Office of Rep. Marilyn Strickland announcement.
Today in The News Tribune, Congresswoman Marilyn Strickland (WA-10) called on the Washington State Legislature to fund ultra high speed rail to better connect the South Sound to other destinations along the I-5 corridor from Portland, OR to Vancouver B.C., significantly reducing both travel time and demand on our highways and local transit systems.
“With momentum increasing for high-speed rail, now is the time to help our region address pressing challenges and promote economic prosperity for all — up and down the Sound,” said Strickland. “I encourage the Legislature to fund the next phase of work on this project and provide the necessary state match so we can take advantage of federal funding this year.”
Read the full op-ed below.
Tacoma to Portland in an hour? Ultra-high-speed rail can make it happen. Here’s how
The South Sound is a dynamic part of our globally connected region that deserves a fast connection to other major jobs centers up and down the Interstate 5 corridor. Imagine getting on a high-speed train in Tacoma and being in Portland in less than an hour at speeds of up to 250 miles per hour. That is a welcome alternative to spending hours stuck in I-5 traffic, making day trips to Portland possible again.
Working closely with my colleagues in Congress, including Senator Maria Cantwell, Representatives Rick Larsen, Derek Kilmer, Suzan DelBene and Chairman Peter DeFazio, I helped ensure the federal government stepped up and funded passenger rail.
The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law contains $66 billion for passenger rail, including $12 billion for intercity passenger rail projects like the Cascadia Ultra-High-Speed Ground Transportation Project. We have a generational opportunity to secure a share of this federal funding for the Pacific Northwest.
During this Washington State legislative session, I encourage state lawmakers to prioritize a significant investment in the Cascadia Ultra-High-Speed Ground Transportation Project. There is an opportunity to apply for federal funds to truly launch this project and move beyond a concept into community engagement and development. If we’re not ready, those dollars will go elsewhere, and we’ll miss out on as much as 80 percent federal funding for the project.
Building upon local transit options, high speed rail would advance our ability to move people more efficiently over longer distances — whether that’s for work or to see family or friends. It is an important complement to our critical local transit systems. In the South Sound, we need both local transit and high-speed rail to meet existing and future demands for our community, and to support long-term economic development.
For those of us that have lived in the South Sound for a year, 10 or even 20 years, we know that the South Sound is one of the best — and most beautiful — places to live in the United States. With Pierce County alone adding 126,000 neighbors over the past ten years, and an anticipated additional 364,000 new neighbors in the South Sound over the next 30, we know we need to plan and invest smartly in how we move people and goods. That’s why I fought hard for the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and its extraordinary investments in transit and rail.
Our Cascadia megaregion is one of eleven in the United States. We can replicate the success that the Northeast megaregion —extending from Maine to Virginia — has found in its high-speed rail service, and better connect our metropolitan areas. For the South Sound, that’s better connecting Tacoma-Lakewood to Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater. And while this kind of investment will greatly increase access to the South Sound, it will also expand geographic equity for workers. We must encourage employers to think beyond King County when it comes to placing high-wage jobs and use this funding to make the South Sound an employment hub.
With momentum increasing in the federal government for high-speed rail, now is the time to help our region address pressing challenges and promote economic prosperity for all — up and down the Sound. I encourage the Legislature to fund the next phase of work on this project and provide the necessary state match so we can take advantage of federal funding this year. I’m joined in making this request by a coalition of more than 40 business, labor, and community organizations and other elected officials who have also encouraged the state Legislature to act. Like me, these organizations and leaders see the potential of high-speed transportation to create incredible opportunities for future generations.
Let’s fund high-speed rail in this legislative session so the dream of Tacoma to Portland in less than an hour becomes our reality.
Let’s make “high speed rail” available and safe by eliminating grade level railroad crossings at I-5 Exits. Dupont-Steilacoom is an example of increased truck traffic, military traffic, and rail traffic which impact vehicle and pedestrian safety. I applaud bringing service to South Puget Sound. Let’s do it safely.
If Sound Transit’s $11,000,000,000 budget shortfall and busted time line are any indication, this “high speed” rail supported by Strickland and fellow Democrats is yet another boondoggle which will cost billions, run up enormous cost overruns, and benefit relatively few riders.
The lunacy of such proposals can only be attributed to the lefts’ infatuation with such projects where they get to spend your money in big chunks. Just look at the “high speed” rail experience in California! The cost of that debacle has risen to $105B for 500 miles from the original $77B. Add to that they are way behind schedule and costs will continue to rise now that we have the specter of inflation facing us.
Let’s put the Cali experience into perspective. That’s cost of $210,000,000 a mile or about $40,000 a running foot……….and climbing! So a line from Vancouver BC to Portland OR (508 miles) would essentially cost the same as for the California project……….and climbing! And for what benefit? Do they have ridership projections or will this be a millstone around the neck of taxpayers for its entire operation just as AMTRAK has been since its inception?
By the way: the cost of a 4 lane highway is about $6M (rural) to $10M (urban) a mile. That’s about 2.86% of the cost of a mile of high speed rail! Essentially you can build 35 miles of 4 lane highway for one mile of high speed rail. Do the math. It’s your money.
High speed rail makes sense in a high density linear corridor such as ours, but only if the project encompasses a full transit oriented development T.O.D. model.
That includes dense housing and living accomodations at every hub/station along the way with an emphasis on working people.
This is really a human resources H.R. project, more so than a transit project, if done properly.
I’ve been involved in this discussion for over a decade and I’ve seen it fail to optimize, as it tends to drift from a core vision – even resulting in disaster.
If this can be realized with H.R. as the return on investment, it may be worth it over time.
Otherwise it will be just another regrettable, bloated, tax-funded debacle.
What a waste of money. Sound transit is a prime example of incompetent projects.