under an hour.
No such trains operate in the U.S. The fastest train, Amtrak’s Acela Express, hits maximum speeds of 154 miles per hour but averages about half that speed on its route between Washington D.C. and Boston.
According to a report the Washington Department of Transportation released in February, the line could cost $25 billion to more than $40 billion to build.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
