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US North West bullet train project Cascadia. (Photo: Credit: Cascadia High Speed Rail,
Bullet train between Portland and Vancouver debated in NW
Published: Thu, 2015-01-22 15:42-
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The project would cost billions of dollars
With California recently breaking ground on a new high-speed rail line, many people in North West of USA are hoping that the dream of a bullet train between Portland and Vancouver may someday become a reality.
The rail activist organization, Cascadia High Speed Rail, (CHSR) believes separated tracks along sections of existing right-of-ways, highway corridors, and through tunnels can be made a reality within 20 years, allowing electric trains to run along the 500km stretch at up to 300km/h.
Rudy Niederer with CHSR declares that the mega project would cost billions of dollars and there may be little political appetite for that kind of infrastructure spending in the Pacific Northwest. But he believes the economics do work out over the very long term, pointing to European models.
The new California line, which will run from Los Angeles to San Francisco, won’t be finished for another 13 years, but it’s renewing calls to bring a similar rail line that will link Oregon, Washington state, and British Columbia.
It’s an idea that’s been around for a while. The B.C. government years ago signed a wide-ranging agreement to connect California to B.C. within two decades.
But it’s a dream that could be wrecked. Critics like says a bullet train would require a new rail corridor and a new bridge over the Fraser River, costing billions.
More realistic goal might be, critics say, to support Washington State’s hopes to expand higher-speed rail–which is faster than conventional trains, but slower than bullet trains–rather than high-speed rail lines like the one being built in California.
Source: Global News
Av Markku Björkman
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