OLYMPIA, Wash. — The Washington state Senate has passed a proposal that would provide $150 million in funding for the creation of a high speed rail line connecting Vancouver, British, Columbia, to Portland, Ore.
KING-TV reports the funding is part of a $16 billion transportation bill, Senate Bill 5974. That legislation passed by a 29-20 vote on Tuesday.
State Sen. Marko Liias (D-Edmonds, Wash.), one of the bill’s sponsors, says the $150 million will make the state eligible for $700 million in federal funding for the proposed high speed line, which would operate at speeds up to 200 mph and make it possible to go from Seattle to Portland or Vancouver in about an hour.
A 2019 study said the high speed line generate more than 3 million trips and farebox revenue of up to $250 million a year by 2040 [see “Study urges ‘ultra’ high speed rail …,” Trains News Wire, July 16, 2019].
The legislation now moves to the state House.
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