BRUSSELS
PARIS
Car
(3hr 30min)
Train* (*Train travel times after Thalys 1hr 30min)
Airplane
(1hr 54min)
Market share before and
after high-speed rail
AFTER
THALYS 2005
52%
BEFORE
THALYS 1994
24%
Paris to Brussels
Source: High Speed Lines in France, Seattle-France Dialogue, Ministere de la Tranasion
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By 2050, the Cascadia Innovation Corridor — the stretch of evergreens, mountains, Fortune 500 companies, farms, cities and colleges that lie between Vancouver and Portland — is estimated to grow by four million people.
Without an alternative to cars, that means an estimated 13 million people on the roads to increase greenhouse gas emissions, damage the environment and waste countless hours.
Convenience, jobs, housing and cleaner air: A look at high-speed rail
Convenience, jobs, housing and cleaner air: A look at high-speed rail
17.8 gallons
of gasoline
AVOIDS
175 pounds
of coal burned
AVOIDS
2.6 tree seedlings for 10 years
IS LIKE GROWING
+390
pounds emitted,
GHG Emission
(CO2e)
per-passenger round trip
+497
pounds emitted,
GHG Emission
(CO2e)
gasoline car
round trip
+349
pounds avoided, GHG Emission (CO2e)*
HSR per-passenger round trip
for a trip from San Francisco to Los Angeles
San Francisco
los angeles
California High-Speed Rail Output
REVEAL THE GHG Savings
108 pounds of waste
IS LIKE RECYCLING
+
+
+
+
Equivalent of one Round trip on High-Speed Railway
The funding, planning and environmental clearances will take some time.
“But we have a vision and we can realize this vision,” Millar says. “There is spending, and there is investment. And this is an investment in the future.”
Gregoire agrees. Take Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, she says. It won’t be long before congestion forces airlines to put a cap on shorter, local flights. Those passengers will then get on the freeway.
“The greatest contributor to climate change is the automobile,” Gregoire says. And Washington’s emissions continue to rise. Between 2017 and 2019 (the last year for which state data is available), greenhouse gas emissions rose from 95.3 million to 102.1 million metric tons.
Colleen Kerr is senior director of Government Affairs at Microsoft, which has had a growing presence in Canada and British Columbia for a long time. Microsoft Vice Chair and President Brad Smith was an early believer in high-speed rail as a way to support not just population, but technological growth.
“With AI and cloud and quantum fusion, our area is at the forefront of the global economy,” Kerr says. “This spine allows our network to flourish.”
And it’s not just about business, she says. High-speed rail could enrich lives through culture and travel experience. Think concerts in Seattle, she says. City waterfronts. Winter markets in Vancouver, B.C.
“I hope we can all have some imagination about this,” Kerr says. “What we have to do is look at the force multiplier. All these other things will come alive.”
“Everything that affects Seattle and British Columbia really does affect our community,” Boudreau says. “Jobs for our children. Agriculture. Community. We really feel that anything that is good for the region is going to be good for our smaller communities.”
Millar’s mind is stuck on the future of not just the region, but of his children and grandchildren. How will they get around?
“The best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago,” he says. “The best time to invest in high-speed rail is now. It won’t get any easier and it won’t get any less expensive.”
Gregoire, too, is focused on the future: “I want my children and grandchildren to have the love of the natural beauty of this great state,” she says. “And not not have it because we didn’t get our act together.”
High-speed rail could answer several key questions Cascadia leaders have been struggling with for years.
How to accommodate the four million people expected to pour into the region by 2050?
How to make housing more affordable?
How to ease congestion on Interstate 5 and the long lines at the airports?
How to boost economic growth through jobs and tourism?
How to reduce carbon emissions and the impact of climate change?
During the 2022 session, the Washington State Legislature allocated $4 million for additional analysis and framework for future high-speed rail, and another $150 million that legislators dedicated as a match for federal investment. In December, the project took a significant step forward, receiving a “Corridor Identification and Development Program” grant to begin the planning process and put the project in line for additional investments without having to reapply.
“We’re in a mess now in transportation from air, land and sea,” says former Washington Gov. Christine Gregoire. “We need to get going. We need to anticipate where we failed to anticipate.”
Gregoire is the head of Challenge Seattle, an alliance of 22 organizations representing the region’s largest employers, including Microsoft, focused on some of the region’s biggest challenges, including transportation.
Washington Secretary of Transportation Roger Millar is the chair of a policy group that includes the legislatures of Washington, the governments of Oregon and British Columbia, and Microsoft, all working to advance the project.
“It’s an exciting time for a transformative investment,” Millar says. “In my opinion, we have taken highways as far as they can go.”
Adding a lane to Interstate 5 would cost $110 billion, be immediately congested and still eat up commuters’ time, Millar says. A new airport would cost $25 billion — not including the road and transport systems needed to access it.
“With the investment in high-speed rail, everyone from Willamette to Whistler can ask, ‘Where do you want to have lunch?’ We would all be within two hours of each other.”
– Roger Millar
Former Mount Vernon, Washington Mayor Jill Boudreau got involved with the project as a local government representative three years ago for what she called “a level-headed, common sense point of view.” She also served on the Skagit County Council of Government’s Transportation Policy Board, which looks at long-term transportation planning for Skagit County and the state.
“High-speed rail is something that preserves everything that people love about this region,” Boudreau says. “Plus, it gives you the ability to move between these large metropolises not only on time, but instead of sitting in your car, in traffic.”
It also allows people in her small community to think about life “outside our valley,” Boudreau says. Maybe a better job in another field. A home closer to better schools. Cultural exploration. They’re not limited by geography.
Millar grew up an Army brat and has seen high-speed rail streamline life and boost economies all over the world. He’s also worked on high-speed rail corridors along the Northeast and in the South.
“It’s entirely feasible, it’s been done elsewhere on the planet, it makes good business sense and the population growth is going to happen,” Millar says. “What will the transportation response be?”
At Microsoft, we believe in a future where every person has the skills, knowledge and opportunities to achieve more. We’re committed to empowering people, communities and organizations around the globe in our effort to ensure an inclusive economic recovery.
“With the investment in high-speed rail, everyone from Willamette to Whistler can ask, ‘Where do you want to have lunch?’ We would all be within two hours of each other.”
– Roger Millar
Source: CHSRA, 2022
By Microsoft
Produced by ST Content Studio
The idea of a high-speed rail line through Cascadia has been around for a long time, but a combination of funding from Washington, Oregon, the government of British Columbia and Microsoft has put the project within reach.
The Cascadia High Speed Rail project proposes to make 30 daily round trips between Vancouver, British Columbia, and Portland, Oregon a day, traveling 250 miles and carrying 32,000 people an hour. It would be capable of getting from Seattle to Portland in under an hour, currently a trip that takes three hours or longer. Well-designed connections between high-speed rail, Amtrak Cascades, light rail, and other transit will make reaching destinations seamless. And, since it would be electric, the train would reduce greenhouse gas emissions and help meet Washington, Oregon, and British Columbia's climate goals.
That’s already happening in California.
How to reduce carbon emissions and the impact of climate change?
How to boost economic growth through jobs and tourism?
How to ease congestion on Interstate 5 and the long lines at the airports?
How to accommodate the four million people expected to pour into the region by 2050?
How to make housing more affordable?
High-speed rail could answer several key questions Cascadia leaders have been struggling with for years.
+
2.6 tree seedlings for 10 years
IS LIKE GROWING
+
108 pounds of waste
IS LIKE RECYCLING
+
175 pounds
of coal burned
AVOIDS
+
17.8 gallons
of gasoline
AVOIDS
+390
pounds emitted
GHG Emission
(CO2e)
per-passenger round trip
+497
pounds emitted
GHG Emission
(CO2e)
gasoline car
round trip
San Francisco
los angeles
Source: CHSRA, 2022
Equivalent of one Round trip on High-Speed Railway
REVEAL THE GHG Savings
for a trip from San Francisco to Los Angeles
California High-Speed Rail Output
“With the investment in high-speed rail, everyone from Willamette to Whistler can ask, ‘Where do you want to have lunch?’ We would all be within two hours of each other.”
– Roger Millar
“With the investment in high-speed rail, everyone from Willamette to Whistler can ask, ‘Where do you want to have lunch?’ We would all be within two hours of each other.”
– Roger Millar
Source: High Speed Lines in France, Seattle-France Dialogue, Ministere de la Tranasion
PARIS
BRUSSELS
Airplane
(1hr 54min)
Train* (*Train travel times after Thalys 1hr 30min)
Car
(3hr 30min)
24%
BEFORE
THALYS 1994
52%
AFTER
THALYS 2005
market share before and after high-speed rail
Paris to Brussels
*compared to plane/train travel