SEATTLE — U.S. Senator from Washington Maria Cantwell joined Washington Senator Patty Murray and Washington Representatives Rick Larsen, Derek Kilmer, Marilyn Strickland, Adam Smith, Suzan DelBene and Pramila Jayapal in announcing that the U.S. Department of Transportation’s (DOT) Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) has awarded $49.7 million for planning work on the proposed Cascadia High-Speed Rail project.
The project would link the Pacific Northwest’s major population centers, including Vancouver, Seattle and Portland, with regular train service running at up to 250 mph.
"The I-5 corridor is the backbone of Western Washington’s transportation system, yet a recent study found that Seattle is the second most congested city in the nation,” Cantwell said. “This funding will enable the state to work with locals to develop the best possible high-speed passenger rail route and someday give Washingtonians the option to skip the highway and reach their destination faster.”
Senator Cantwell led a letter along with Senator Murray and the Washington representatives to Department of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg in support of this funding, as passenger rail travel is growing with over 900,000 riders traveling on the Amtrak Cascades Route in 2024.
The FRA funding comes from the Corridor Identification and Development, or “Corridor ID,” program, which Cantwell authored in the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL).
The funds will be used to complete Step 2 of the Corridor ID program, which involves route planning, identification of capital projects and community outreach. The $49.7 million from the FRA will be supplemented with $5.6 million in funds from the Washington State Department of Transportation.
“This federal award is an important step forward for the Cascadia High-Speed Rail project and will support critical planning, community engagement, and initial design activities,” said Murray, Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee. “The Cascadia corridor is home to 10 million people and growing—bringing high speed rail speed to the region will be transformative, allowing Washingtonians to travel much faster and more easily between Vancouver, Seattle, Portland, and communities in between. I’ll continue working to help secure the federal funding to move this project forward.”
Throughout her career in the Senate, Cantwell has sought improvements to a passenger rail system and worked to increase funding for passenger rail programs in the BIL, including $58 billion for passenger rail grants to states and Amtrak to support the improvement and expansion of passenger rail across the country.
“Cascadia High-Speed Rail means more jobs and long-term economic growth in the Pacific Northwest,” said Larsen, the lead democrat on the Transportation & Infrastructure Committee. “Thanks to this award and the work of FRA Administrator Amit Bose and 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.”
Following route cancellations during the pandemic, Cantwell urged Amtrak CEO Stephen Gardner and director nominees to commit to the full-service restoration of the Amtrak Cascades route. Following the advocacy, the Seattle to Vancouver, B.C., service has been open since September 2022.
“This funding will make it easier to travel across the Pacific Northwest and create about 200,000 jobs. It is also a critical step toward sustainability and cutting at least 6 million metric tons of carbon in our region,” said Jayapal. “I am so proud to have supported this funding and will continue working to bring more money home to keep our communities connected, reduce transit times, and protect our unique environment.”
