Washington state members of Congress announced the Cascade High-Speed Rail project has received $49.7 million in funding from the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) Federal Railroad Administration to begin planning the long-awaited project. The proposed railway would connect the Pacific Northwest’s major cities with high-speed train service running up to 250 mph.
The funding, announced December 18, comes from part of the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law that was co-authored by Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA).
The funding will go toward route planning, identification of capital projects and community outreach. The Cascadia corridor – a 345-mile stretch roughly following I-5 from Portland through Seattle, Bellingham, Blaine and into Vancouver, B.C. – is home to 10 million people and is expected to grow by 3-4 million people before 2050, according to the Washington State Transportation Commission.
According to a U.S. Census Bureau study, single-occupancy vehicles in the Cascadia Corridor emit 4.1 million metric tons of carbon dioxide each year. Roughly 900,000 people used Amtrak’s Cascades Route in 2024, a significant rebound after the only passenger rail service in the region drastically cut service during the pandemic.
Representative Rick Larsen (D-WA), the lead Democrat on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee whose district stretches from Edmonds to the U.S./Canada border, said the funding will kick start green job growth in the region.
“Cascadia High Speed Rail means more jobs and long-term economic growth in the Pacific Northwest,” Larsen said. “Thanks to this award and the work of FRA Administrator Amit Bose and [Transportation] Secretary Pete Buttigieg, WSDOT can continue partnering with Northwest Washington communities and stakeholders to deliver higher speed rail that benefits riders, the region and the environment.”
