Pacific Northwest Corridor
Encyclopedia
The Pacific Northwest Corridor or the Pacific Northwest Rail Corridor (PNWRC) is one of eleven federally designated high-speed rail
corridors in the United States
. The 466 miles (750 km) corridor extends from Eugene, Oregon
to Vancouver, British Columbia via Portland, Oregon
and Seattle, Washington. It was designated a high-speed rail corridor on October 20, 1992, as the fifth of five corridors called for in the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act
of 1991 (ISTEA). The corridor is owned by BNSF Railway
in Washington and British Columbia, and by Union Pacific Railroad
(UP) in Oregon, and is used by a mix of freight and passenger trains operated by BNSF, UP, and Amtrak
. If improvements to the corridor are completed as proposed in Washington State's long range plan, passenger trains operating at a maximum speed of 110 miles per hour (49.2 m/s) would travel between Portland and Seattle, in 2 hours and 30 minutes, and between Seattle and Vancouver in 2 hours and 37 minutes by 2023.
The Cascadia high speed rail is a proposed railway that would run from Eugene, Oregon
to Vancouver
, British Columbia
and connect those cities along with Salem
/Portland
, Vancouver WA
/Olympia
/Tacoma/Seattle/Everett
, and Bellingham, Washington
.
and local commuter rail services. Amtrak operates Amtrak Cascades
over the length of the corridor, the Coast Starlight
from Seattle southward, and for short segments, the Empire Builder
. BNSF Railway
operates Sounder commuter rail
for Sound Transit
between Seattle and Tacoma, Washington
, and Seattle and Everett, Washington
.
began in earnest with an act of Congress
in 1866 granting land to a then unnamed railway that would traverse the length of Willamette Valley
south from Portland to the California
state line. A railway company that would later become Ben Holladay's
Oregon Central Railroad
(the East Side or Salem Oregon Central Railroad) began laying track on the east side of the Willamette River
in East Portland, Oregon
in April 1868. This railroad reorganized as the Oregon and California Railroad
and was completed as far south as Roseburg, Oregon
by December 1872. In 1887 the Oregon and California was purchased by the Southern Pacific Railroad which in turn was absorbed by the Union Pacific Railroad in 1996.
signed the Northern Pacific Charter in 1864 establishing the Northern Pacific Railway
with the charge of constructing a rail connection between the Great Lakes
and Puget Sound
. Work on the first section of the railway's right-of-way in Washington Territory
began at Kalama
in 1870. In 1873 the Northern Pacific announced that Tacoma, Washington
would be the railroad's terminus on Puget Sound, and scheduled service began on what was known as the Pacific Division between Kalama and Tacoma in January of 1874 via Tenino, Washington
and the Prairie Line.
In 1908 with completion of the Columbia River bridge
at Vancouver, Washington
by the Portland and Seattle Railroad Company
, an all rail connection was made between Seattle and Portland, eliminating the need for a ferry crossing of the Columbia River between Goble, Oregon
and Kalama.
Northern Pacific opened the water level Point Defiance route between Tenino and Tacoma via the Nelson Bennett tunnel in December of 1914. A six-mile portion of this new route between Tenino and Plumb, Washington was purchased as part of the Northern Pacific's acquisition of the Port Townsend Southern Railroad's Southern Division earlier that same year.
In October 1891 the James J. Hill owned Seattle and Montana Railroad completed a route between Seattle and Brownsville, British Columbia, across the Fraser River from New Westminster
when rails of that line met south of Stanwood, Washington
. A portion of this original route which incorporated the right-of-way of the Fairhaven and Southern Railroad
between Belfast, Washington and Fairhaven, Washington
was replaced with the newly constructed water-level Chuckanut Cut-off between Belleville, 3 miles (4.8 km) north of present day Burlington
, and Fairhaven by the Great Northern Railway company in 1902.
From its completion in 1891, the Seattle and Montana had a route that left Interbay Yard
in Seattle, and crossed to Ballard, Washington
via a wooden trestle. But the construction of the Lake Washington Ship Canal
during the 1910s required a re-routing of the railway through a new cut northwest from Interbay and over Salmon Bay
via a new bridge that could accommodate ship traffic. Construction on the Salmon Bay Bridge began in 1912 and was completed in 1914 at a cost of greater than .
using a right-of-way that followed the Fraser River
upstream to Port Kells
and then running south through Cloverdale
and Hazelmere to the border. The successor to the New Westminster Southern, the Great Northern Railway gained access to Vancouver with the completion of the New Westminster Bridge across the Fraser River in 1904. The Great Northern opened a new coastal route from Brownsville to the border at Blaine via Colebrook and White Rock
in 1909 that would supplant the former route.
line. On January 27, 2010 the federal government announced $590 million of ARRA
stimulus funds will go to Washington State for high speed improvements of its section of the corridor. Additionally, the state of Oregon will receive $8 million to improve Portland's Union Station and trackways in the area. On December 9, 2010 US Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood announced that Washington State will receive an additional $161 million in federal high-speed rail funding from the Federal Rail Administration after newly elected governors in both Wisconsin and Ohio turned down their states' high-speed rail funding. This brings Washington's total funding to about $782 million.
High-speed rail in the United States
High-speed rail in the United States currently consists of one high-speed rail service: Amtrak's Acela Express runs on the Northeast Corridor from Boston to Washington, D.C...
corridors in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The 466 miles (750 km) corridor extends from Eugene, Oregon
Eugene, Oregon
Eugene is the second largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon and the seat of Lane County. It is located at the south end of the Willamette Valley, at the confluence of the McKenzie and Willamette rivers, about east of the Oregon Coast.As of the 2010 U.S...
to Vancouver, British Columbia via Portland, Oregon
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
and Seattle, Washington. It was designated a high-speed rail corridor on October 20, 1992, as the fifth of five corridors called for in the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act
Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act
The Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 is a United States federal law that posed a major change to transportation planning and policy, as the first U.S. federal legislation on the subject in the post-Interstate Highway System era...
of 1991 (ISTEA). The corridor is owned by BNSF Railway
BNSF Railway
The BNSF Railway is a wholly owned subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway Inc., and is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas. It is one of seven North American Class I railroads and the second largest freight railroad network in North America, second only to the Union Pacific Railroad, its primary...
in Washington and British Columbia, and by Union Pacific Railroad
Union Pacific Railroad
The Union Pacific Railroad , headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska, is the largest railroad network in the United States. James R. Young is president, CEO and Chairman....
(UP) in Oregon, and is used by a mix of freight and passenger trains operated by BNSF, UP, and Amtrak
Amtrak
The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak , is a government-owned corporation that was organized on May 1, 1971, to provide intercity passenger train service in the United States. "Amtrak" is a portmanteau of the words "America" and "track". It is headquartered at Union...
. If improvements to the corridor are completed as proposed in Washington State's long range plan, passenger trains operating at a maximum speed of 110 miles per hour (49.2 m/s) would travel between Portland and Seattle, in 2 hours and 30 minutes, and between Seattle and Vancouver in 2 hours and 37 minutes by 2023.
The Cascadia high speed rail is a proposed railway that would run from Eugene, Oregon
Eugene, Oregon
Eugene is the second largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon and the seat of Lane County. It is located at the south end of the Willamette Valley, at the confluence of the McKenzie and Willamette rivers, about east of the Oregon Coast.As of the 2010 U.S...
to Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
, British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
and connect those cities along with Salem
Salem, Oregon
Salem is the capital of the U.S. state of Oregon, and the county seat of Marion County. It is located in the center of the Willamette Valley alongside the Willamette River, which runs north through the city. The river forms the boundary between Marion and Polk counties, and the city neighborhood...
/Portland
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
, Vancouver WA
Vancouver, Washington
Vancouver is a city on the north bank of the Columbia River in the U.S. state of Washington. Incorporated in 1857, it is the fourth largest city in the state with a 2010 census population of 161,791 as of April 1, 2010...
/Olympia
Olympia, Washington
Olympia is the capital city of the U.S. state of Washington and the county seat of Thurston County. It was incorporated on January 28, 1859. The population was 46,478 at the 2010 census...
/Tacoma/Seattle/Everett
Everett, Washington
Everett is the county seat of and the largest city in Snohomish County, Washington, United States. Named for Everett Colby, son of founder Charles L. Colby, it lies north of Seattle. The city had a total population of 103,019 at the 2010 census, making it the 6th largest in the state and...
, and Bellingham, Washington
Bellingham, Washington
Bellingham is the largest city in, and the county seat of, Whatcom County in the U.S. state of Washington. It is the twelfth-largest city in the state. Situated on Bellingham Bay, Bellingham is protected by Lummi Island, Portage Island, and the Lummi Peninsula, and opens onto the Strait of Georgia...
.
Current passenger service
The Pacific Northwest Rail corridor is used by several AmtrakAmtrak
The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak , is a government-owned corporation that was organized on May 1, 1971, to provide intercity passenger train service in the United States. "Amtrak" is a portmanteau of the words "America" and "track". It is headquartered at Union...
and local commuter rail services. Amtrak operates Amtrak Cascades
Amtrak Cascades
The Amtrak Cascades is a passenger train route operated by Amtrak in partnership with the states of Washington and Oregon in the Pacific Northwest of the United States and the province of British Columbia in Canada...
over the length of the corridor, the Coast Starlight
Coast Starlight
The Coast Starlight is a passenger train operated by Amtrak on the West Coast of the United States. It runs from King Street Station in Seattle, Washington, to Union Station in Los Angeles, California. The train's name was formed as a merging of two of Southern Pacific's train names, the Coast...
from Seattle southward, and for short segments, the Empire Builder
Empire Builder
The Empire Builder is a passenger train route operated by Amtrak in the Midwestern and Northwestern United States. It is Amtrak's busiest long-distance route and busiest daily train, carrying more than 500,000 travelers annually since 2007. Overall, it is the railroad's 10th-busiest line. Before...
. BNSF Railway
BNSF Railway
The BNSF Railway is a wholly owned subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway Inc., and is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas. It is one of seven North American Class I railroads and the second largest freight railroad network in North America, second only to the Union Pacific Railroad, its primary...
operates Sounder commuter rail
Sounder Commuter Rail
Sounder commuter rail is a regional rail service operated by BNSF on behalf of Sound Transit. Service operates Monday through Friday during peak hours from Seattle, Washington, north to Everett and south to Tacoma. As of 2011, schedules serve the traditional peak commutes, with most trains running...
for Sound Transit
Sound Transit
Sound Transit has been the popular name of Washington state's Central Puget Sound Regional Transit Authority since September 19, 1999. It was formed in 1996 by the Snohomish, King, and Pierce County Councils...
between Seattle and Tacoma, Washington
Tacoma, Washington
Tacoma is a mid-sized urban port city and the county seat of Pierce County, Washington, United States. The city is on Washington's Puget Sound, southwest of Seattle, northeast of the state capital, Olympia, and northwest of Mount Rainier National Park. The population was 198,397, according to...
, and Seattle and Everett, Washington
Everett, Washington
Everett is the county seat of and the largest city in Snohomish County, Washington, United States. Named for Everett Colby, son of founder Charles L. Colby, it lies north of Seattle. The city had a total population of 103,019 at the 2010 census, making it the 6th largest in the state and...
.
Oregon
What became the Pacific Northwest Corridor was developed piecemeal fashion over the course of many years by several railroad companies, predecessors to today's freight railway companies. The prospect of rail development along the route in OregonOregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
began in earnest with an act of Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
in 1866 granting land to a then unnamed railway that would traverse the length of Willamette Valley
Willamette Valley
The Willamette Valley is the most populated region in the state of Oregon of the United States. Located in the state's northwest, the region is surrounded by tall mountain ranges to the east, west and south and the valley's floor is broad, flat and fertile because of Ice Age conditions...
south from Portland to the California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
state line. A railway company that would later become Ben Holladay's
Ben Holladay
Benjamin "Ben" Holladay was an American transportation businessman known as the "Stagecoach King" until his routes were taken over by Wells Fargo in 1866...
Oregon Central Railroad
Oregon Central Railroad
The Oregon Central Railroad was the name of two railroad companies in the U.S. state of Oregon, each of which claimed federal land grants that had been assigned to the state in 1866 to assist in building a line from Portland south into California...
(the East Side or Salem Oregon Central Railroad) began laying track on the east side of the Willamette River
Willamette River
The Willamette River is a major tributary of the Columbia River, accounting for 12 to 15 percent of the Columbia's flow. The Willamette's main stem is long, lying entirely in northwestern Oregon in the United States...
in East Portland, Oregon
East Portland, Oregon
East Portland was a city in the U.S. state of Oregon that was consolidated into Portland in 1891. It was founded on a land claim by James B. Stephens in 1846, who bought a land claim from John McLoughlin of the Hudson's Bay Company...
in April 1868. This railroad reorganized as the Oregon and California Railroad
Oregon and California Railroad
The Oregon and California Railroad was formed from the Oregon Central Railroad when it was the first to operate a stretch south of Portland in 1869. This qualified the Railroad for land grants in California, whereupon the name of the railroad soon changed to Oregon & California Rail Road Company...
and was completed as far south as Roseburg, Oregon
Roseburg, Oregon
Roseburg is a city in the U.S. state of Oregon. It is the county seat of Douglas County. The population was 21,181 at the 2010 census.-History:...
by December 1872. In 1887 the Oregon and California was purchased by the Southern Pacific Railroad which in turn was absorbed by the Union Pacific Railroad in 1996.
Washington
The possibility of rail development along portions of the corridor route in Washington gained prominence when Abraham LincolnAbraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
signed the Northern Pacific Charter in 1864 establishing the Northern Pacific Railway
Northern Pacific Railway
The Northern Pacific Railway was a railway that operated in the west along the Canadian border of the United States. Construction began in 1870 and the main line opened all the way from the Great Lakes to the Pacific when former president Ulysses S. Grant drove in the final "golden spike" in...
with the charge of constructing a rail connection between the Great Lakes
Great Lakes
The Great Lakes are a collection of freshwater lakes located in northeastern North America, on the Canada – United States border. Consisting of Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario, they form the largest group of freshwater lakes on Earth by total surface, coming in second by volume...
and Puget Sound
Puget Sound
Puget Sound is a sound in the U.S. state of Washington. It is a complex estuarine system of interconnected marine waterways and basins, with one major and one minor connection to the Strait of Juan de Fuca and the Pacific Ocean — Admiralty Inlet being the major connection and...
. Work on the first section of the railway's right-of-way in Washington Territory
Washington Territory
The Territory of Washington was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from February 8, 1853, until November 11, 1889, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Washington....
began at Kalama
Kalama, Washington
Kalama is a city in Cowlitz County, Washington, United States. It is part of the 'Longview, Washington Metropolitan Statistical Area'. The population was 2,344 at the 2010 census.-History:...
in 1870. In 1873 the Northern Pacific announced that Tacoma, Washington
Tacoma, Washington
Tacoma is a mid-sized urban port city and the county seat of Pierce County, Washington, United States. The city is on Washington's Puget Sound, southwest of Seattle, northeast of the state capital, Olympia, and northwest of Mount Rainier National Park. The population was 198,397, according to...
would be the railroad's terminus on Puget Sound, and scheduled service began on what was known as the Pacific Division between Kalama and Tacoma in January of 1874 via Tenino, Washington
Tenino, Washington
Tenino is a city in Thurston County, Washington, United States. The population was 1,695 at the 2010 census.-History:Tenino was officially incorporated on July 24, 1906, though it existed as a rural community since the mid-19th century...
and the Prairie Line.
In 1908 with completion of the Columbia River bridge
Burlington Northern Railroad Bridge 9.6
Burlington Northern Railroad Bridge 9.6 or BNSF Railway Bridge 9.6, also known as the Columbia River Railroad Bridge, is through truss railway bridge across the Columbia River, between Portland, Oregon, and Vancouver, Washington, owned and operated by BNSF Railway...
at Vancouver, Washington
Vancouver, Washington
Vancouver is a city on the north bank of the Columbia River in the U.S. state of Washington. Incorporated in 1857, it is the fourth largest city in the state with a 2010 census population of 161,791 as of April 1, 2010...
by the Portland and Seattle Railroad Company
Spokane, Portland and Seattle Railway
The Spokane, Portland and Seattle Railway was a United States-based railroad incorporated in 1905. It was a joint venture by the Great Northern Railway and the Northern Pacific Railway to build a railroad along the north bank of the Columbia River....
, an all rail connection was made between Seattle and Portland, eliminating the need for a ferry crossing of the Columbia River between Goble, Oregon
Goble, Oregon
Goble is an unincorporated community in Columbia County, Oregon, United States. It is located on U.S. Route 30 and the Columbia River.-History:The Goble area was most likely a stop for the Lewis and Clark Expedition....
and Kalama.
Northern Pacific opened the water level Point Defiance route between Tenino and Tacoma via the Nelson Bennett tunnel in December of 1914. A six-mile portion of this new route between Tenino and Plumb, Washington was purchased as part of the Northern Pacific's acquisition of the Port Townsend Southern Railroad's Southern Division earlier that same year.
In October 1891 the James J. Hill owned Seattle and Montana Railroad completed a route between Seattle and Brownsville, British Columbia, across the Fraser River from New Westminster
New Westminster, British Columbia
New Westminster is an historically important city in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia, Canada, and is a member municipality of the Greater Vancouver Regional District. It was founded as the capital of the Colony of British Columbia ....
when rails of that line met south of Stanwood, Washington
Stanwood, Washington
Stanwood is a city in Snohomish County, Washington, United States. The population was 6,231 at the 2010 census.-History:Stanwood was first settled in 1866 by Robert Fulton. Stanwood's Post Office was established as Centerville in 1870, and the name was changed to Stanwood in 1877 by D.O. Pearson...
. A portion of this original route which incorporated the right-of-way of the Fairhaven and Southern Railroad
Fairhaven and Southern Railroad
The Fairhaven and Southern Railroad was a railroad located in the northwest part of Washington State built by the Fairhaven Land Co. founded by E. M. Wilson, E. L. Cowgill, Nelson Bennett, C. X. Larrabee, and Samuel E...
between Belfast, Washington and Fairhaven, Washington
Fairhaven, Washington
Fairhaven, Washington was founded in the late 1880s and is now part of the City of Bellingham, Washington, USA. It is on the south side of Bellingham, and borders Bellingham Bay on the west and Western Washington University on the northeast...
was replaced with the newly constructed water-level Chuckanut Cut-off between Belleville, 3 miles (4.8 km) north of present day Burlington
Burlington, Washington
Burlington is a city in Skagit County, Washington, United States. The population is 8,388 as recorded by the 2010 census. It is included in the Mount Vernon–Anacortes, Washington Metropolitan Statistical Area.-History:...
, and Fairhaven by the Great Northern Railway company in 1902.
From its completion in 1891, the Seattle and Montana had a route that left Interbay Yard
Balmer Yard
Balmer Yard is a rail yard located in the Interbay neighborhood of Seattle, Washington. The yard is owned by BNSF Railway, and was built by predecessor Great Northern Railway as Interbay Yard. As part of a modernization in the late 1960s, which included a 16-track hump, it was renamed after former...
in Seattle, and crossed to Ballard, Washington
Ballard, Seattle
Ballard is a neighborhood located in the northwestern part of Seattle, Washington. To the north it is bounded by Crown Hill, ; to the east by Greenwood, Phinney Ridge and Fremont ; to the south by the Lake Washington Ship Canal; and to the west by Puget Sound’s Shilshole Bay. The neighborhood’s...
via a wooden trestle. But the construction of the Lake Washington Ship Canal
Lake Washington Ship Canal
The Lake Washington Ship Canal, which runs through the City of Seattle, Washington, connects the fresh water body of Lake Washington with the salt water inland sea of Puget Sound. The Ship Canal includes a series of locks, modeled after the Panama Canal, to accommodate the different water levels...
during the 1910s required a re-routing of the railway through a new cut northwest from Interbay and over Salmon Bay
Salmon Bay
Salmon Bay is that part of the Lake Washington Ship Canal--which passes through the city of Seattle, linking Lake Washington to Puget Sound--that lies west of the Fremont Cut. It is the westernmost section of the canal, and empties into Shilshole Bay, which is part of Puget Sound. Because of the...
via a new bridge that could accommodate ship traffic. Construction on the Salmon Bay Bridge began in 1912 and was completed in 1914 at a cost of greater than .
British Columbia
The New Westminster Southern Railway was completed from Brownsville to the border at Blaine, WashingtonBlaine, Washington
Blaine is a city in Whatcom County, Washington, United States. The city's northern boundary is the Canadian border. Blaine is the shared home of the Peace Arch international monument...
using a right-of-way that followed the Fraser River
Fraser River
The Fraser River is the longest river within British Columbia, Canada, rising at Fraser Pass near Mount Robson in the Rocky Mountains and flowing for , into the Strait of Georgia at the city of Vancouver. It is the tenth longest river in Canada...
upstream to Port Kells
Port Kells
Port Kells is a neighbourhood of the City of Surrey in British Columbia, Canada, located at the northeastern end of that city adjacent to the Fraser River and west of the neighbourhood of Walnut Grove .-History:...
and then running south through Cloverdale
Cloverdale, British Columbia
Cloverdale is an historic town and designated town centre of Surrey, British Columbia, Canada, located near Langley, which is east of Vancouver. The town was founded initially as a small farm community in 1870 for its fertile land and temperate climate, and has since become enveloped by suburban...
and Hazelmere to the border. The successor to the New Westminster Southern, the Great Northern Railway gained access to Vancouver with the completion of the New Westminster Bridge across the Fraser River in 1904. The Great Northern opened a new coastal route from Brownsville to the border at Blaine via Colebrook and White Rock
White Rock, British Columbia
White Rock is a city in British Columbia, Canada, that lies within the Metro Vancouver regional district. It borders Semiahmoo Bay and is surrounded on three sides by the City of Surrey, British Columbia. To the south lies the Semiahmoo First Nation, which is within the city limits of Surrey...
in 1909 that would supplant the former route.
Rationale
Improved rail linkages along the Pacific Northwest cities would provide an improved alternative to car and air travel along the route. Ancillary benefits include a reduction in road congestion, reduced travel emissions, and improved business productivity as travel becomes cheaper, faster, and more convenient. Building a separated high speed rail corridor would also increase freight capacity, although this idea is not currently being acted on. Proponents of the Cascadia high-speed rail also believe that it would help the three international airports in Vancouver, Seattle and Portland operate more efficiently and collaboratively, improve international trade and promote tourism.Construction
The Pacific Northwest high speed rail line will not be constructed from the ground up, but instead result from systematic improvements to the existing railway used by the Amtrak CascadesAmtrak Cascades
The Amtrak Cascades is a passenger train route operated by Amtrak in partnership with the states of Washington and Oregon in the Pacific Northwest of the United States and the province of British Columbia in Canada...
line. On January 27, 2010 the federal government announced $590 million of ARRA
Arra
Arra is a census town in Puruliya district in the state of West Bengal, India.-Demographics: India census, Arra had a population of 19,911. Males constitute 52% of the population and females 48%. Arra has an average literacy rate of 66%, higher than the national average of 59.5%; with 59% of the...
stimulus funds will go to Washington State for high speed improvements of its section of the corridor. Additionally, the state of Oregon will receive $8 million to improve Portland's Union Station and trackways in the area. On December 9, 2010 US Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood announced that Washington State will receive an additional $161 million in federal high-speed rail funding from the Federal Rail Administration after newly elected governors in both Wisconsin and Ohio turned down their states' high-speed rail funding. This brings Washington's total funding to about $782 million.
See also
- Amtrak CascadesAmtrak CascadesThe Amtrak Cascades is a passenger train route operated by Amtrak in partnership with the states of Washington and Oregon in the Pacific Northwest of the United States and the province of British Columbia in Canada...
- Pacific NorthwestPacific NorthwestThe Pacific Northwest is a region in northwestern North America, bounded by the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains on the east. Definitions of the region vary and there is no commonly agreed upon boundary, even among Pacific Northwesterners. A common concept of the...
- High-speed rail in the United StatesHigh-speed rail in the United StatesHigh-speed rail in the United States currently consists of one high-speed rail service: Amtrak's Acela Express runs on the Northeast Corridor from Boston to Washington, D.C...
External links
- US High Speed Rail Association Official Site
- American High Speed Rail Alliance A nonprofit advocacy organization dedicated to creating an advanced national system
- Pacific Northwest Corridor section of the Federal Railroad Administration website
- http://wstc.wa.gov/AgendasMinutes/agendas/2009/Jan13/Jan13_BP13_MidRangePlanAmtrakCascades.pdf WSDOT Mid Range Cascades Improvements
- http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/NR/rdonlyres/AE671CC5-6633-4BF2-9041-FB328ADB1F31/0/LongRangePlanforAmtrakCascades.pdf WSDOT Long Range Plan for Cascades Improvements
- Quadrail High Speed/ High Capacity Rail Transportation
- UIC: High Speed Rail
- International Air Rail Organisation
- High Speed Rail USA a grassroots movement for 220 mph trains in America
- What is High Speed Rail? Why? When?