OLYMPIA, Wash. — The effort to bring a high-speed rail line to western Washington continues with the state readying itself for more possible grant opportunities.
The state was recently awarded $500,000 in grant funding to help cover the cost of planning.
Next week, the state will meet with federal rail officials about applying for $250 million in grants to eventually begin development, according to Ron Pate, the director of rail, freight and ports for the Washington State Department of Transportation. The $250 million grant would require a $25 million investment from the state's budget.
Sen. Marko Liias, chair of the Senate Transportation Committee, said the most recent transportation budget set aside $50 million for high-speed rail.
”We have three million people coming to this region over the next generation," Liias said. "Our airport is close to capacity. [Interstate 5] is at capacity. Like, we need to figure out a way to accommodate all the folks that are moving here. And rail is something we don’t use, we underuse, in this state. We need to add it to the mix.”
The goal is to have a high-speed rail line connecting Vancouver, British Columbia to Portland, Oregon.
Officials from the Washington State Department of Transportation declined to make any predictions on when we'd see a high-speed train running due to so many unknown about the project.
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