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B.C. commits another $300K to research high-speed train to Seattle, Portland

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British Columbia is continuing to study the feasibility of a high-speed train linking Vancouver with Seattle and Portland, in partnership with Washington state and Oregon.

On Tuesday, the province announced it was investing another $300,000 to study the construction of a high-speed rail network in the region.

B.C. has now invested $900,000 into the feasibility study, with the province contributing $300,000 during a previous study in 2019, and another $300,000 during research in 2020.

The province entered a memorandum of understanding with Washington state to jointly review the economic and environmental impacts of opening up a bullet train between the two regions in 2019.

Oregon joined an updated MOU with the two other jurisdictions in late 2021 to further the study.

Previous phases of the study estimated that construction of a high-speed rail line could generate up to $355 billion across the three regions, and create as many as 200,000 jobs.

Earlier feasibility studies also estimated that the rail line would annually see between 1.7 million and 3.1 million one-way trips by 2040, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by about six million tonnes over 40 years.

Construction of the project is estimated to cost $42 billion, with revenue covering the cost of the project by 2055.

"Improving transportation connectivity throughout the Pacific Northwest is an important part of our work to build a stronger, more sustainable future for people on both sides of our border," said B.C. Premier John Horgan in a release Tuesday.

Washington Governor Jay Inslee added that a future high-speed rail system could strengthen "economic and cultural bonds" between both countries.

Washington has promised US$4 million for this next leg of the study.

According to the B.C. government, high-speed rail trains can travel up to 400 km/h. Previous studies into the topic said a trip from Vancouver to Seattle could take under an hour with a bullet train. 

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