Pacific Northwest High-Speed Rail Line

The probability of a high-speed rail line from Seattle to Vancouver, B.C., just got higher. Microsoft announced their plans to invest a second round of funds (over $220,000) into a feasibility study for high-speed ground transportation in the region. That brings Microsoft’s donation to the study around $573,000. The research began in 2017 after government officials and business leaders in the region agreed to explore the idea of a high-speed rail line. The study has already received considerable funding from other stakeholders and is expected to be completed by the end of 2020. Overall, the analysis evaluates population and transportation profiles in the Pacific Northwest, as well as development and design recommendations, funding, cost estimates and other fundamentals that would affect the utility of having high-speed ground transportation. The potential rail line would allow passengers to travel from Seattle to Vancouver, B.C., in less than an hour. Washington Department of Transportation stated that if the high-speed rail was built, it would travel at over 200 miles per hour and would generate a substantial decrease in carbon emissions, eliminating approximately 6 million metric tons. Experts and researchers will continue to look at this proposal from every angle.